-25 businesses set to participate in the 10-day culinary showcase

SEASON 14 of one of the most exciting times in the culinary world, Guyana Restaurant Week (GRW), was on Monday launched under the theme, “Eat, Explore, Repeat,” and so far, 25 local restaurants have signed up to participate.

From June 24 to July 03, 2022, “foodies” will have the chance to indulge in the masterpieces created by chefs across the country as the massive event returns in full.

During the 10-day exercise, participating restaurants will offer special menus paired with wines, which is perfect for pulling in new customers while keeping the regulars coming back for more.

The participating restaurants include: Aagman Indian Restaurant, Bistro Cafe Bar, Cafe Bellvana, Heliconia Restaurant and Lounge, Java Coffee Bar Bistro, Jaxx International Grill, Kiesha’s Crab Shack, Mango Walk Restaurant and Lounge, Marriott Hotel, New Thriving Restaurant, OMG! and RS53 RestoBar Lounge.

Director (ag) of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Kamrul Baksh, at the launch which took place at the Heliconia Restaurant and Lounge, noted that this season is expected to continue building on the success of the previous seasons. He noted that the menu prepared by the participating restaurants will surely achieve their goals of satisfying their current customers, while inviting new customers to become avid supporters of their restaurants.

According to Baksh, this season will see the key focus being placed on local produce. He noted that in keeping with CARICOM’s agenda, led by President Ali, to reduce the region’s food-import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, participating restaurants were challenged to incorporate more locally grown foods into their GRW season 14 menus.

“We’ve had several chefs; local chefs of course utilise their local ingredients, and that’s something I want to stress. If there’s one takeaway this afternoon is that we should be utilising lots of local ingredients and support to the local market,” he stated.

Further, Baksh noted that this season of Guyana Restaurant Week is pivotal, as it will allow restaurant owners and the GTA the opportunity to access the readiness of these businesses for the Cricket Carnival, which is set for September 16 to October 2, 2022.

He stated that the country is anticipating an influx of foreigners and this restaurant week will allow the restaurant owners the opportunity to build on what systems they have in place currently and improve, restructure and re-implement new systems that could help them take advantage of the massive tourism event.

“We’ll be posting several activities, massive games, and CPL from September 16 to October 2. So, you know, we have mystery shoppers; GTA will have persons who will be visiting us around, gauging the level of service that you provide to the public, you know, with a view of improvement and I want to stress this, because, you know, reports will be submitted to the owners, you know, from feedback from the public. I want to urge you to take those suggestions on board, to improve your service delivery,” Baksh noted.

Meanwhile, speaking about the tremendous support the massive culinary event has had over the years, Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) committee member Melanie Mc Turk, stated that this season has seen the largest number of participants since the event was founded in 2015 when just 11 restaurants participated.

She noted that this is a major tourism event for Guyana, stating: “Restaurant week allows us to showcase the talents of our local chefs that allows us to put a spotlight on Guyanese flavours and Guyanese produce and it has become something that “foodies” all across Guyana and the Caribbean look forward to indulging in and experiencing what is a uniquely Guyanese dining experience.”