Pakistan Wins At The International Gourmand Awards: Markings Publishing’s first dessert based Cook Book, ‘Deliciously Yours’ by Chocolatier Lal Majid wins prestigious Gourmand Award for ‘Best Pastry Sweets Cookbook in the World’
[Beijing: 21st May 2014] Pakistan’s leading independent publishers, Markings, are proud to announce that their fifth title, also their first dessert based cook book, ‘Deliciously Yours’ by Pakistani chocolatier Lal Majid of the eponymous Lals Chocolate, has been honoured by the prestigious Madrid base Gourmand World Cookbook Award committee as the Best Pastry Sweets Cookbook in the world – beating culinary giants Italy and France who were also shortlisted for this category at the annual Gourmand Awards Ceremony held this year in Beijing during the first “Beijing Cookbook Fair” which took place from 19th – 21st May, 2014. The cookbook was also nominated in 2 other categories: Best First Cookbook and Best Chocolate Cookbook.
This is the first time that a book from an independent Pakistani publisher has been recognised and awarded on an international platform, competing against 187 countries. Indeed the annual Gourmand Awards have established themselves as the premier cookbook recognition authority and are widely regarded by international journalists as the “Oscars” of the Cookbook Awards.
Speaking about Pakistan’s win at the Gourmand Awards, CEO of Markings, Kiran Aman has said “This has been a very proud moment for us as Pakistanis- it is the first time that the work of an independent publisher from our country has been awarded internationally. It is a great source of pride to have our work recognized by one of the world’s most prestigious authorities in cookbooks, winning the Gourmand Award for our first ever dessert based title.”
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau and endeavour to recognize and honour the best authors, publishers, food writers and all those who “cook with words”. The international jury that adjudicated entries in the “Best in the World” categories comprised of Edouard Cointreau, Chairman of the Awards Committee, Sara Baer-Sinnott, President of the Oldways Exchange and Trust Foundation (USA) and Jean Jacques Ratier, Director of Hospitality School of Dordogne.
Both books are available at leading bookstores across Pakistan.
It was a very bad book in terms of design because the text was too light in color and font … hence it was impossible to read. Perhaps the pictures got them the award.