OAK BROOK, Ill. - (Business Wire) Restaurants & Institutions has announced the recipients of its 39th annual Ivy Awards. The Ivy Awards are among the longest standing and most-coveted accolades in the foodservice industry. The six winners were honored at the Field Museum in Chicago on May 17, 2009, at a gala Ivy Awards Dinner and Celebration that featured an exquisite four-course meal prepared by a team of chefs from the recently opened San Antonio campus of The Culinary Institute of America. The event coincides with the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. “These deserving and inspiring operators exhibit a standard of excellence in food and service and an innovative spirit that has won them the recognition of their peers—and for that, they earn our highest praise,” said Kelly Killian, editor-in-chief of Restaurants & Institutions.
The 2009 Ivy Awards were presented to:
Abacus, Dallas
- A shining star in the local culinary scene, Chef Kent Rathbun’s restaurant combines globally influenced fine dining with a hearty dose of Southern hospitality.
Apple Pie Bakery Café, Hyde Park, N.Y.
- The most casual—and the busiest—of The Culinary Institute of America’s restaurants boasts the same standard of excellence as its campus siblings and is a favorite with students and non-students alike.
Bouchon, Yountville, Calif.
- Thomas Keller’s bustling French bistro down the road from The French Laundry is authentic through and through, from its traditional menu to the mosaic tiles on the floor.
Café Boulud, New York City
- A neighborhood haunt of the haute kind: Daniel Boulud’s eclectic restaurant is known for its four-part seasonal, French country, vegetarian and international menu.
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore.
- The university is committed to staying in touch with students’ changing tastes, and that dedication shows in the impressive variety of ethnic dishes—from Asian pho to Mexican tamales—and locally sourced ingredients.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.
- Virginia Tech excels in presenting high-quality fare in a marketplace-style setting, and students give the food an A+, thanks to menus that include rib-eye steaks and Maine lobster.
The selection of this year’s Ivy Award winners began when representatives from previous Ivy-winning operations—which include such notables as Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and Blackbird in Chicago—were invited to nominate restaurants, hotels and noncommercial operations that they believe exemplify the Ivy standards of excellence. Nominees appeared on a ballot in Restaurants & Institutions’ January 2009 issue, and the magazine’s 120,000 readers were invited to cast their votes.
For more on this year’s Ivy honorees and on previous winners, go to rimag.com.
Restaurants & Institutions (R&I) is the leading source of vital information for the entire foodservice industry, both in print and online, covering chains, independent restaurants, hotels and institutions. Published monthly, R&I magazine is the only source of complete industry coverage and reaches more than 130,000 commercial and noncommercial subscribers, including executives who operate independent and chain restaurants, hospitals, colleges, schools and hotels/resorts, as well as dealers/distributors and consultants in the foodservice industry. R&I is published by Reed Business Information.
Restaurants & Institutions
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