NJRHA Honors 2019 Garden State Leaders

NJRHA 2019 Gala Awards
2019 NJ Restaurant & Hospitality Award Winners (L-R): Deborah Roy-Dowdell Lifetime Achievement | Chef Craig Shelton | Aeon Hospitality Consulting; Restaurateur of The Year | Chester “Chip” Grabowski and Cheryl Grabowski | Harvest Restaurant Group; Gold Plate Award | Adenah Bayoh | Adenah Bayoh and Company; Hospitality Award |JBJ Soul Kitchen | Wendy Escobedo and Joshua Wiggins; Gold Plate | Mark Metzger | Opici Family Distributing
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Imperial Dade
  • Texas Pete
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • Day & Nite
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • RAK Porcelain
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Atosa USA
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
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The New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association (NJRHA) feted its annual class of award winners last month at The Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, NJ.

Each year, NJRHA leaders vote on who is considered to be the best representative of the Garden State’s restaurant and hospitality industry — those who have succeeded in business and beyond.

This year’s recipients are more diverse than ever and comprised of: A married couple who built a restaurant empire; a beloved family wine merchant; an immigrant franchisee owner who overcame amazing odds, a Yale-grad chef with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry; and two gifted chefs from JBJ Soul Kitchen, a program of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.

The 2019 NJRHA Gala Awards recognized Cheryl and Chester (Chip) Grabowski of the Harvest Restaurant Group as their Restaurateurs of the Year. The Deborah Dowdell Lifetime Achievement Award went to Chef Craig Shelton.

Opici’s Mark Metzger and Adenah Bayoh of Adenah Bayoh & Companies were presented with NJRHA’s Gold Plate Awards. The annual Hospitality Award was bestowed upon the JBJ Soul Kitchen duo of Wendy Escobedo and Joshua Wiggins.

  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • RAK Porcelain
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • Texas Pete
  • Atosa USA
  • Imperial Dade
  • Day & Nite
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • RATIONAL USA

“This eclectic group of winners represent our industry’s rich environment and each of them also give back ten-fold to their communities – a true representative of NJ’s hospitality industry,” said Marilou Halvorsen, president of the NJRHA.

The Annual Awards Gala is a formal event created to honor the winners and celebrate the restaurant and hospitality industry and hosts 250 people.


Established in 1942, the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association represents the Garden State’s 25,000 eating and drinking establishments—the state’s largest private sector employers, generating $14.2 billion in annual sales and employing over 318,000 people. Support, education, and advocacy for its members are part of the NJRHA’s recipe for success and why it has become an essential ingredientfor the hospitality industry. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @NJRHAssociation. Or, visit their website for more info.

  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Atosa USA
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Day & Nite
  • RAK Porcelain
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • McKee Foodservice
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • Texas Pete
  • Imperial Dade