“Food makes everything better,” said Kathy Hollinger, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW). Hollinger set the tone for the 37th Annual RAMMY Awards, presented June 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. At the lavish black tie gala, presenters included Channel 4’s Leon Harris and Eun Yang, celeb chef and cookbook author Carla Hall and other notables. In addition, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser led a moving tribute to John G. Laytham, co-owner of Clyde’s Restaurant Group, who died January 3.
RAMMY winners were chosen by two groups: the public and an anonymous panel of journalists, educators and food service professionals. Congrats to our neighborhood winners (on and around Capitol Hill and Mid-City):
- The Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award: Long-time restaurateur Virginia Ali of Ben’s Chili Bowl/Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation;
- Upscale Brunch of the Year: Unconventional Diner (Mount Vernon Triangle):
- Casual Brunch of the Year: Compass Rose Bar & Kitchen (Logan Circle);
- Wine Program of the Year: Maxwell Park Wine Bar (Navy Yard);
- Casual Restaurant of the Year: The Royal (Shaw);
- Regional Food and Beverage Producer of the Year: Ivy City Smokehouse (Ivy City);
- Pastry Chef of the Year: Ana Deshaies (Unconventional Diner, Mount Vernon Triangle);
- Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Kwame Onwuachi (Kith and Kin, District Wharf);
- Restaurateur of the Year: Michael Friedman, Mike O’Malley, Colin McDonough & Gareth Croke (Redstone Restaurant Group: All Purpose, Boundary Stone, The Red Hen);
- Chef of the Year: Kyle Bailey (The Salt Line, Navy Yard).
For more information on the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) or the 37th Annual RAMMY Awards visit therammys.org or email therammys@ramw.org.
