Food and facials in Top Shop winners sponsored by WITT

Winners of WITT-sponsored categories double down at the Top Shop Awards recently, with two also named Regional Winners.

WITT sponsors three awards across two categories – one in Hair and Beauty and two in Food and Beverage (Eat In and Take Out).

Winners in Hair and Beauty were The Beauty Colab, with Highly Commended to R & Co Skin and Beauty.

In the Food and Beverage category, Renate’s Café won the Eat In section with The Bach on Surf Highway gaining Highly Commended. For the Take Out section, Bite Me CBD were victorious, with The Baking Company awarded Highly Commended.

Caption: Angela Ferguson (left) with the team from Bite Me CBD.

The Baking Company also won the Regional Winner for Central Taranaki while Renate’s Café took out the Regional Winner title for South Taranaki.

“We were proud to sponsor and present the Food and Beverage, and Hair and Beauty categories, and we'd like to congratulate all finalists and winners for their outstanding contribution to our region,” says Angela Ferguson, Director of Schools (Engineering and Trades).

Angela says it’s heartening to attend the awards and encounter former WITT students and tutors among the finalists. “The WITT-sponsored awards reflect the institution’s longstanding commitment to vocational education in hospitality and health and beauty sectors that we see as part of these awards,” she says.

This year’s Hair and Beauty category winners have WITT connections – Kimberly Whitham, from The Beauty Colab, was a former tutor, and her senior therapist Narelle Smith is a past student.

“Renate’s Café owners Heimo and Renate Staudinger, based in Patea, have been supporters of WITT through our culinary competitions and employing of WITT graduates,” Angela adds. “They went on to win overall winner for South Taranaki and Renate won Taranaki Service Person of the Year - very well deserved.”

Caption: Angela Ferguson (right) with the winners of the Food and Beverage - Eat In category, Renate's Cafe.

Serena Baker, of Bite Me CBD, winner of the Food and Beverage – Take Out category, was a cookery student at WITT in 2015 – 2016.

Celebrating local business

Poppies – New Plymouth’s independent bookstore - was the Supreme Winner of this year’s Top Shop event, organised by the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce.

The Taranaki Top Shop Awards have been running for over 20 years with the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce taking over organisation of these in 2013, says the Chamber’s Advocacy and Communications Manager, Michelle Brennan.

“We received nearly 12,000 nominations from the public this year – with the 10 businesses receiving the most nominations in each category being named as finalists.”

Winners are selected by a pool of mystery judges comprised of 30 people. Three judges visit each business separately to assess the nominee on a range of criteria, including staff presentation, interaction and product knowledge; shop and window display as well as phone manner, website and social media.

To read full results click here.

Caption: (Top) Angela Ferguson presenting an award to Narelle Smith and Kimberly Whitham from The Beauty Colab, the winners of the Hair and Beauty category.