00:00I was aware of the awards but I didn't have my eye on it this year. Then one of the guys
00:04dropped me a message from Uber Eats and said, are you aware you've been nominated? And I
00:08was like, no.
00:09Skew Shawarma Bar on Duncan Street in Leeds City Centre has been shortlisted alongside
00:14nine other Yorkshire food outlets in the Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards 2024. After
00:20an online public vote closes on the 4th of October, the finalists will create a hero
00:25dish for a panel of expert judges. After winning Best Lebanese Restaurant or Takeaway
00:31in the UK at the British Kebab Awards 2024, Mitch Renshaw reflects on his food business
00:36venture.
00:37It was sink or swim from day one. So it was 21st of January 2015 and we opened the store
00:44sort of five or six years later and we were failing and it felt rough and it was rough.
00:50We weren't as good as I believe we should be. I thought we'd done the work but it was
00:54a new industry to me. But I did have the support of two very special people, three
00:59very special people. I have a business partner, Craig, who'd been with me for years and I
01:03had Sammy and Jacob and later on Yasmin and the team. And they'll all say it but without
01:08those guys we wouldn't be where we are today.
01:12What shawarma is, is layers of muscle meat marinated in yoghurt spices and lemon juice.
01:18Marinated, stacked and slowly roasted. This isn't mystery meat, this is the real deal.
01:23We use spices from Lebanon, we use pickles from Lebanon, we use other spices from Palestine
01:28and pickles from Egypt. We make everything here in house. You know, all the spice mixes
01:34for the shawarmas, all the hummus, the garlic sauce, the tahini. We do everything here.
01:39The way people have got behind this business and rallied for this business and enjoy what
01:42we do and live and breathe what we do is phenomenal. And I don't know if it's unusual but it's
01:46unusual experience to me and the team. We're alongside some really serious operators and
01:51some serious players and it's thoroughly exciting. The gang are absolutely buzzing. Everyone's
01:56over the moon and we're rallied to win it.
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