Celebrating Excellence in Hospitality: BIH Spotlight Awards 2023
On the 16th of October 2023, Be Inclusive Hospitality hosted the illustrious BIH Spotlight Awards, a dazzling ceremony at M Threadneedle Street, London. Hosted by renowned chef Shelina Permalloo, it celebrated outstanding diversity in the vibrant hospitality industry.
Meet the Finalists – BIH Spotlight Awards
Meet the finalists for the 2nd Annual BIH Spotlight Awards. These prestigious awards highlight outstanding businesses and individuals from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds within the hospitality sector.
Diversity in Hospitality: Key Lessons from Recent Events
In the wake of a recent media storm surrounding Thomas Straker’s all-white, all-male chef brigade at his restaurant, the hospitality industry has been forced to confront Diversity and Inclusion once more.
Inside Hospitality Report 2023: Key Insights and Collaborative Efforts to Drive Inclusivity
On Monday, June 19th, the hospitality industry witnessed a landmark event that marked the release of the highly anticipated 2023 Inside Hospitality Report.
Inside Hospitality Report 2023
On Monday 19th June the Inside Hospitality Report 2023 will be released. To mark this release, we will hold a launch event at The Four Seasons Hotel, Park Lane on Monday 19th June at 8:30 am.
Community Spotlight – Natalie Dinning, Owner
Natalie Dinning is the owner of Caribbean sauce brand Lesley’s Sauces. We spoke to Natalie about her love for culture, family, the challenges of being a solopreneur, and her proudest moments.
Birmingham Launch
On Monday 24th April Be Inclusive Hospitality Birmingham launched at the Grand Hotel Birmingham. The launch was marked with an event including a panel discussion, networking and canapés.
Community Spotlight – Fatima Tarkleman, Development Chef
Meet Fatima Tarkleman, a no-waste queer development chef and fermentation enthusiast of mixed Asian-African descent. Fatima runs her Instagram page, where she posts incredible recipes and more recently, spreads ADHD awareness.
Be Inclusive Hospitality to launch in Birmingham on Monday 24th April
Be Inclusive Hospitality, founded by award-winning Birmingham-born hospitality veteran Lorraine Copes to launch in Birmingham on Monday 24th April at The Grand Hotel.
Be Inclusive Hospitality launches third Inside Hospitality Survey
Findings aim to build upon past years findings, examining the current state of affairs regarding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within the hospitality sector.
Community Spotlight – Sherwin Acebuche, co-founder of Tarsier Spirit
Meet Sherwin Acebuche, Filipino born co-founder of the Southeast Asian inspired spirit brand, Tarsier. The brand is not only committed to representing Southeast Asia through drink but also to saving the dying population of Tarsiers.
Black Business Fund Winners Announced
The winners of the Black Business Fund were announced last week, seeing £250,000 distributed to 25 Black-owned businesses.
Community Spotlight – Piers Zangana, Founder of Persian Hospitality Network
Piers Zangana is the founder of the Persian Hospitality Network and PR agency Susa Communications, helping hospitality businesses tell their stories and bringing the Persian hospitality community together.
Community Spotlight – Sting Khumalo, HR Director
Sting Khumalo is the HR Director at the luxury 5-star hotel The Biltmore, and has worked in the industry for more than fifteen years.
Sting’s success is accredited to her determination, passion and overall support she has garnered over the years.
Community Spotlight – Ranji Thangiah, Food Photographer
Ranji Thangiah is a London based food photographer, who specialises in editorial, lifestyle and restaurant photography. Her journey into food photography started with her Sri Lankan food blog, Tooting Mama. The blog reflects her Sri Lankan heritage and culture shared through recipes and stories.
Meet the BIH Spotlight Awards Winners
A month on from the inaugural BIH Spotlight Awards we wanted to take a moment to refocus why we started them in the first place. The goal was to celebrate and recognise exceptional talent and achievement from Black, Asian, and ethnic minorities working within hospitality, food, and drink. Reading the below, we think that has been achieved!
Find out more about our incredible winners and what they do, as well as their insights on winning a BIH Spotlight Award.
Community Spotlight – Babatunde Abifarin, founder of Farin Road Restaurant
Babatunde Abifarin is founder of Farin Road restaurant in Edinburgh, and has worked in the trade for the better part of a decade. Abi has always been eager to introduce the Scottish community to African food, by adding African ingredients to many of his menus at restaurants where he has worked as head chef.
The Inaugural 2022 BIH Spotlight Awards Winners Announced
Last night, Be Inclusive Hospitality (BIH) proudly announced the winners for its BIH Spotlight Awards – the first ever awards to celebrate diverse talent within the hospitality industry in the UK. The glitzy awards ceremony was held in London at Percy’s Kensington and was hosted by TV presenter, author and pastry chef, Ravneet Gill.
Community Spotlight – Mabina Zinga, founder of Brazza Restaurant
Mabina Zinga is the founder of Brazza, a restaurant that has recently moved from Pop Brixton in South London. The restaurant mixes Congolese, West African and European influences to create a unique take on African food.
Community Spotlight – Aghiles Ourad, founder of The Other Grape
Aghiles Ourad is the founder of ‘The Other Grape’, importing quality wines from the Arab world to spotlight ‘both the forgotten grapes and their untold stories’.