WTWH Healthcare Announces the DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards Inaugural Class of 2025

CLEVELAND, Aug. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- WTWH Healthcare, a WTWH Media, LLC company, is pleased to announce the inaugural DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards Class of 2025.

The DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards program recognizes individuals who are visionaries within their organizations and the senior living sector at-large. They spotlight culinary experts whose creativity and passion are transforming senior living dining - from menu creation and innovating the resident dining experience, to leveraging new technologies and implementing new operational models, and more.

"The innovators we're recognizing with these awards demonstrate what senior living can be at its best, as they create menus and experiences that nourish the body and the soul, facilitating exciting new culinary discoveries while also providing comfort to residents," said Tim Mullaney, VP and Editorial Director with WTWH Healthcare. "These talented award recipients are also moving the needle on how dining programs in senior living can drive the sector's key value propositions and play a role in contributing tremendous business upside, from building occupancy to elevating public perception of the industry."

This year's inaugural DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards honorees are as follows:

Culinary Canvas: Recognizing leaders driving excellence in how dining programs are showcased across marketing channels, including imagery, video, social media, and other dining-related media content

Anthony Polito - Vice President of Hospitality, Harbor Retirement Associates
Ignacio Jacobo - Director of Dining Services, The Aspenwood Company
John Pietrangelo - Vice President, Food & Beverage, LCS
Marisol Huizar - Culinary Services Director, Sunny Rose Senior Living
Picasso Petion - Culinary Services Director, Maplewood at Strawberry Hill
Scott Edmunds - Executive Chef, Brookdale Senior Living

Elevating the Experience: Showcasing innovators raising the bar on programming and service with the goal of boosting the senior living dining experience

Aking DeLeon - Dining Director, Juniper Village at Newark, Juniper Communities
Joe Hassel - Vice President of Facilities, Planning & Construction, Presbyterian Living
Larry Atwater - Executive Chef, Sage Oak of Denton
Laura Holdsworth - Dining Director, Brookdale Senior Living
Lorenzo Nolasco - Culinary Services Director, Oak Cottage of Santa Barbara
Matthew Steele - Director of Food & Beverage, The Springs Living
Paul Lemke - Director of Food & Beverage, The Springs Living
Richard McCreadie - Executive Chef, Inspir Embassy Row
Ryan King - Vice President of Culinary Services, The Arbor Company
Steven Weintraub - Executive Chef, Inspir Carnegie Hill
Tom McGuigan - Executive Chef, CCL Hospitality Group
Victor Casado - Culinary Director, Northbridge Companies - Stone Hill at Andover
Woo Seo - Culinary Services Director, Aegis Living

Operational Optimizer: Highlighting operational trailblazers implementing new approaches and models to gain efficiencies, improve the bottom line, build stronger workforces and elevate overall operations, while maintaining and enhancing resident satisfaction

Ashley Garnett - Dining Services Director, Benchmark Senior Living
Benno Garwood - Director of Food & Beverage, The Springs Living
Brian Gallo - Corporate Director of Dining Services, Priority Life Care, LLC
Corrine Montiel - Senior Culinary Services Director, Westminster Terrace Senior Living
Jason Smith - Food & Beverage Director, The Springs Living
Missy Raponi - Dining Services Specialist, Benchmark Senior Living
Nick Paxton - Dietary Director, The Gables of Westerville
Pretoria Cheely - General Manager, Sodexo
Steve Serdar - Vice President of Culinary & Hospitality, Presbyterian Living
Wanda Manzueta - Director of Dining Services, CCL Hospitality Group

Palate Pleaser: Honoring chefs and other food & beverage professionals for their innovations in menu creation, use of ingredients, and culinary techniques

Angel Bravo - Culinary Services Director, Astoria Park Senior Living
Guy Tino - Dining Services Director, Benchmark Senior Living
JP Hascoat - Executive Chef, Peconic Landing
Lacey Rainey - Food & Beverage Director, Benchmark Senior Living
Larry Campbell - Executive Chef, The Palace Group
Lucas Pettway - Culinary Services Director, Maplewood at Darien
Patrick Armstrong - Culinary Director, Northbridge Companies - Avita of Stroudwater
Petros Kyriazis - Chef, Trico LivingWell

Partner in Innovation: Recognizing individuals serving senior living dining programs in a vendor capacity, through technology, equipment, ingredients, and more, with an emphasis on how their overall efforts have supported their clients' ability to innovate

Matthew Thompson - Chief Culinary Officer, Restaura Hospitality Group

For more information about the program and to view the complete DISHED Senior Living Dining Innovation Awards Class of 2025, visit https://seniorhousingnews.com/2025-dished-innovation-awards/.

SOURCE WTWH Media