New Mexico Restaurant Association to Present Annual Hospitality Industry Awards Every Year in September
(Albuquerque, NM) The New Mexico Restaurant Association will be presenting their annual Hospitality Industry Awards for Restaurateur, Manager, Chef, and Restaurant Neighbor of the Year on September 24 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque.
New this year is the Employee Excellence Award, which will honor exemplary employees in the Front-of-the-House category and in the Back-of-the-House category. Over 500 restaurateurs and industry representatives are expected for the annual event.
“The New Mexico restaurant industry is known for its hospitality and service worldwide. We gather together each year to acknowledge this service commitment by honoring the very best of our industry. It is just a small token of our appreciation to these people who make our industry so special”, said Carol Wight, CEO of the New Mexico Restaurant Association.
Register online at www.nmrestaurants.org or call 505-343-9848 to register.
2014 Nomination forms or online submittals
Your nomination is a wonderful way to honor those who have demonstrated exceptional professionalism and dedication to the industry. This is your opportunity to honor a colleague’s hard work, great attitude, and exemplary customer service shown throughout the year. Recognize those ideals and actions that keep the restaurant and hospitality and industry thriving in New Mexico!
Once the nominations are received, we will be posting the nominee names on NMRA’s Facebook page. Winners will be selected by a committee of industry peers, whose decisions will be influenced based on voting from our Facebook page.
Every nominee will also be invited to the awards dinner on September 8, 2014, so they can be honored for their outstanding work. You may nominate as many people per category as you wish. Please use a separate nomination form for each person nominated and each category.
Nomination forms must be received no later than Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Contact NMRA at 505-343-9848 or 800-432-0740 to verify receipt of your nomination(s). NMRA is not responsible for nominations not received in our office.
Restaurateur of the Year
The “Restaurateur of the Year” award is the highest honor a person can receive in the New Mexico restaurant industry. Nominees may be an individual or a partnership with one or more foodservice operations. Only one award is given – make your nomination count! To be eligible for New Mexico’s outstanding “Restaurateur of the Year,” the nominee must be someone who:
- Contributes to the advancement and prestige of the foodservice industry
- Is actively engaged and employed in the foodservice industry for a minimum of the past three consecutive years as a restaurant owner or manager
- Demonstrates contributions of leadership, service, and involvement in community and/or civic affairs
- Exemplifies excellence in customer service, employee relations, innovation, and passion for the industry
Chef of the Year
The “Chef of the Year” category was established to recognize an exemplary chef in New Mexico. To be eligible for New Mexico’s outstanding “Chef of the Year,” the nominee must be someone who:
- Contributes to the advancement and prestige of the foodservice industry
- Is currently employed in the foodservice industry in New Mexico, and has been actively engaged and employed in the foodservice industry for a minimum of the past three consecutive years
- Demonstrates leadership, creativity, and culinary excellence in their workplace
- Exemplifies remarkable guest service, mentorship, and quality inside and outside the kitchen
Manager of the Year
- The “Manager of the Year” honors and acknowledges deserving restaurant managers. Many of New Mexico’s restaurants are operated on a daily basis by outstanding managers. To be eligible for New Mexico’s outstanding “Manager of the Year,” the nominee must be someone who:
- Contributes to the advancement and prestige of the foodservice industry
- Is employed in a managerial position, and has been actively engaged and employed in the foodservice industry for a minimum of the past three consecutive years
- Demonstrates contributions of leadership, service, and involvement in community and/or civic affairs
- Exemplifies outstanding managerial skills including team building, customer service, and facilitation of a remarkable dining experience
Employee Excellence Award
This award allows owners, managers, supervisors, and co-workers the opportunity to reward employees who have given exceptional service to guests, the community, and the hospitality industry. There are two sub-categories for this award and two awards will be given, one for each sub-category:
Exemplary Employee Front-of-the-House – interacts directly with customers (includes Host, Server, Bar Staff, Bus Staff)
Exemplary Employee Back-of-the-House – works primarily in the food prep/kitchen area (includes Cooks, Prep Staff)
Each nominee must be someone who:
- Demonstrates outstanding performance that goes over and beyond normal job responsibilities
- Exemplifies excellence in dedication and service to their guests, peers, and community
Restaurant Neighbor Award
Each year, the New Mexico Restaurant Association honors restaurants that are actively involved in community service with the Restaurant Neighbor Award. Restaurants may nominate themselves for this award. To be eligible for New Mexico’s outstanding “Restaurant Neighbor Award,” the nominee must be an owner or establishment who:
- Is actively committed to community service, and can illustrate this activism through specific projects, campaigns, and involvement
- Can detail their community service activities with facts and figures and testimonials
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2014
2014 Hospitality Industry Awards Winners Announced
Including Restaurateur of the Year
Contact:
Dionne Wright-Bower
505-343-9848
The New Mexico Restaurant Association is excited to announce the winners of this year’s annual Hospitality Industry Awards. The winners were revealed at the Hospitality Industry Awards held on September 8, 2014 at Hotel Albuquerque. Over 460 were in attendance at the event, which is dedicated to recognizing excellence in the hospitality industry.
At a gala evening themed “Boots, Bolos, and Brews” we celebrated all things “New Mexico”. The biggest focus of the though, was on the people of New Mexico—our award nominees and winners. Our winners in each category are listed below.
Pictures and additional biographical information are available by contacting Dionne Wright-Bower using the contact information above.
Restaurateur of the Year – the highest honor a restaurateur can achieve in New Mexico is. This award has been presented every year since 1967. The winner is chosen based on their contribution to the advancement of the industry and involvement in their communities. The 2014 winner is Pat Hafner of Outback Steakhouse (Statewide Locations).
Restaurant Neighbor Award – honors a restaurant that is a good neighbor in their area and has had a significant impact on the community. Restaurants are strong supporters of the communities in which they reside. Nine out of ten restaurants contribute to a community service project or fundraiser on a regular basis. The 2010’s state winner, Steve Paternoser, of Scalo Northern Italian Grill, was chosen as the National Restaurant Association’s Cornerstone Humanitarian of the Year for 2013. He presented the 2014 Restaurant Neighbor Award winner to Bill Scott and Jon Patten of Dion’s (Statewide locations).
Chef of the Year – recognizes chefs who provide excellent cuisine as well as excellent service and leadership. Chloe Winters of Adobe Rose Restaurant (Artesia) was honored as Chef of the Year for 2010.
Manager of the Year – recognizes outstanding managers in the restaurant industry who serve as a team leader in their operation. This year’s recipient of Manager of the Year is Sean Montano and team from Monroe’s (Albuquerque).
Employee Excellence Awards – recognizes the numerous contributions employees make to a business to ensure its success. These are the employees that represent the backbone of our industry, and are instrumental in the success of any restaurant.
The Back of House Excellence Award:
- Fernando Flores from Jinja Bistro (Santa Fe)
- Omar Rios from Garcia’s Kitchen (Albuquerque)
The Front of House Excellence Award:
- Danielle Dotson from Il Piatto (Santa Fe)
- Andrew Roy from Il Piatto (Santa Fe)
- Jackie Smith from Del’s Restaurant (Tucumcari)
Educational Awards:
The program also included awards for New Mexico’s ProStart Program which is administered by the Hospitality Industry Education Foundation (HIEF). The ProStart Program is a high school curriculum that teaches culinary, management and hospitality education in 35 high schools in New Mexico. Students completing the program have trained over 400 hours and are well-equipped to enter the workforce in the hospitality industry. The ProStart Teacher of the Year for 2014 is Glenda DePaula from Pojoaque High School. Gadsden High School was recognized as the 2014 Culinary Team and Sliver High was recognized as the 2014 Management Team. Both teams competed in the National ProStart Student Invitational in Minneapolis earlier this year. The 2014 Hospitality Cup also went to Cloudcroft High. The cup is presented to the school with the best overall score in state competitions.
As an arm of The NM Restaurant Association, HIEF awarded $16,000 in scholarships to 10 students pursuing a career in hospitality this year.
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About the New Mexico Restaurant Association:
The New Mexico Restaurant Association’s mission is to empower the food and beverage industry by promoting and protecting common values and interests. It has more than 1,000 members in 111 cities all over New Mexico, who join together for meetings, seminars and the hospitality industry awards to honor the industry’s top achievers. It has actively represented and promoted the food service industry in New Mexico since 1946. For more information on NMRA, visit nmrestaurants.org.
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