The highest honor a restaurateur can achieve in New Mexico is Restaurateur of the Year. New Mexico is home to such a great variety of restaurants that it is difficult to choose a winner each year.  Mark Herman of Dion’s and Tula’s were recognized as the 2023 Restaurateur of the Year.

The Chef of the Year award is given to recognize chefs who provide excellent cuisine as well as excellent service. Cristian Pontiggia of Sassella was honored as Chef of the Year for 2023.

The Manager of the Year recognizes outstanding managers who are the team leaders in a restaurant establishment. This year’s recipient is Jarrod Taylor of Jinja Bar & Bistro.

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 Community Service Award Award honors a restaurant that is a driving force for community service in their area and has had a significant impact on the community. This year’s recipient is M’Tucci’s Restaurants.

The “Face of Diversity” Award is a new award the New Mexico Restaurant Association presented for the first time at this year’s event. This award was designed to recognize an individual from a diverse background who has realized the American Dream through hard work and determination. The Face of Diversity for 2023 went to Mike White
of High Point Grill.

The New Mexico ProStart Program is a high school curriculum that teaches culinary, management and hospitality education in 36 high schools in New Mexico. Students completing the program have trained for over 400 hours and are well-equipped to enter the workforce in the hospitality industry. Cloudcroft High was recognized as the winner for the management competition. For the culinary competition, Taos High School was recognized as the winner. The 2023 winner of the Hospitality Cup, the school with the best score combined in the culinary and management competitions, is Taos High School.

The 2023 ProStart Teacher of the year is Kevin Zink of Carlsbad High School.

Recipients of Hospitality Industry Education Foundation (HIEF) scholarships were also recognized at the dinner. HIEF awarded $3,500 in scholarships to one students pursuing a career in hospitality this year.

Photos of the event, photos of the winners, and more details on the winners are available upon request to NMRA at 505-343-9848

Espanola:
Javier Sanchez – La Cocina

Las Cruces:
Ed Linderman – Butter Smith Kitchen/Corner Bakery

Maxwell:
Shelly Quartieri – Colfax Tavern & Diner

Mesilla:
Jerry Harrell – Double Eagle de Mesilla 
Russell Hernandez – Salud! de Mesilla

San Antonio:
Janice Argabright – Owl Bar & Café

Santa Fe:
Al Lucero – Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
Fernando Olea – Sazon Restaurant

Statewide:
Gene Baca, Gene – Bueno Foods
Todd Hickam – Ben E Keith Foods
Jay Larsen – Shamrock Foods
Jeremy Padilla – Sysco

Ex-Officio:
Jean Hertzman – NMSU Hotel & Rest Mgt Program
Lansing Adams – New Mexico Tourism Department
Tana Lucero-Ranke – FISIF