Meena and Kirit Pathak, The Cinnamon Club, Sir Gulam Noon and Levi Root of Dragon’s Den fame are among the winners who were celebrated at the inaugural World Food Awards on Saturday 31st October at London’s Hilton Park Lane. Winners were selected by a panel of industry experts including celebrity chefs Ainsley Harriott and TV cookery presenter, Anjum Anand. Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Sir Gulam Noon, founder Noon Products, said: "It is an honour to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural World Food Awards. Ethnic food has come a long way since Noon Products first launched many years ago and I am very pleased that we have been able to contribute to making the ethnic foods such a major international industry.”

World Food Awards 2009 winners

• Best New Product - Levi Roots, Reggae Reggae Sauce
• Best Packaging - Aisha's Original Recipe, Halal Range, Cofresh
• Professional Excellence - Terry Butcher, Westmill Foods
• Best Wholesaler - Wanis
• Best Marketing Campaign - Wanchai Ferry, General Mills UK
• Best Catering Supplier - 3663
• Best Independent Retailer - V B & Sons
• Best National Retailer - ASDA
• Outstanding Achievement - Meena K Pathak OBE & Kirit K Pathak OBE
• Restaurant of the Year - The Cinnamon Club
• Top National Account Manager - Yonas Tekle, Shana Foods Ltd
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Sir Gulam Noon MBE

Harry Dulai, of the World Foods Association said: "We couldn’t be more thrilled with the success of the inaugural World Food Awards. Our aim is simple - to ensure that ethnic food is recognised as the important sector that it is. The calibre of our winners this evening – from Levi Roots to legends of our industry like Sir Gulam Noon and Kirit and Meena Pathak – is a reflection of the fact world food is now a thriving and fast-paced industry that has long crossed over into mainstream markets.”

Best New Product
Levi Roots, Reggae Reggae Sauce

In January 2007 Levi was invited on to the BBC show Dragons' Den where he famously sang about the virtues of his Reggae Reggae Sauce - a secret blend of herbs and spices passed on to him by his Jamaican grandmother. For many years Levi he made the sauce to sell at the Notting Hill Carnival, however, after securing investment from Dragons' Den entrepreneurs, Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, his sauce was launched commercially.

After the show, Sainsbury's agreed an exclusive distribution deal and within 6 weeks the sauce was on the shelf and the demand was incredible. The sauce sold as soon as it was available and for a few weeks Reggae Reggae was out selling the brand leader. Now, the sauce is stocked by all major retailers and extended to a range of new flavours and products.

Best Packaging
Aisha's Original Recipe, Halal Range, Cofresh

Aisha's Original Recipe packaging comes in an array of vibrant colours, featuring large photographic images of the cooked products, making the whole range instantly recognisable. Created by World Food Frozen and Chilled Ltd, a subsidiary of Cofresh Snack Foods Ltd, the Aisha's range is versatile, quick to cook and produced in specialist factories.After numerous tasting panels the products were listed in most of the UK retail supermarket chains within a year of production. From 2010 the new range of packaging will include European languages and re-sealable zips to all packs.The range was put together just over a year ago to offer consumers a good quality halal range with the same great taste and quality expected from home-cooked food.

Best Marketing Campaign
Wanchai Ferry, General Mills

General Mills has used its World Foods expertise to launch Wanchai Ferry - a brand with over 30 years of history in China - in the UK. Launched in March 09 the Wanchai Ferry range consists of a trio of authentic flavours from three Chinese provinces and was developed to enable Chinese Foods enthusiasts to raise the quality bar when cooking at home.General Mills UK is investing £4 million in a heavy weight consumer advertising campaign to raise awareness and enhance understanding of the brand. The eye catching innovative media campaign, which ran from June to August, took on the theme of Tai Chi and was spearheaded by television advertising.

Best Wholesaler
Wanis

Founded in 1964 by Tulsidas Wadhwani, Wanis began as a small cash & carry and has grown into one of the UK's largest wholesale food and drink distributors. The company has built up its specialist knowledge of the ethnic - in particular African and Caribbean - food and drink market over the past 40 years and currently represents a number of major brands in the sector. Wanis has one of the largest field sales teams in the sector and supplies most of the UK's main high street supermarkets - reflecting the growing importance of ethnic foods in everyday life.The Cash & Carry stocks all the major brands found in your typical high street store, from Amoy to Heinz and Kellogg's through to Tollyboy, Rajah, Rubicon, Tilda and Tropical Sun. In 2007 Wanis moved to a 120,000 sq. ft. custom built state-of-the-art warehouse in East London - an environmental friendly building incorporating over 15% renewable energy in its day to day running.

Best Catering Supplier
3663 First for Foodservice

3663 First for Foodservice is the UK's leading foodservice company with sales of over £1 billion a year.They deliver quality ingredients, finished products and equipment to the catering industry across four continents of the globe.3663 forms part of Bidvest Europe that comprises leading foodservice product distributors in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands , United Arab Emirates and most recently Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic after acquiring Nowaco and Farutex.In the UK alone more than 55,000 schools, hospitals, hotels, pubs, restaurants and other catering outlets rely on 3663 for a range of more than 20,000 ambient, frozen, fresh, chilled and speciality foods, as well as beverages, cleaning products, disposables, other non-food lines and light equipment.

Restaurant of the Year
The Cinnamon Club

With exquisite food at the top of its genre, a stunning site in the heart of Westminster and a selection of chic contemporary private spaces, The Cinnamon Club is a landmark London restaurant. Since it opened in April 2001, The Cinnamon Club's ethos has been to revolutionise the way Indian cooking is viewed in the UK. Celebrated Executive Chef Vivek Singh oversees a brigade of 20 chefs delivering innovative cuisine, using only the freshest, most seasonal ingredients and spices. Encompassing the varying flavours of different regions, Singh's modern Indian dishes are immaculately presented, whilst reflecting the culinary traditions and depths of Indian cooking. As the first Indian restaurant to pair wines with spiced dishes, The Cinnamon Club has carved a deserving reputation as being experts at showcasing bins from across the globe against its food.

Best National Retailer
ASDA

Over the past three years ASDA has been committed to developing an exciting and relevant world food range.Its world food business has more than doubled, with year on year growth in excess of 50%, during the last two years. It now offers extensive ranges for Asian, Polish, Greek, Turkish, Caribbean, African, Irish and Jewish customers and has 13 World Foods concessions - with two independent Muslim butchers running Halal meat concessions in 11 of its stores. ASDA regularly runs promotional activity to highlight key festivals and recently launched George Asian - a new Asian line of its popular clothing range. World food is now integral to all new store openings and re-fits as Asda invests in key research to identify the different ethnic groups in a store catchment so the appropriate range is landed.

Top National Account Manager
Yonas Tekle of Shana Foods Ltd

Yonas Tekle joined Shana Foods 11 years ago as a warehouse picker and in the following year was promoted to van sales representative. Through his dedication and customer focus, he developed the frozen ethnic independent market, which had never stocked frozen vegetables, snacks or parathas before. He soon began achieving 20% year on year growth and his strong people skills saw him promoted to Business Development Executive and two years later Manager.

In 2006, he championed category captaincy with one of UK's leading supermarkets, supporting the buyer in world foods; they listed a comprehensive range of products based on his customer, market and product knowledge. His efforts contributed to record sales and exceeded all senior buyers and department head expectations. In the last 3 years he has achieved over 25% year on year growth and each year exceeded his stretched target, both top and bottom line. For his efforts, passion, dedication, strong customer relationship and most importantly his market knowledge, he was promoted to Head of Sales in March of 2009.

Best Independent Retailer
V B & Sons - Indian Grocery/Supermarket
Stores in Kenton,Wembley,Greenford,South London & Tooting.

As one of the oldest and most well-established Indian grocery shops in and around the Harrow area, V B & Sons stocks an extensive range of grocery and non-grocery items for the world food section. The store offers a large selection of lentils and freshly milled flours and one of the biggest selection of dried herbs and spices - all freshly prepared and available to buy in small or large quantities, to give the customer quality products at cost effective prices. V B & Sons prides itself on customer service and friendly staff, who happily carry customer's shopping to their cars every day.

Outstanding Achievement
Meena K Pathak OBE & Kirit K Pathak OBE

Patak's is a family owned Indian food company which has grown from very modest beginnings into one of Britain's most successful brands and global players in ethnic foods. Patak's influence over Indian cooking has been far reaching since the company was founded in 1957 by L G Pathak, Kirit's father. Having celebrated more than 50 years in business Patak's has become a household name and its products are used by professional chefs and home cooks not just here in the UK but also in countries such as USA, Australia and Europe. The brand has achieved success worldwide with its products distributed in more than 40 countries where it has pioneered the introduction of Indian food in all of them.

Kirit joined the family business at the age of 17, forced to leave his studies to help his father's struggling business. Since that day he has spearheaded the company's rise to one of the leading brands in the UK Indian food sector. In 1978 Patak's turnover was less than £600,000 and Kirit had only five employees, and his wife Meena. The business today has a turnover approaching £130 million with approximately 500 employees.

A true husband and wife team, Meena has been the inspiration behind many of the much loved Patak recipes and travels the world extensively educating consumers to Indian food. She has written three recipe books and continues to enhance the quality of Indian food offering having created the recently launched Meena's Range of premium Indian sauces which are sold in all the supermarkets.

Both have been awarded OBEs for their contribution to the food industry.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Sir Gulam Noon MBE

Nicknamed the 'Curry King' Sir Gulam Noon MBE was born into the food business and it has been second nature to him to continue to contribute to advancing the food industry and to the World Food market during his lifetime. He started with Indian Sweets - a family business - went on to innovate machinery to facilitate the manufacture of sweets which were painstakingly prepared by hand, then ventured into the manufacture of savouries and packaging and later into curries.

He moved from India to the United Kingdom, at a time when curries were tasteless packets and he was the first to produce authentic Indian ready meals to the supermarkets. He has since exported curries to Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. His efforts to the food industry did not go unnoticed and he was conferred the MBE - Member of the British Empire - by The Queen for his contribution to the food industry. Subsequently, he was awarded a knighthood for his continued contribution to industry at large.

He has also written a cookbook, which provides authentic tested recipes which can be used by food enthusiasts. Besides his contribution to the food industry, Sir Gulam Noon is a philanthropist and through his Noon Foundation has built hospitals and schools and also serves as a director on many charitable organisations.

Professional Excellence
Terry Butcher, Westmill Foods

Terry Butcher has dedicated virtually all of his working life to Associated British Foods and to the ethnic market place having spent 32 years within it. During this long career, Terry developed the single biggest ethnic Long Grain rice brand in the UK - Tolly Boy. It remains the market leader in Long Grain today. It is to Long Grain rice as Tilda is to Basmati - It is the 'must have' Long Grain brand to the Bangladeshi and Chinese markets.

Terry has been a key factor in the growth and acquisition development of Westmill Foods. Westmill has tripled its turnover through acquisition over the past four years but more than tripled its complexity. ?Terry has been a key stabilising figure in steering Westmill through that complexity - ensuring customer confidence and loyalty. His knowledge and reputation in the trade, especially within the field of rice, Long Grain from the Americas, Basmati from India and Pakistan are legendary. Even those of the newer generation who have not met Terry know of him. He is due to retire from Westmill early next year.

About the World Foods Association

The World Foods Association (WFA) is the trade body which represents the interests of UK companies operating in the ethnic foodservice markets. Members of the WFA include retailers, wholesalers, food service, manufacturers, importers and consultants. The organisation prides itself on its ability to garner information and knowledge from the sector as a whole and use this insight to provide practical advice for the benefit of all members. It provides a unique platform for exchanging views and enables members to work together to create joint value in the market. The WFA also aims to supports its members through advice on legislation and issues that affect industry and through education and networking events.