The All Pakistan Restaurant Association (APRA) is the only representative body of restaurants and caterers in Pakistan. It is licensed by the Directorate General Trade Organisation, Ministry of Commerce and the government. They hosted an all-exclusive press conference at Lal Qila restaurant, announcing the APRA Awards that’ll recognise and reward the best performing restaurants in Karachi from different food categories. Award shows are already an entertainment industry staple but restaurant awards will be a welcome addition for Pakistan. Beyond the trophies and glamour, the APRA awards aim to recognise and acknowledge special features of restaurants including food and service excellence, outstanding dining and delivery experiences by giving the public and regular patrons of APRA access to voting and having a voice that counts. Thereby increasing competition locally and ultimately raising the level of food quality and the standards of service in the Pakistani restaurant industry. After the short introduction to the APRA awards, the media was introduced to the jury members who are on the panel and award participants and categories as well as the selection process and criteria of these awards were presented. The five prominent jury members on the panel are, Chef Saadat – celebrity chef and an avid wanderer who loves writing about cooking and serving great things, Chef Abdul Hadi – co-founder at Master Class Pakistan Hospitality Business School, Director Research and Projects/Consultant Chef at College of Tourism & Hotel Management Karachi and Managing Partner at Horeca Edge. After the short introduction to the APRAs, the media was introduced to the jury members who are on the panel and award participants and categories as well as the selection process and criteria of these awards were presented. The five prominent jury members on the panel are Chef Saadat, Chef Abdul Hadi, Sumera Hussain, Dr Sadia Safdar and Ali Sultan Sumera Hussain – Officer Executive Provincial Services Government of Sindh presently posted as Deputy Director Operations of Sindh Food Authority. She has conducted inspections and audits of various food eateries and manufacturing units in terms of hygiene, quality of food and good manufacturing practices. Currently she is also part of the regulatory authority, administratively managing to implement the standard operating procedures of SFA. Dr Sadia Safdar – she has been reviewing food since 2010, is an ex CEDO at the SWOTS guide, currently owner of The Beat Pakistan, Food Beat, Food Beat Pakistan, Beat Pakistan Food Business domain. A traveller who enjoys different cuisines and firmly believes that taste is subjective. Ali Sultan – CEO of Imperial whose love for food takes him beyond boundaries and has made him brave enough to try some of the weirdest food in China and other far eastern countries All Pakistan Restaurant Awards will have a total of 20 Awards, five of which will be Jury Awards and the remaining 15 Customer Choice Awards. There will be a Chef of the Year award, Sustainable Restaurant of the Year, Food Legend Award, Best Pocket Friendly Restaurant of the Year, Delivery on Time Award, New Entrant of the Year, Best Innovation Dish Award, Best Restaurant for Ambiance, Best Buffet Restaurant of the Year, Best Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year, Best Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year, Best Pakistani Restaurant of the Year, Best Pan Asian Restaurant of the Year, Best Chinese Restaurant, Best Coffee Place of the Year, Best Chai Place of the Year, Best Burger House of the Year, Best Pizza House Award, Best Biryani Restaurant Award and finally the Restaurant of the Year. Moving onto the selection process and criteria, APRA explained that the restaurants who want to partake in this will have to fill up a nomination form online, jury to screen these nominees, voting to start July 31, 2019 onwards and end on August 20 after which the winners will be awarded at the grand ceremony on August 31. Speaking about APRA, Waqas Azeem, Chairman of APRA commented saying, “We are a nation of foodies and the central idea of starting All Pakistan Restaurant Awards is to further grow the booming Pakistani restaurant industry. Not just that but we want to bring out positivity on the forefront by giving our restaurants a platform where they can come together and have their efforts recognized. Along with this, our aim is to maintain food and service excellence within the restaurant industry through healthy competition and provide restaurants with an alternative avenue for increased recognition.” The APRAs will take place first in Karachi on August 31, then in Lahore on December 2 and the format is expected to take place annually.