NEW YORK (TIP): After much-acclaimed success with Varli Magazine, the Varli Food Festival, and the Varli Cook-Off, the Varli brand continues to expand its reach with the first annual Varli Culinary Awards! Hosted by internationally acclaimed Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor on November 15, 2012 in New York City, this revolutionary concept will be the first global awards event honoring the best culinary talent in an array of categories related to Indian cuisine.” It was time to give credit where credit’s due. We really wanted to recognize and applaud the contributions and amazing achievements of Indian chefs, restaurateurs, and key influencers on the international culinary stage,” says Varli Singh, founder of the Varli brand.

With contestants vying for coveted categories such as “Best Chef of the Year”, “Best Cookbook”, “Best Restaurant”, and countless others, the competition is fierce and judges are highly selective in determining who deserves the title of “best of the best”. In the interest of fairness, awards are divided into three different types based on the complexity of judging, and competitiveness of the contestant pool: “People’s Choice” categories (voting began on July 04, 2012), categories determined by a ‘Live Competition and/or a “Panel of Judges” and “Varli’s Choice”. Additionally, there will be a ‘Public Recipe Competition’ where amateur cooks from around the world can submit any original rice-based recipe (as a tribute to the event’s title sponsor, Indian Star Basmati Rice) for consideration and win the chance to participate in an exciting cook-off in front of culinary greats.

In continuation of Varli’s mission to universally promote Indian cuisine, this is truly a global event, with nominees and contestants spanning the U.S., India, Middle East, and Europe. And to ensure credibility, the highly esteemed panel of judges includes celebrity judges, renowned food correspondents, and culinary experts such as Vikas Khanna, Jehangir Mehta, Monica Bhide, Rajesh Bhardwaj, Prasad Chirnomula, Hari Nayak. Varli has also partnered with Magic Bus, an India-based charity helping to change the lives of children through sports, and a portion of proceeds will be donated to this inspiring cause.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg as there are sure to be many more surprises and several guest appearances when Sanjeev Kapoor and co-host Manu Narayan & Pooja Kumar, celebrated Indian- American actors, take the stage on November 15th to honor those that have made Indian food what it is today, and those that are influencing what it will be in the future. For more information on the awards, to vote for your favorite restaurant, or submit a recipe for the public contest, visit www.varliawards.com.