In an evening celebrating legacy, dedication and trailblazing work in the DMV restaurant scene, the second annual RAMMYS Honors at the Schuyler at the Hamilton Hotel in Northwest D.C. showcased the bravery, resilience and determination it takes to thrive as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry and the strength of this region’s culinary leaders.
Hosted by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) the honors is a newer venture, brought on by RAMW President and CEO Shawn Townsend, as part of the organization’s long-standing work in uplifting the local service industry. The event also serves as a way of highlighting food and beverage industry innovators, before the larger 43rd annual RAMMYS Awards on Aug. 3 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest.
This year’s awardees honored restaurants celebrating significant anniversaries — D.C.’s Bistrot du Coin, Chef Geoff’s and Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, and Maryland’s Caribbean Superior, all marking 25 years, plus Virginia honorees Heidelberg Bakery and Celebrity Delly, with both commemorating 50 years of serving the area through their culinary offerings. Specialty award winners included Virginia Ali, co-founder and owner of Ben’s Chili Bowl; Linda Roth of Linda Roth Associates, Inc.; and Ruth Gresser, chef and owner of Pizzeria Paradiso, who also participated in a fireside chat led by the night’s MC Tommy McFly of NBC Washington.
“We are proud to recognize leaders like Ruth Gresser, Virginia Ali, and Linda Roth, who embody what it means to lead with purpose, passion, and a commitment to uplifting their communities,” said Townsend. “They aren’t just leaders, they’re legends. Their impact reaches beyond the plate — they’ve changed the way our region eats, gathers, and thrives.”
While the event was about highlighting the honorees, it was also a moment for networking and showcasing the work of industry professionals.
Mitchell Linton, CEO and co-founder of 3708 Spirits — a Black-owned distillery — was happy to network with restaurant and bar owners while guests enjoyed his brand during the celebratory event.
“We launched our first product, which is our 3708 Silver, at the end of 2023, and then we launched our 3708 Gold in June 2024,” Linton told The Informer. “It’s great to be here because it’s such diverse individuals here with different stories and how they were able to grow their business within the food and beverage industry. And so it’s amazing to just connect and be in a room full of perseverance.”
Honoring Industry Innovators, Highlighting the Power of Hospitality
With food and spirits as an added bonus, the evening’s focus were the honors.
District officials such as D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), chair of the Committee on Business and Economic Development, and Nina Albert, deputy mayor for planning and economic development, were present to salute the power of the restaurant and beverage community.
Moreover, restaurant owners lauded their peers for their contributions to the area’s booming service industry, including Ris Lacoste, chef and owner of Ris in Northwest D.C., who introduced Roth.
“I ran the show but I never created the stage and in 2005 when I left 1789, I decided I was going to open my own restaurant. I wasn’t a kid anymore, so I said, let’s do it. But I had not created that stage… And Linda Roth was by my side every step of the way and she never left my side,”said Lacoste, who opened Ris 16 years ago. “She is one of those people that is just devoted to you. She’s devoted to all of us and she’s devoted to this industry.”
Roth, who noted working “with some legendary restaurateurs” in her more than 45 years in public relations, emphasized that she does not simply represent the food and beverage industry, but has become part of it, having an in-depth understanding of its nuances and a deep appreciation for the work.
“Al Copeland said ‘You know why we hired you? It’s because you said you’d never call between 12 and 2 because it was lunch service.’ He said, ‘You spoke our language,’” Roth said, recounting when she got the job representing the late restaurateur known for Popeyes, Copeland’s New Orleans and Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro. “I’m really lucky I’ve had the honor of working with so many of you.
Ali, recipient of the 2025 John G. Laytham Executive Leadership and Impact Award, was honored for her more than six decades of service to the District through Ben’s Chili Bowl.
“I am just proud and blessed and so grateful for the support that I’ve gotten for the last 67 years from not only our beautiful city, but the whole country and now I get people coming from all over the world, which is a big surprise to me,” said Ali, 92, who co-founded Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street NW with her husband, the restaurant’s namesake, in August 1958. “But I’m just blessed to be here and to be the recipient of this award, and thank you very, very much.”
While Ali is still very hands-on with Ben’s Chili Bowl, and can be spotted at locations throughout the city, she and her late husband instilled a love for the family business to their sons, who are continuing their parents’ work and legacy. The Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation, which the RAMMYS also honored, furthers the Alis’ mission to give back to the city that has supported them for 67 years.
“We’re all in the service industry, so we honor service tonight. But the service [my parents] went above and beyond for, was particularly with the underprivileged,” said Kamal Ali, co-owner of Ben’s Chili Bowl, who spoke on behalf of the business’s community foundation, which was established 15 years ago. “We are so happy to be able to continue to serve the way that Mom and Dad [did] in an official capacity to really help the underprivileged in our area.”
Gresser, winner of the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award, used the moment to speak out against injustices and uplift the many immigrants who keep the District’s restaurant scene strong every day and night.
“When I opened my business… I had the great, good fortune of being born into and surviving the 20th century because of my family’s migration to this country,” Gresser, whose maternal and paternal grandparents were immigrants, who came to the U.S. seeking a safer and better life. “When Pizzeria Paradiso opened and as it grew, I had the great, good fortune of working with immigrants who came to the U.S. in the late 20th century to similarly escape oppression and danger. I share this history because I would not be standing here and Pizzeria Paradiso would not exist as you know it if these two migrations had not happened.”
Many honorees, including Ali, talked about the importance of “hospitality,” which Gresser noted as a buzzword of the evening.
“In many cultures, hospitality plays a significant role in social interactions, as individuals are often judged by their ability to extend kindness and generosity towards others,” Gresser continued. “Today, as we face a deterioration in the level of hospitality in this country, I want to share my honor tonight with all the Paradisians from this and other lands with whom I have had the privilege to work — hospitality-focused Paradisians, who push against that tide.”