Bottomless craft cocktails and small samples of delicious dishes flowed through the basement of Northwest D.C.’s Hamilton Live as the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) kicked off spring and summer celebrations. On April 8, the same day a rare solar eclipse captivated much of North America, Washingtonians flocked to RAMW’s RAMMYS Awards nominations event, which celebrated the beauty and breadth of the District’s food and beverage scene.
“Our local restaurant scene is part of what makes Washington, D.C. special and that is because of all of you in this room,” said NBC4 Washington anchor Jummy Olabanji, before announcing the RAMMYS Awards nominees.
Award categories include several facets of the industry, such as: New Restaurant of the Year, Cocktail Program of the Year, Beer Program of the Year, Wine Program of the Year, Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Restaurateur of the Year, and more.
“First, we always get questions about who chooses the finalists and the winners. The answer is that it’s an anonymous panel of judges, who are food and food service industry writers, critics, educators and experts, who go through a very extensive process,” said Shawn Townsend, RAMW president and CEO.
After nominees are announced, it’s up to local foodies to decide the winners. Voting is open to the public and runs now through May 31 at 5 p.m. Winners will be announced on July 21 at the 42nd RAMMY Awards.
Townsend said there’s a lot more cooking for this year’s celebration of local restaurant industry innovators and leaders, including another event before the July 21 awards at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
“This year, the RAMMYS has a lineup of special awards, including the Duke Ziegert Capital Achievement award, and several honorary milestone awards to celebrate, which will… l be revealed later this spring at the RAMMY Honors Event at the Watergate Hotel on June 18.”
The RAMMY Honors event on June 18 also leaves more time to party, dine and celebrate during the awards gala.
“Don’t miss out on this special evening to recognize some of our outstanding members of the restaurant community, which means the RAMMYS ceremony will be a little bit shorter this year,” Townsend noted.
Olabanji emphasized the importance of the RAMMYS.
“There are no other regional restaurant awards quite like the RAMMYS anywhere else in the country,” she said. “We should all be very proud to have such a major event, right here in Washington, D.C., celebrating its 42nd anniversary this year.”