Mumbai: Zee Zest unlimit awards was a grand evening that celebrated and honoured the stalwarts from cuisine, beverages & nightlife, luxury hotels and resorts, and individuals in the food and travel space. The first edition of the ZEE ZEST UNLIMIT AWARDS Presented by L’Oreal Paris– New (Hyaluron) Moisture was hosted at ITC Grand Central, Mumbai on 21 March, 2023. The event was graced by celebrities like Nimrat Kaur, Maniesh Paul, Jaaved Jaffrey, Mrunal Thakur, Addinath Kothare, to name a few.

There were multiple awards in each category and several nominations were shortlisted from across the country. The winners were picked by a rigorous process of jury selection and public voting.

The cuisine category saw eight awards. Yum Yum Cha, New Delhi, serving traditional and authentic Pan Asian Bistro won the award for the Best Pan-Asian Restaurant. Izumi in Goa, known for its scrumptious Japanese style rice bowls and ramen bagged the Best Japanese Restaurant award. Botticino that serves hearty Italian flavors within the abode of contemporary and refined ambience located in Trident, Mumbai was honoured as the Best Italian Restaurant. The Craftery by Subko, Mumbai that pulls the visitors with its aromatic coffee flavors was crowned as the Best Café. The Black Forest Berliner and Classic Chocolate Slice that are winning the hearts of the visitors at the Padaria Prazeres, Goa, listed its name for being the Best Bakery in the country. The Avartana based in ITC Grand Chola, Chennai that specializes in serving delectable dishes like Fried Squid and Cauliflower Crunch was awarded the Best Progressive Indian Restaurant. Cavatina, Goa that is renowned for dressing its dishes uniquely won the Best Regional Restaurant. Serving organic, vegan, gluten free and refined sugar-free dishes Yogisattva Mumbai made its name for being the Best Vegan Restaurant.

The second category of Beverages and Nightlife had five awards and a stiff competition. Carving a luxurious space while maintaining the leisurely vibe with soulful ambience and inventive cocktails Raeeth, Goa won the award for Best Nightclub. Headed by renowned mycologist and author, Yangdup Lama, the Sidecar in New Delhi took home the award for the Best Cocktail Bar. The Sula Rasa Cabernet Sauvignon that is packed with aromatic dark fruits and berries with elegant and complex structure won the Best Indian Wine award. The Jaisalmer that has the hint of liquorice, angelica and cubeb pepper in it listed its name for being the Best Indian Craft Gin. The Best Craft Beer award was honoured to White Rhino Brewing that was founded in 2016. 

The Travel category had four awards: Oberoi group’s popular luxury resort Udaivilas was crowned as the Best Luxury Resort. ITC Grand Chola of Chennai bagged the award for being the Best Luxury Hotel. The Barefoot at Havelock in Andaman Islands listed its name among the Best Sustainable Resort. The Six Senses Vana of Dehradun that offers a wide range of therapeutic experiences like Yoga, Ayurveda, Tibetan Medicine, and Natural Healing Therapies to its visitors named itself for being the Best Wellness Retreat.

The final category awarded the Individual achievers. Avinash Martins, a celebrity chef and founder of Cavatina, Goa won the Chef of the Year award. The Sacred Foods of India is a tribute to India’s culture and heritage by the celebrity and award-winning Chef Vikas Khanna that won the Book of the Year award. Known for her innovative Hustle Bomb and Bloody Mary Foam drinks, Mixologist Aashie Bhatnagar, of Cobbler & Crew, Goa bagged the award for being the Mixologist of The Year. Rohit Khattar, the founder of Old World Hospitality Ltd. won the Zee Zest Unlimit Icon of the Year award. Uma Raghuraman, a passionate celebrity chef and blogger, was honoured with the Digital Food Influencer of the Year. Anunay Sood, a famed travel influencer with over one million followers on Instagram and over two lakh on YouTube, bagged the award for being the Digital Travel Influencer of the Year. DJ Anyasa won the award for the Best DJ for her foot tapping beats.

Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar won the Sustainability Champion award and actor Maniesh Paul bagged the Style Maverick of the Year. 

“We value innovators and visionaries who are on the journey of constant creation regardless of the risks involved. With Zee Zest Unlimit Awards, we built the opportunity to bring forth the talents and honour people with unparalleled potential who make the experiences worthwhile. I congratulate the winners and everyone who participated, and may we continue to curate fresh experiences and raise the bar of fields we operate in,” said Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. chief cluster officer – West, North & premium channels Amit Shah. 

Speaking at the Zee Zest’s UNLIMIT Awards, Ashish Sehgal, chief growth officer, Advertising Revenue said, “Zee Zest is a leading lifestyle platform that showcases unique experiences and talents. These Awards were an amalgamation of the best experience providers across the country. We commend them for their contribution in their respective fields and think it as our privilege to felicitate them.”

Zee Zest chief channel officer Amit Nair said, “At Zee Zest, our aim is to always present offerings that UNLIMIT the experience for our viewers in the realm of food, travel, luxury and more. The first edition of the Zee Zest UNLIMIT Awards was our humble step towards acknowledging the efforts of curators that shape today’s food, lifestyle, and hospitality experiences, and we congratulate all the winners and participants of this event. We stay committed to presenting fresh concepts and offerings that tickle your taste buds and give you an experience of the best in luxury, travel, and lifestyle.”

ZEE ZEST UNLIMIT AWARDS was Presented by L’Oreal Paris– New (Hyaluron) Moisture with Special Partners Appy Fizz, & Cadbury Dairy Milk and Cosmetics Partner Dazzler Eterna. KINDLIFE, Geetanjali Salons and Sleepy Owl were the gifting partners for the event. Popular comedian Sorabh Pant, performed at the event. The show will telecast on 16 April, 2023 at 8:30 PM on Zee Zest, Zee Zest HD and 9:00 PM on Zee Café, and will be available to stream on zeezest.com

For more information on the event: www.zeezest.com/unlimitawards