Two West Midlands restaurants win prestigious Uber Eats awards 2023

Two restaurants from the West Midlands took home the gong at the Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards for 2023.

The two restaurants - in West Bromwich and in Brierley Hill - won in the Winners of the Pioneer and Innovators Awards 2023 category.

The winners were decided after several rounds of voting by the public and the finalists were then judged by Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith and celeb chef Monica Galetti.

Who won the Pioneer and Innovators Awards 2023 from West Bromwich?

Natalie, 42, from West Bromwich, owns Doreen’s Kitchen, took home the title of Female Chef/Restaurateur of the Year 2023 while Rashpal Singh and Kelly Pooler from Taste From India, Brierley Hill, won the Community Impact Award Restaurant of the Year 2023.

Located on 118 Beverley Road, West Bromwich, Doreen’s Kitchen serves Caribbean street food.

Express & Star quoted self-taught chef Natalie as saying: “We set up in this premises around a year ago, but before that I set up in my mom’s kitchen during Covid, and it blew up so I ended up getting my own place with support from friends, family and the community. Once the Covid lockdown was over my mom, Doreen, joked that she needed her kitchen back and so moving onwards and upwards, we found this place we’re in now, and have been thriving ever since.

“I’m very proud to have won best female chef of the year, and I’m self-taught. “My friends encouraged me to start my own business and now I just do what I do best - put good food out there.”

Who won the Pioneer and Innovators Awards 2023 from Brierley Hill?

Taste from India is located at 171 High St, Brierley Hill and serves home cooked traditional and modern Indian food.

Express & Star quoted Kelly, from Brierley Hill, co-owner of the business, as saying: “Before we started this, I was working as a community care provider for the elderly, and Rashpal worked as a tandoori chef at the Hen & Chickens in Constitution Hill, Birmingham, but then we had the lockdown.

“So during that time, Rashpal built q kitchen in our garden and we began cooking food for friends and family - not charging, but just giving it out, but then word got around and spread so much so that people began asking us to cook for them and so we registered with the council and started the business.

“We then did many initiatives with the community, such as when Marcus Rashford started the free meals for children campaign, we would post on our social media that kids could eat for free, and we were getting message requests for meals. We have continued to do many more works in the community, raising money for multiple initiatives including Pensnett community centre, the local fire station to us, the police station, the Georgina ward at Russell’s Hall hospital, and we also donated to the High Street clean up.”