Restaurant Business' sister media brand, Nation’s Restaurant News, hosted the 29th annual MenuMasters Awards Saturday night in Chicago. The celebration, taking place during the National Restaurant Show, honored eight chefs and culinary innovators from across the industry.
Grant Achatz, the trailblazing chef and owner of Alinea, Next and Aviary, was inducted into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame. In accepting the award, the 52-year-old Achatz looked back on his start at age 25 with “his hair on fire,” ready to push the boundaries as far as he could.
“I realized I had a platform to disrupt the industry a bit,” he told the audience of restaurant operators. “It was very exciting to think that we could help make change, but when that becomes your ethos, it becomes very limiting at times.”
But he and his Alinea team kept pushing those boundaries, self-publishing a book, eventually opening Next, what he calls a “shape-shifting restaurant,” and then Aviary, a chef-driven cocktail bar. “What I hope in this body of work is that 20 years from now some cook that has not been born yet stumbles upon the Alinea book, dusts it off, opens it up, and goes, wow, I think I can elevate this, I think I can push this forward. Belief in that possibility is all I want.”
Achatz was very grateful and humbled in receiving the MenuMasters Award, saying “I’m 52 and hope to put in 30 more years.”
Innovator of the Year awardee Douglas Keane, chef-owner of fine-dining restaurant Cyrus in Sonoma County, was equally appreciative, thanking “the world’s best restaurant team back in California for making me look better right now and every night.” He stressed the priority of paying those people well.
“Technology will give us the ability to create more delicious items for guests with much less reliance on human labor. This is both good and potentially bad,” said Keane. “It's okay to do things better with less people. It's not okay to pay those fewer people the same amount … everyone can win if those in power live with a conscience. I beg you to look at the next few years through that lens; innovate in product, profit and people.”
Five restaurant chain chefs also received MenuMasters Awards, each in a different category. Maggiano’s Little Italy was honored for its bold Menu Revamp based on the brand’s “back to magic” campaign. The casual-dining chain increased entrée size by 20% and added premium ingredients like Wagyu beef and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Maggiano’s VP of Innovation and Growth Anthony Amoroso brought his team to the stage to accept the award, thanking each one by name. “I am lucky and privileged to have these guys with me every day—Chef Kevin Ripley, Chef Joel Johnson and Chef Will McClellan,” he told the audience. “These are the guys that make it work. They promote recipes, they tweak, they get out in the field, they straighten out the problems when we have them. I couldn’t be more blessed.”
Smoothie King earned the Healthful Innovation award for its Power Eats platform, the first food menu the chain has introduced in its 55 years in operation. The snack lineup includes toasts with toppings, flatbreads, chicken bites and more. Lori Primavera, Smoothie King’s VP of R&D and Product Marketing, said “we’re a small but mighty team and we've gone through a lot of ups and downs, a lot of pivots, but Power Eats is launching systemwide June 23 and 1,300 restaurants will be serving every bit of our menu.”
Burger King’s Whopper by You platform won a MenuMasters award for Best New Item. The fast-food chain collaborated with guests—not celebrities—to create the burgers, which became fan favorites, said VP of Brand Innovation Christy Skylis. She thanked the entire culinary team for turning a guest’s inspiration into a commercial product. “These things take an absolute army to get out,” said Skylis.
The award for Best Menu Line Extension went to Pizza Hut for its Crafted Flatzz. The artisan-style personal-size flatbread pizzas were priced at $5 and came in five varieties, including Chicken Bacon Ranch and Pepperoni Duo.
Brian Campbell, Pizza Hut’s Sr. Manager of Culinary Innovation and Corporate Chef, said the idea came about in early 2025 to launch a chef-driven pizza at an affordable price, and by February, the first prototype was on the table and the actual product rolled out in August. “Then we had it in 20 markets around the globe by the end of the year, with each market creating their own variation,” said Campbell, upon accepting the award. “We have a tremendous global team that makes us look good up here.”
Last of the restaurant chain winners was Jollibee for Best Limited Time Offer. The marketing and culinary teams collaborated with K-Pop group Katseye on Korean BBQ fried chicken. Joy Cruz, VP of R&D for Jollibee North America, carried on the night’s theme of attributing this winning item to her entire team.
“Your limitless creativity and commitment bring the magic to every dish that sparks joy on our menu,” she said.
The award for Digital Innovator went to Candace Nelson, founder of Sprinkles cupcakes and her current concept, Pizzana.
Teamwork is also what brought the evening’s menu together. The winning chefs collaborated on the menu items, working together with four students at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley to develop global dishes such as Crab & Paneer Bihon, Filipino Chicken Adobo, Aji Amarillo Causa and Jerked Pork Belly Tostones.
Ventura Foods has been sponsoring the MenuMasters Awards for all of the program's 29 years. This year’s gala took place at Morgan Manufacturing in Chicago.
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