A Night of Splendor
The 3rd Annual Grumpy Gourmet Awards and Gala Dinner
Jordan & Lebanon
The most prestigious event Jordan has to offer, the 3rd Annual Grumpy Gourmet Awards and Gala Dinner at the King Hussein Convention Center at the Dead Sea was successfully held on Thursday January 17th, 2008. Under the motto ‘Below Sea Level Above Expectations’ the dazzling red-carpet event left attendees in awe.
The elaborate, by invitation only, black-tie ceremony, sponsored exclusively by the Arab Bank, had a special twist this year, including restaurants, hotels, chefs, and restaurateurs from Lebanon competing side by side with their Jordanian counterparts. Starting off with a Champagne cocktail reception and gourmet delicacies floating around the room, the anticipation was at its peak when the doors to the exquisitely decorated halls finally opened at 8:30.
Attended by 750 select guests including members of the Jordanian Royal Family, top Jordanian and Lebanese officials, ministers, ambassadors, and the crème de la crème of both Jordanian and Lebanese society, the gala dinner commenced with a welcoming word from the President and CEO of Front Row Publishing (Grumpy Gourmet’s owner), Mr. Iyad Shehadeh. The rest of the ceremony, which was complimented with world class entertainment by the likes of the stunning Jordanian/French soprano, Dima Bawab and Lebanese musical wizard, Edgard El Osta, was MCed by Lebanese New TV presenter, Raya Rammal, Front Row’s representative in Lebanon, Dr. Khaled Taki., and Front Row’s Mosaab Mustafa, the Manager-in-Charge for Pulp magazine.
Miss Rammal, Dr. Taki, and Mr. Mustafa announced the 22 categories for the evening, explaining that 11 of the winners of the categories were determined via an online voting system, where an excess of 30,000 votes were received. The remaining 11 winners in the categories were determined through a highly select and professional group of judges and specialists.
While guests sat through an extravagantly gourmet five-course meal with highlights such as the finest Australian Wagyu Beef, handpicked scallops, and Gulf King Prawns accompanied by an impressive collection of Wolf Blass President’s Selection premium wine that was flown in especially for the event along with the renowned winemaker himself. Later, a dessert of specially prepared raspberry shortcake and Seaview Brut were served.
The 22 winners for this year were revealed with the awards presented by the Lebanese Minister of tourism, H.E. Joseph Sarkis, Jordanian Minister of Tourism, H.E. Maha Khatib, Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications, H.E. Nasser Judeh, and Jordanian Senator, H.E. Aqel Biltaji.
Achievement Awards of the Year were given to Two Hospitality Professionals that have made a difference in the industry. Mr. Raymond Khalife, Chairman Orascom Hotels Holding and Mr. Noel Massoud, General Manager of the most prestigious hotel in the world today Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
Supporters for the evening included: Alisar, King Hussien Convention Center, Marriott Hotel Dead Sea, Movenpick Hotel Dead Sea Kempinski Dead Sea, Petra Aluminum, Rose Express, Triad, Yousef Haddad Company.
And the award goes to…
Non-Voting
Best Asian Cuisine: Ren Chai Amman
Best Continental Cuisine: Balthus Beirut
Best French Cuisine: Au Premier Beirut
Best International Cuisine: The Grill Dead Sea
Best Italian Cuisine: L’Incontro Amman
Best Lounge: The Library Amman
Best Middle Eastern Cuisine: Burj Al Hamam Brummana
Best Patisserie: La Mirabelle Amman
Best Pub & Club: Sky Bar Beirut
Best Steak House: Jo Steak House Dead Sea
Best Sushi: Shogun Beirut
Voting
Best Restaurant Concept: Al Balad Beirut
Best Restaurant Design: El Paladar Beirut
Most Outstanding Service: La Cucina Amman
Most Popular Restaurant: Scoozi Beirut
Best Catering: Socrate Lebanon
Best Hotel: Four Seasons Amman
Best Resort: Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea
Best Spa: Spa Amber Amman
Chef of the Year: Hussein Hadid Lebanon
Restaurateur of the Year: Ghassan Nasrallah Jordan
Hotelier of the Year: Dunkan O’Rourke Jordan
The excitement didn’t stop there, as one lucky guest, Mr. George Nader, won a JD15,000 gift from The Arab Bank, and five women who were chosen as “Best Dressed” also won credit cards with a credit of JD3,000 to be spent at their shopping leisure courtesy of the bank. The winners were: Mervat Dahleh, Dina Faouri, Sasy Hoover, Dina Salti, and Zeina Toukan. Luckily, no one went home empty-handed as The Arab Bank distributed valuable gifts to all attendees.