Makawadee Sumitmor, Ambassador of Thailand to Bangladesh, has handed over "Thai SELECT" certificate to Shamima Rahman, Managing Partner of Thai Emerald. Thai SELECT is a mark of certification awarded by the Ministry of Commerce, the Royal Thai Government to guarantee the authentic Thai taste of Thai food products and Thai restaurants in Thailand and overseas. The office of Commercial Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy and Thai Emerald jointly organized the Thai SELECT certificate giving ceremony at Thai Emerald in the city on Thursday afternoon. Khemathat Archawathamrong, Director of Thai Trade center Dhaka, Vachirachai Sirisampan, Director and Vaishali Sharma, Marketing Officer of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi Office also attended the event among others. Also read: Thailand eyes FTA; shipping routes with Bangladesh This initiative helps people discover Thailand’s traditional flavours and encourages chefs and restaurants to strive for the highest quality in food, ingredients, and service. Awarded restaurants focus on upholding traditional Thai methods of cooking and aim to include authentic Thai ingredients throughout their menus. Where ingredients from Thailand cannot be sourced, Thai SELECT restaurants substitute with local options that allow the flavours of Thailand to be honoured. The award is divided in two categories; Thai ready-to-eat/ready-to-cook products and Thai restaurants. The symbol is given to restaurants in three categories, assessed by type of restaurant, decoration, and level of food and service excellence. The categories are Thai SELECT Signature, Thai SELECT Classic and Thai SELECT Casual. Thai SELECT Signature is the highest level of accreditation, given to restaurants that exceed all of the criteria. Restaurants awarded this certification personify authentic Thai characteristics, serve Thai food made with quality ingredients, offer an elevated setting, and provide outstanding service. At present Thai Emerald, Gulshan has achieved this level in Bangladesh. Currently, 1,354 Thai SELECT certified restaurants are available across the world. Also read: Bangladesh, Thailand make good progress towards FTA: Thai envoy Among them, there are 456 in USA, 297 in Europe, 357 in Asia, 88 in ASEAN, 106 in Australia, 24 in Africa and 26 restaurants in the Middle East. There were 3 Thai SELECT certified restaurants in Bangladesh. But at present, only Thai Emerald, Gulshan is continuing the business.