It’s that time again: The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington last night announced its finalists for the 32nd annual RAMMY Awards. The event is well known within the hospitality industry, but for those on the outside, think of it as our local restaurant Oscars, plus more tattoos, T-shirts, and booze. Coming off yesterday’s James Beard 2014 finalist announcement, it’s a big week in awards.
The finalists in 20 categories were announced last night during a cocktail soiree at the Hamilton Live. Nominees fall into one of two categories. Four are voted on by the public: Favorite Gathering Place of the Year, Upscale Brunch, Everyday Casual Brunch, and Favorite Fast Bites. The majority are decided by an anonymous panel of judges. A number of new fields were introduced for 2014, including Best Cocktail, Beer, and Service Programs; we’ve marked the newcomers with an asterisk below.
Read on for the 2014 finalists; winners will be announced at the RAMMY gala on June 22. Remember that nominees must be members of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington to qualify, and also meet criteria in terms of how long they’ve been in operation (noted from the release below).
Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
(The nominee must have been in business a minimum of two years by December 1, 2013)
The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
(The nominee must have been in business a minimum of two years by December 1, 2013)
Everyday Casual Restaurant of the Year
(The nominee must have been in business a minimum of two years by December 1, 2013)
New Restaurant of the Year
(Must be a restaurant that opened between December 1, 2012, and November 30, 2013)
Chef of the Year
Victor Albisu, Del Campo
Cathal Armstrong, Eat Good Food Group
Haidar Karoum, Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof
Tarver King, the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm
Cedric Maupillier, Mintwood Place
Rising Culinary Star of the Year
Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground
Michael Friedman, the Red Hen
Tim Ma, Maple Ave Restaurant/Water & Wall
Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Ripple
Johnny Spero, Minibar
Pastry Chef of the Year
Caitlin Dysart, 2941 Restaurant
Naomi Gallego, Blue Duck Tavern
Jason Gehring, Menu MBK/Table
Santosh Tiptur, Co Co. Sala
Tom Wellings, Fiola
Wine Program of the Year
(The nominee must have been in operation for a minimum of one year as of December 1, 2013)
Estadio
Ripple
2941 Restaurant
*Cocktail Program of the Year
(The nominee must have been in operation for a minimum of one year as of December 1, 2013)
Hank’s Oyster Bar—Capitol Hill
*Beer Program of the Year
(The nominee must have been in operation for a minimum of one year as of December 1, 2013)
*Service Program of the Year
(The nominee must have been in business a minimum of two years by December 1, 2013)
Blue Duck Tavern
Marcel’s
Restaurateur of the Year
Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong, Eat Good Food Group
Michael Babin, Neighborhood Restaurant Group
Gus DiMillo, David Wizenberg, Jeff Tunks, Passion Food Hospitality
Mark Kuller, Doi Moi, Estadio, Proof
*Regional Food and Beverage Producer of the Year
(The nominee must have been in business a minimum of one year by December 1, 2013)
Catoctin Creek Distilling Company
DC Brau Brewing Company
Port City Brewing Company
Rappahannock Oyster Co.
Red Apron Butcher
Favorite Gathering Place of the Year
(The nominee must have been open for at least five years prior to December 1, 2013)
Hank’s Oyster Bar—Dupont
*Upscale Brunch
(The nominee must have been in business a minimum of one year by December 1, 2013)
Blue Duck Tavern
Mintwood Place
*Everyday Casual Brunch
(The nominee must have been in operation for a minimum of one year as of December 1, 2013)
Et Voila!
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
*Favorite Fast Bites
(The nominee must have been in operation for a minimum of one year as of December 1, 2013)
Red Apron Butcher
Employee of the Year
Stelios Alexandris, 1789 Restaurant
Eric “Soup” Campbell, the Hamilton
Molly Horn, Farmers Fisher Bakers
Pablo Lemus, Bourbon Steak
Sandra Sanchez, Acadiana
Manager of the Year
Jorge Figueredo, Jaleo DC
Kendra Graves, Farmers Fisher Bakers
Robert Hall, Newton’s Table
Boo Young Kim, District Commons
Tyes Zolman, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace/Black Jack
Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year
Acme Paper and Supply Company
EagleBank
Profish Ltd.
Republic National Distributing Company
SYSCO Food Service of Baltimore
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
