IFMA Announces 2012 Silver Plate Award Winners

CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- During the Gold & Silver Plate Awards Selection Jury meeting on February 8 in Chicago, nine outstanding operator executives were selected to receive the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association's (IFMA's) 2012 Silver Plate Awards. Long considered the most coveted operator awards in the foodservice industry, the Silver Plates are presented annually by IFMA in recognition of excellence in nine segments of foodservice operations. Winners are chosen based on their outstanding industry achievements and their commitment to innovation. These awards pay tribute to winners' contributions to the advancement of their segments and the foodservice industry as a whole.

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The 2012 Silver Plate winners are:

• Cheryl Bachelder, President and CEO, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen/AFC Enterprises, Atlanta, Ga. (Chain Fast Service category);
• Ricky Clark, CDM, CFPP, CFSM CCFP, Training and Development Coordinator Supervisor, Virginia Department of Corrections, Crozier, Va. (Specialty Foodservices category);
• Phil Fahrenbruch, Executive Chef, Bavarian Inn of Frankenmuth, Frankenmuth, Mich. (Independent Restaurants category);
• Mark Freeman, Senior Manager of Global Employee Services, Microsoft, Redmond, Wash. (Foodservice Management category);
• Lyman Graham, Food Services Director, Roswell Independent School District, Carlsbad Municipal Schools, Dexter Consolidated Schools, Roswell, N.M. (Elementary & Secondary Schools category);
• Dan Henroid, MS, RD, Director, Nutrition and Food Services, UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, Calif.  (Health Care category);
• Mary Molt, PhD, RD, LD, Assistant Director, Housing and Dining Services, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan. (Colleges & Universities category);
• Clarence Otis Jr., Chairman and COO, Darden Restaurants, Orlando, Fla. (Chain Full Service category); and
• Frank Weber, Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations, Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruise Lines, Miami, Fla. (Hotels & Lodging category).

Silver Plate recipients are selected on the basis of accomplishments in such areas as:

• Management and marketing with leadership in food quality, menu or concept development, nutritional programs, food safety, and food preparation and presentation;
• Outstanding human resource practices, including training programs, employee motivation and expansion of career opportunities;
• Strong financial and operational management techniques in the areas of cost control, quality control and marketing merchandising; and
• Contributions to the prestige and public image of foodservice through participation in professional organizations and in community and civic activities.

A Pre-Screening Jury comprising past winners of Gold and Silver Plates provided peer review, narrowing the candidates within each category. The final winners were selected by a Selection Jury which included the 2011 Silver Plate Award winners, national trade press editors, other foodservice experts, and the chairperson of the International Gold & Silver Plate Society. The Jury was chaired by Bill McDowell, Vice President/Editorial Director, Plate magazine. After the nine Silver Plate winners were chosen, a secret ballot was cast to select one Gold Plate winner from among them. The Jury's secret ballot, tallied by BDO USA, LLP, will be kept confidential by the accounting firm until the evening of the Gold & Silver Plate Celebration in May when the Gold Plate winner's name will be announced for the first time.

The 58th annual Gold & Silver Plate Awards Celebration will be held May 7 at the Great Hall at Union Station in Chicago. The Celebration draws hundreds of leading foodservice executives from the supplier and operator communities. The celebration features a pre-dinner wine tasting, custom-designed gourmet meal and festive atmosphere. In addition to the tributes paid to the nine Silver Plate recipients, the Celebration will be capped by the announcement of the 2012 Gold Plate Award winner.

For more information on the Gold & Silver Plate Awards or to make reservations for the Gold & Silver Plate Celebration dinner, go to www.ifmaworld.com, or contact John Lehmann at (312) 253-4683.

IFMA is a leading trade association comprising more than 300 of the world's most prestigious food, equipment and supply manufacturers in the $600 billion foodservice industry, as well as related marketing service organizations, trade publications, distributors and brokers. IFMA's mission is to serve as a business partner to its members by bringing them relevant, actionable services that are fundamental to their business assessment, planning and execution.

Editor's Note:  Please list IFMA's 2012 Gold & Silver Plate Celebration, May 7, 2012 at the Great Hall at Chicago's Union Station, in your print and web calendars of events. Thank you.

SOURCE International Foodservice Manufacturers Association