Hawick businesswoman dedicates 'best restaurant' honour to supportive townsfolk

Kamila Raczynska, owner of Adam's Kitchen in Hawick picked up Best Restaurant 2021 in Scotland's Business Awards. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)

Adam’s Kitchen, at 16 High Street, won the ‘best restaurant’ category at the recent Borders Retail Business Awards, held at the Philipburn Country House Hotel in Selkirk.

The eatery, which serves traditional food using local produce, had scooped the same honour the last time the awards were staged, pre-Covid, in 2019.

Owner Kamila Raczynska believes the people of the town have been an essential part of its success since it opened five years ago.

And she dedicated the award to the people of Hawick who have taken her and her business to their hearts.

Kamila said: “We were nominated for the award but I don’t know who did that. Someone from the competition organisers was here and they checked everything as to how the restaurant is working and I think they check the reviews and before the final the customers can vote for us by ‘phone or Facebook. I don’t know how many voted, I just know we won.

"At the final I was in shock when they said Adam’s Kitchen. I didn’t believe that we could win again.”

Kamila moved from Poland to the Scottish Borders with her husband ten years ago.

It’s a move she has never regretted.

She added: "We had never had a restaurant before and one day I saw on a website that this property was for rent and I said to my husband that I wanted it because I loved the window here. The windows in the High Street are all old, not plastic ones. They are wood and old and big.

"Everything we do is from our hearts, for our customers. I never did anything like this before. I had worked in the kitchen at the Cross Keys in Denholm, just doing the dishes.

"Hawick and all the people who live here are brilliant. They just give us lots of support. Every time when we opened after lockdown they showed us they want to help and that we are not alone and that’s why this award is not just mine, it is for the whole town because if we do not have these customers we cannot win this.

"I dedicate this win to the people in Hawick. It is our prize and it’s Hawick’s prize.”