Eastbourne restaurant wins national award: ‘We only opened in May 2020 and now we’re here!’

Dem Shish Restaurant & Cocktail Bar won in the ‘Fine Dining Restaurant’ category of the British Kebab Awards. The winners were announced at a ceremony in London last night (February 28) attended by more than 1,200 guests.

This year the Kebab Awards raised money for the Donate a Doner Campaign, providing relief after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Dem Shish raised more than £11,000 to help with the earthquake last month

The awards, run in association with Just Eat and supported by the Kebab Alliance, are in their 11th year and this year have attracted record breaking numbers of entries.

Mark Finch, from Just Eat, said: “After an undeniably difficult time for the hospitality sector, there’s never been a better time to recognise and celebrate the resilient and hard working individuals across the kebab industry, who are making an invaluable contribution to both their local community and the UK economy. Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists on their incredible achievements."

Dem Shish owners Kadir Akan and Emir Akdeniz attended the awards and Kadir said it was an ‘amazing atmosphere’. He said: “It’s the first time we’ve been to the awards, although we were semi-finalists last year. We only opened in May 2020 and now we’re here! We didn’t expect it at all. This is the first award we’ve won.”

Kadir said that with Eastbourne regularly praised by the nation press as somewhere to visit, he hopes people visiting will come and check out Dem Shish.

Kadir isn’t resting on his laurels though. He said: “People will expect more from us now as one of the best Turkish restaurants in the UK. We’ll work harder now, and I feel that pressure.”

MP Caroline Ansell attended the awards too. She said: “It was brilliant to see Dem Shish win this prestigious award from among the best of the best in the nation. What lovely people they are and they dedicated this great achievement to Eastbourne as they’ve received such a tremendous reception from people in our town.

“I was proud to be there and to be the first to congratulate them and to thank them for putting Eastbourne on the map. On the night, I invited the event sponsor, Karan Bilimoria, founder of global brand Cobra Beer, to come to Eastbourne to taste and see. I hope to welcome him soon.”

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