A chef from a Merseyside restaurant has bagged the Special Recognition award in the 1st Nation's Curry Awards 2023 - though didn't believe it at first.
The awards aim to celebrate the best curry houses and chefs up and down the country. Over a series of months, many venues and chefs were assessed before the winners were unveiled in a swanky ceremony at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel on February 20, with more than 150 guests in attendance.
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Merseyside's own Geeta Bhandari was recognised for her work at beloved restaurant Da Mount Gurkha, which is based in Waterloo. She was given the Special Recognition award for her work, which has spurred her on to continue developing and expanding the restaurant's menu and offerings.
Speaking to the ECHO, Geeta, 40, said: "It was so unexpected - it just gave me so much energy. I just want to carry on with more excitement for the customers.
"I want to enlarge my menu and make more curries, and entertain my customers more. I feel more energy inside me, I just want to do it and keep going because of this award."
When Geeta initially received the phone call informing her of her win, she was unconvinced; worrying it may be a prank call. She said: "They contacted me and they let me know - they called me many times but sometimes, I thought it was a fake caller and didn't realise it was them. They rang me many times and I asked for an email so I could check and then I realised it wasn't fake and I had really won."
Geeta didn't attend the ceremony, choosing to work instead, but her husband Laxman Bhandari, the owner and also a chef at Da Mount Gurkha, and their daughters went along in her place to accept the award on her behalf.
Reflecting on the win, Geeta said: "I feel so grateful and just want to say thank you to all my customers and husband, and the Da Mount team. My customers are very crazy happy - I put it on my Facebook and loads of them have messaged me privately. I feel very, very special; they're all very excited and happy for me."
Geeta, originally from Nepal, moved to the UK in 2006. She and her family relocated to Liverpool in 2013, where they have been living ever since, enraptured by the warm and inviting nature of their neighbours and customers.
Geeta added: "We wanted to open our own restaurant and found a good place in Liverpool in Crosby, so we moved here. We've been doing it nearly 10 years and it's going very, very good.
"We love Liverpool - there's very, very kind people here. They understand us and they're loving and very supportive - I find the people in Liverpool to be so kind."
The Nation's Curry Awards was set up to recognise and celebrate the "talents and hard work of individuals and businesses within the UK's curry industry". Organisers "recognised excellence" in a range of categories, including Best Chef of the Year, Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year, and Best Customer Service.
Da Mount Gurkha is based at 71 Crosby Road North, Waterloo, Liverpool, L22 4QD.
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