Considered the industry’s most prestigious honor since their creation in 1954, the Gold and Silver Plate Awards have long been a way for the foodservice industry to celebrate the nation’s top operator talent.
Annually, through a rigorous jury process, International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) grants Silver Plate Awards in nine operator categories and honors one winner with the prestigious Gold Plate Award on the night of the celebration. This year, the event was held on Saturday, May 21 at Revel Fulton Market in Chicago during the NRA Show 2016.
This year’s Gold Plate Award recipient is Rafi Taherian, associate vice president, Yale Hospitality, Yale University. “I love this industry,” says Taherian. “Tonight, this industry showed me they love me back.”
The 2016 Silver Plate Award recipients are:
- Chain Limited Service: Charlie Morrison, president and CEO, Wingstop, Inc.
- Healthcare: Diane Imrie, director of nutrition services, University of Vermont Medical Center
- Elementary & Secondary Schools: Jeff Denton, director of child nutrition programs, Ponca City Public Schools
- Business & Industry/Foodservice Management: Mike Barclay, president, Southern Foodservice Management, Inc.
- Colleges & Universities: Rafi Taherian, associate vice president, Yale Hospitality, Yale University
- Specialty Foodservice: Rick Abramson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Delaware North Companies
- Chain Full Service/Multi-Concept: Stephen Carley, CEO, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
- Independent Restaurants/Multi-Concept: Thom Sehnert, founder/owner and president, Annie Gunn’s and The Smokehouse Market
- Hotel & Lodging: Wolfgang Lindlbauer, chief discipline leader, global operations, Marriott International
Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO, NRA, announced that starting next year the NRA will partner with IFMA and sponsor an Industry Legends Award that will be given out during the 2017 IFMA Gold and Silver Plate Awards Celebration. “Our goal is to create an award that will recognize an individual’s lifetime contributions to the advancement of the culinary industry and recognize extraordinary restauranteurs that have indelibly changed the landscape.”
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