Waves of excitement – and probably a few of shock – went through the restaurant and foodie community as the champions of the 2013 Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards ¬were announced on 10 November at an elegant gala ceremony held at The Lookout at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The awards celebrate South Africa’s talent and culinary distinction, culminating in 2013’s Top 10 Restaurants and the S. Pellegrino Chef of the Year. The biggest news of the night was the announcement that much-lauded chef David Higgs of Five Hundred in Johannesburg was named the 2013 Eat Out S. Pellegrino Chef of the Year. The last time David received an Eat Out award was in 2010. Heading up the kitchen at Stellenbosch’s Rust en Vrede at the time, he walked away with the Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year and the Service Excellence awards. This year, David’s new Johannesburg restaurant, Five Hundred, landed an impressive second position on the highly contested Top 10 list. For the second year in a row, South Africa’s Restaurant of the Year is The Test Kitchen in Cape Town. This year also saw the introduction of two new accolades as part of the restaurant awards. The Rising Star Award, won by Vanessa Marx of Dear Me in Cape Town, recognises promising talent in the industry; and the Wine Service Award, won by Joakim Hansi Blackadder of Rust en Vrede in Stellenbosch, acknowledges the top sommelier in the country. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Herewith the complete list of 2013 winners: Category Winner S. Pellegrino Chef of the Year David Higgs, Five Hundred Restaurant of the Year The Test Kitchen Top 10 Restaurants 2. Five Hundred 3. Rust en Vrede 4. The Greenhouse 5. Hartford House 6. Jordan Restaurant 7. Overture 8. Camphors at Vergelegen 9. The Tasting Room 10. Pierneef à La Motte Service Excellence Award Rust en Vrede Rising Star Vanessa Marx, Dear Me Wine Service Award Joakim Hansi Blackadder, Rust en Vrede Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award (in association with Paarl Media) Michael Olivier Best Asian Restaurant Kitima Best Italian Restaurant Burrata Jacobsdal Best Steakhouse Carne SA Best Country-Style Restaurant Towerbosch Best Bistro The Leopard Boschendal Style Award The Pot Luck Club Woolworths TASTE Eat Out Bursary Amanda Manyatshe /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Also revealed at the ceremony were the four anonymous South African-based judges, who worked alongside Eat Out editor and chief judge Abigail Donnelly to determine the winners: Garth Stroebel, Liam Tomlin and Andy Fenner (for the Top 10) and Jenny Morris (for the “Best of” winners). Says Donnelly, “To work with these respected people was a huge honour. Their honesty and enthusiasm was a fantastic support during the judging process. With their input, we have a phenomenal new Top 10.” Aileen Lamb, General Manager of Eat Out, echoes Donnelly’s sentiments, “Our new judging process has been a phenomenal success. For the first time in Eat Out’s history we have audited results and a completely transparent process. And yes, an amazing group of winners!” Nick Thorogood, SVP Content & Marketing, Scripps EMEA says, “This is the third year that Food Network has aligned with Eat Out as the joint title sponsor of the Restaurant Awards, because the awards are vital in supporting and showcasing home-grown talent, local restaurants and the very best of South African cuisine. Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners tonight – we’re very proud to be a part of this prestigious foodie event.” Coleen Goodman, Marketing & Communications Manager, DStv says, “We, as a business, pride ourselves on being part of such a phenomenal event, and we would like to congratulate the winners on raising the culinary bar to create memorable experiences for all foodies.” To find out more, visit www.eatout.co.za.