Events

🖤 Discovery Day, a free culinary event featuring masterclasses and tastings, will be held at America Square Conference Venue in London on Monday, 25 November. Participants will experience a Confectionery & Bakery Masterclass with Katharine Shipley, a Cheese Masterclass with Patrick McGuigan, and explore wine, spirits, beers, and plant-based food options with experts like Nick Worthing and Chantelle Nicholson. A panel discussion with notable chefs such as Tom Cenci, Gary Foulkes, and Henrique Sá Pessoa is scheduled. Registration is required online.

🏨: Attend hotel trade shows and conferences in 2024 to gain industry insights and network with experts. Tips to enhance experience included. No specific dates, locations, or statistical information provided.

🍔 Copenhagen's Gasoline Grill brings its smash burger sensation to The Standard, London from 12 August to 15 September, marking its first venture outside Denmark since opening in 2016. Operating in seven locations, including Copenhagen's Strandgarde, the menu features The Original Burger, Cheeseburger, Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich and a Vegetarian Burger. Exclusive to The Standard is a surf and turf burger, with a menu also offering crinkle cut fries, Hot Nashville Chicken Waffles, and Blueberry Pancakes. Gasoline Grill competes with other recently launched smash burger brands in London.

🍹 Old J Spiced Rum launched Old J Coconut after a social media poll where it won 35% of votes, followed by mango with 21%. Devagiri Estate brings ‘farm-to-table’ teas from Sri Lanka to the UK, aiming for sustainability without raising retail prices. ThinK Wine introduces 200ml prosecco cans with 1g sugar, both organic and vegan, targeting street markets. Real unveils Peony Blush in 250ml cans, a non-alcoholic alternative to sparkling rosé. Disaronno International UK’s Rump@blic offers global rum varieties at 41.5%-43% abv. Mikolasch vodka, founded in 1842 in Ukraine, returns with organic corn and grain vodkas. Ben Lomond Gin introduces a non-alcoholic spirit at 0.5% abv for £22 online. Lonkero launches a Finnish 5.5% abv gin-based 'long drink' in the UK. Eden Mill releases Art of St Andrews 2024 whisky, with amarone and sherry cask maturation. PALMARÁE Gin, at 44% abv and £65, features north African botanicals. Beavertown offers Lunar Melon, a 4.5% abv hazy IPA in cans for £2, or cases of 12 and 24 for £23 and £43.

🍛 Dishoom, a renowned Indian food brand, collaborates with Pastis, a New York café, for a breakfast event. From August 19 to 23 and August 26 to 30, 8-11am, DishoomNYCxPastis will serve breakfast at Pastis’ 52 Gansevoort Street location, which reopened in 2019 after the original site closed in 2014. Dishoom, established in 2010, has expanded to 10 restaurants and two Permit Room spin-offs.

🏡 voco St David’s Cardiff celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2024. Opening in 1999, it was the first five-star hotel in Wales. It welcomed over 1.5 million guests, including celebrities and sports stars, and hosted over 800 weddings. Acquired by IHG in 2018, it underwent significant refurbishments including a £650k Tiger Bay floor renovation. Further upgrades include a £300k spa enhancement and a £190k investment in meeting and gym facilities. Anniversary celebrations include a photo competition and monthly '25 for 25' promotions.

🗡️ Andrew Sheridan's restaurant group, including Restaurant 8 (Liverpool), The Bracebridge (Birmingham), Black and Green (Worcestershire), and Restaurant OXA (Wirral), targeted by blackmailers demanding £2,000 to avoid thousands of fake one-star reviews. The threat was made through WhatsApp. One fake review appeared before being removed. Google and TripAdvisor removed a few fake reviews only after BBC involvement. The group is set to open a sixth restaurant, Dishes, in Prestatyn, North Wales.

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🎶 YolanDa Brown to open Soul Mama at The Gantry in September, featuring live music and a menu blending African, Caribbean, and South American flavors. Announced in June 2022 after raising over £248,000 on Kickstarter, the largest for a restaurant on the platform. Relocated from Islington Square to Stratford, Soul Mama will offer comedy and family concerts. Chef Aleandro Brown, trained by Gordon Ramsay, serves dishes like coconut curry and jerk cauliflower. The design includes a central stage, all-day café, cocktails, and local beers.

🏠 Nobu Hospitality launches Nobu Toronto in Canada next month. Designed by Studio Munge, the 10,000-square-foot venue features a two-level restaurant and bar with Japanese-inspired design and Canadian craftsmanship. Key aspects include a 28-foot bronze chainmail chandelier, a 20-seat sake bar, a 140-seat courtyard dining room with a sushi bar and private tasting room, and a 20-seat private dining room. Nobu Hotel Toronto to open in spring 2025.