25th RAMMY Restaurant Awards Gala June 17, 2007

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the highly-anticipated RAMMY Restaurant Awards Gala, where renowned personalities donning ‘black ties and boas’ will honor the Washington area’s finest restaurants and top culinary stars. Hosted by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), this year’s dazzling “Silver Anniversary” celebration will be held on Sunday evening, June 17th at the Marriott Wardman Park.

The first Restaurant Awards Gala was held in 1982 and attended by only a handful of the area’s restaurateurs. “Over the past 25 years the Restaurant Awards Gala (dubbed the RAMMY’s in 2003) has evolved into one of the Washington metropolitan area’s most anticipated events of the year,” said RAMW President Lynne Breaux. “Now over 1600 people gather together to celebrate the accomplishments of our chefs and restaurants.”

“The ‘Silver Anniversary’ theme of this year’s RAMMY Awards commemorates 25 years of achievement and the growing economic success of the Washington metropolitan area’s restaurant industry,” said Gala Chair Gus DiMillo of Passion Food Hospitality, the parent company of Acadiana, Ceiba, DC Coast, and TenPenh. “This event gives us a chance to salute the hardworking members of the hospitality industry who have helped to establish our nation’s capital as a top restaurant city.”

Nominations for the awards were submitted by members of the restaurant industry. An anonymous panel of esteemed judges, including journalists and hospitality industry educators, is in the process of reviewing the nominations and has the challenging task of choosing only five finalists for each category. Finalists will be revealed on Tuesday, March 20th at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington D.C.

The judges panel will determine the winners in the following categories: New Restaurant of the Year, Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year, Informal Dining Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Wine and Beverage Program of the Year, Rising Culinary Star of the Year, Restaurant Employee of the Year and Restaurant Manager of the Year. RAMW will determine the recipient of the prestigious Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award and RAMW Associate Member of the Year Award.

In addition, the public will be able to choose the winners for Hottest Restaurant Bar Scene of the Year, Neighborhood Gathering Place of the Year, Restaurant Power Spot of the Year, and Favorite Restaurant of the Year by casting a vote through a special RAMMY Awards ballot that will be featured in a supplement in The Washington Post Magazine on Sunday, May 20th, as well as online at www.ramw.org.

Individual tickets for the 25th Annual RAMMY Restaurant Awards Gala are priced at $200 for RAMW members and $250 for non-RAMW members. Ticket and sponsorship information is available by contacting RAMW at 202-331-5990 or by visiting www.ramw.org. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington Education Foundation’s scholarship program. The program helps area high school students develop viable careers in the restaurant industry, by providing scholarships for post-secondary education in hospitality-related fields. Scholarship recipients who were funded by the RAMMY Awards proceeds last year are currently pursuing their culinary studies at the Culinary Institute of America and Johnson and Wales.

Established in 1920, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's vision is to unite restaurateurs and food service industry professionals of the Washington area. Today, RAMW has more than 600 members, and is the voice of establishments ranging from casual eateries to internationally-acclaimed fine dining restaurants.

Official Website: http://www.ramw.org