2019 RAMMY Awards announced; Spoken English wins New Restaurant of the Year

RAMMYAwards2019

The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s 37th Annual RAMMY Awards were held last night and attracted hundreds of the area’s top foodservice industry professionals and their fans to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

The selection process for the winners involved two esteemed groups, the voting public and an anonymous panel of volunteer judges, consisting of food and dining journalists, educators, and foodservice industry professionals. The voting public decided the winners in four categories: Favorite Gathering Place, Upscale Brunch, Casual Brunch and Favorite Fast Bites.

Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia joined the presentation to remember and honor John G. Laytham, Co-Owner of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group, who passed away earlier this year. Mayor Bowser announced that November 12th will be named John Laytham Day in the District. The first John Laytahm Day will be held on what would have been the industry leader’s 75th Birthday.

In addition, RAMW honored Laytham’s legacy by renaming a RAMMY Award in his name – the John G. Laytham Exceptional Leadership and Impact Award. This award was first given to José Andrés in 2018 for his humanitarian leadership efforts on a global scale. It was awarded at The RAMMYS last night to Claude Andersen of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group for his incredible dedication carrying out John Laytham’s vision for more than 45 years, and as a leader in areas of culinary and hospitality education and workforce development over many decades.

The winners of the 37th Annual RAMMY Awards are:

RAMW honored additional members with  the Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year award, given to The Veritas Law Firm for exemplifying commitment to and support of RAMW, and the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award, presented to restaurateur Virginia Aliof Ben’s Chili Bowl/Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation for her hard work and outstanding initiative that has increased the profile and success of the metropolitan Washington foodservice community. These awards were determined by RAMW’s Executive Committee. 

The 2019 Honorary Milestone RAMMY Award was given to dining stapes The Bombay Club (30 years), Ristorante i Ricchi (30 years), Moby Dick House of Kabob (30 years), Silver Diner (30 years), Taberna del Alabardero (30 years), and Lebanese Taverna (40 years).

Troy Petenbrink

Troy, also known as The Gay Traveler, is a well known travel and food writer. His has been a regular contributor to a variety of outlets including National Geographic, Travel Channel, DCRefined, CBS Local, and Metro Weekly. He also appears on local Washington news outlets as a travel expert.

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