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Moon Rabbit's chef took home one of the top honors. Here's the full list of winners.
WASHINGTON — Chef Kevin Tien was named Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) at its annual RAMMY Awards ceremony Sunday. The big win for a rising star in the D.C. culinary scene comes less than two months after his popular restaurant, Moon Rabbit, suddenly closed at the end of May.
The RAMMYs honor the exceptional ability and accomplishments of the hard-working individuals and organizations of the region’s restaurants and foodservice community. The award is only open to restaurants who are members of RAMW, and once you win a category you cannot be nominated again for 5 years in that same category; a winner can be nominated in a different category though, and finalists of a category who did not win are eligible again.
This year’s category changes included a move from Pastry Chef of the Year to Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year, ensuring the area’s many outstanding bakers and pastry chefs were recognized, and introduced Best Bar as a publicly voted category, recognizing the magnitude of nightlife establishments in the region. Similar to past years, publicly voted categories were open to any eligible restaurant or foodservice operation in the region, regardless of RAMW membership. For the very first time, both the finalists and winners for the five publicly voted categories were chosen by the public.
Such an amazing turnout at The @RAMMYawards pic.twitter.com/GikbjDEZ5f
— Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) July 10, 2023Here's the full list of categories and winners. A * denotes a publicly voted category.
Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year: Saval Foodservice
New Restaurant of the Year: Causa/Amazonia
Cocktail Program of the Year: Service Bar
Beer Program of the Year: Shelter
Wine Program of the Year: Reveler’s Hour
Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Marcelle Afram, Shababi Palestinian Rotisserie Chicken
*Best Brunch*: Urban Roast
*Favorite Fast Bites*: RASA
*Hottest Sandwich Spot*: Compliments Only
Employee of the Year: Nabil Moussa, Le Diplomate
Manager of the Year: Brittany Dye, Circa Foggy Bottom
Service Program of the Year: Lutèce
Casual Restaurant of the Year: Pennyroyal Station
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: L'Ardente
Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Xiquet by Danny Lledó
Chef of the Year: Kevin Tien, Moon Rabbit
Restaurateur of the Year: Rose Previte, No White Plates: Compass Rose, Maydan, Kirby Club
Several other D.C. institutions were recognized with the 2023 Honorary Milestone RAMMY Award, meant to celebrate a significant number of years serving locals and visitors. Here are those honorees.
The John G. Laytham Exceptional Leadership and Impact Award was given to Michael F. Curtin Jr., Chief Executive Officer of DC Central Kitchen, for his significant contribution to the region’s foodservice industry and giving back to the community. The Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award was given to Ris Lacoste, Chef/Owner of RIS Restaurant, for her excellence and community leadership.
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