Mandira Sarkar, founder of Mandira's Kitchen based at Silent Pool in Albury, has been named Businessperson of the Year 2022 in the prestigious Surrey Business Awards.
The business, based in a 400-year-old outbuilding overlooking the idyllic Silent Pool produces authentic Indian cuisine, cookery lessons and catering for events of all sizes.
It has already been a busy year with Mandira's Kitchen food attracting the attention of Nigella Lawson, the Countryfile team and culminating in a feature on Channel 4's Aldi, The Next Best Thing.
The award was presented to Mandira at a prestigious black-tie event which took place on 3 November at G Live Guildford, recognising the achievements and resilience of the county's business community. British actress, writer and comedian Jo Caulfield hosted the ceremony, which brought together some of the most successful companies - and their leaders - in Surrey.
Mandira was in good company, with strong competition from across a wide range of sectors including technology, pharmaceutical, retail, law and marketing. Managing Director at Platinum Media Group and organiser of the awards, Maarten Hoffmann, said: “The Surrey Business Awards celebrate all the remarkable businesses in the region - and the people that work for them!
“Everyone should be rightly proud of their achievements, and it is these businesses that are putting Surrey on the map, adding weight to the county's burgeoning reputation for innovation, creativity and excellence.” Although the award has her name on it, Mandira insists that it was very much a team effort.
“I think that any good company should be judged on the company that it keeps, and to have prevailed over such outstanding fellow nominees makes this award even more remarkable, and special. The Mandira's Kitchen team is almost exclusively female, and we work hard as a collective, covering for each other and sharing skills.
“The award will take pride of place in our shop, I would like to thank everyone involved with Mandira's Kitchen, our hugely loyal customers and brilliant suppliers. Thanks also to Platinum Media for staging such a well-organised event, and for giving us a reason to put our posh frocks on.'
