CT Restaurant Association Lists Honorees & Finalists For 2024 Awards

News release from the Connecticut Restaurant Association:

CONNECTICUT — The Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) hosted a Kickoff Party [Tuesday night] at Tate’s to announce the honorees and finalists for the 2024 CRAZIES Awards Gala presented by Sysco, LLC, an annual event which recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s hospitality community. On Monday, December 9, hospitality owners, operators, chefs, servers, and vendors from across the state will come together at Foxwoods Resort Casino to celebrate the success of their industry and honor winners across more than 20 award categories. Last year’s CRAZIES gala had more than 1,400 guests and generated more than 25,000 online public votes for award winners.

“Connecticut’s restaurant and hospitality industry are a key driver of our state economy, and the CRAZIES awards are designed to tell the stories of the many individuals who make Connecticut one of the most diverse and impressive culinary landscapes in the world,” said Connecticut Restaurant Association President & CEO Scott Dolch. “Congratulations to our 2024 award honorees and finalists, plus a special thank you to the efforts of our nominating panel who provided incredible insight throughout the process.”

The CRAZIES selection process began in July with an online public nomination process and state-wide industry insider panel. Subsequently, nearly 35 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers held multiple meeting to finalize the list of honorees and finalists for 2024. The nominees for Restaurateur of the Year and CT Hospitality Hall of Fame were brought to the CRA Board of Directors, where the overall award winners were selected.

The 2024 Restaurateurs of the Year, who will be honored at the CRAZIES in December, were announced as Eli Hawli & Sam DeVellis of Market Hospitality Group. Together their group owns and operates 10 restaurant locations in CT, which includes five Market Place Kitchen & Bars, two Market Place Taverns, two Mercatos and The Wheel in Stamford. In addition, they have two restaurants in New York and Key Largo Fisheries & Market in Florida.

Two Connecticut Hospitality Hall of Fame inductees were also revealed for 2024: Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough (Noank) and Red Rock Tavern(Hartford).

In addition to these honorees, the association announced more than 70 finalists . The public can now vote by CLICKING HERE through the end of November for each category: Chef of the Year, Pastry Chef of the Year, Bartender of the Year, Server of the Year, Caterer of the Year, Vendor of the Year, People’s Choice, Restaurant Newcomer, County Restaurants of the Year and Overall Restaurant of the Year. Winners will be selected from not only the public vote, but also from our nominating panel members.

The full list of honorees and nominations can be found below. Log onto www.craziesawards.com today to learn more about the finalists, vote for your favorites, purchase tickets and/or become a sponsor. For additional information, please contact us at info@ctrestaurant.org.

***BELOW IS FULL LIST OF HONOREES & FINALISTS***

2024 HONOREES & FINALISTS

HONOREES________________________________________________

RESTAURATEURS OF THE YEAR

• Eli Hawli & Sam DeVellis – Market Hospitality Group

HOSPITALITY HALL OF FAME

• Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough | Noank
• Red Rock Tavern | Hartford

FINALISTS_________________________________________________

VENDOR OF THE YEAR

• Copps Island Oyster
• Falvey Linen Supply
• Sardilli Produce & Dairy Co.
• Soda Service & Alpine Refrigeration

CATERER OF THE YEAR

• AMG Catering & Events | Wilton
• Ani’s Table & Marketplace | Rocky Hill
• Chef Prasad | New Canaan
• Herbaceous Catering Co. | Milford
• The Bee’s Knees Catering | Avon

SERVER OF THE YEAR

• Mariana Escalera | Puerto Vallarta, Danbury
• Christopher Hodson | Materia Ristorante, Bantam
• Paige McGuigan | Camille’s Wood Fired Pizza, Tolland
• Jeremy St. Louis | S&P Oyster, Mystic
• Webster Templeton | Saltbrick Prime, Branford

BARTENDER OF THE YEAR

• Jose Colon | Elm City Social, New Haven
• Adrian Hurtado | Taco Guy, Norwalk
• Suzie Johnson | Fire by Forge, Hartford
• Shane McGowan | Wildcat, Hamden
• Olivia Olson | ATC South Street, Litchfield

PASTRY CHEF OF THE YEAR

• Nick Goodman | Gioia, New Haven
• Melissa Knauer | The Benjamin, Ridgefield
• Emily Litke | The Beamhouse, Glastonbury
• Michelle Nicholson | The Flour Girl Café, Hebron
• Jessica Spivey | Oyster Club, Mystic

CHEF OF THE YEAR

• Vincent Chirico | The Luke Brasserie, New Haven
• Michelle Greenfield | Allium Eatery, Westport
• Gen Hashimoto | Hachiroku, New Haven
• Damon Sawyer | 29 Markle Ct., Bridgeport
• David Standridge | The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

• Dog Watch Café | Mystic
• Grigg Street Pizza | Greenwich
• Pho 501 | East Hartford
• Sandra’s Next Generation | New Haven
• UCONN Dairy Bar | Storrs

RESTAURANT NEWCOMER

• Athithi | Wilton
• Café Melba | Milford
• Gioia | New Haven
• Le Mazet | West Hartford
• Rebellion Kitchen & Bar | Danbury

LITCHFIELD COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Materia Ristorante | Bantam
• Momma’s Tacos | New Milford
• Ore Hill | Kent
• RSVP | West Cornwall

FAIRFIELD COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Bar Rosina’s | Greenwich
• Elm | New Canaan
• Esh | Fairfield
• The Cottage | Westport

HARTFORD COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Restaurant Bricco | West Hartford
• Tiger Belly Noodle Bar | Granby
• Union Kitchen | West Hartford
• Zohara Mediterranean Kitchen | West Hartford

NEW HAVEN COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Bar Bouchee | Madison
• BLDG | New Haven
• Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar | New Haven
• Fair Haven Oyster Co. | New Haven

TOLLAND COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Fenton River Grill | Mansfield
• JRego’s Gathering Place | Ellington
• Monet’s Table | Tolland
• Stix ‘n’ Stones Marketplace | Mansfield

MIDDLESEX COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Brushmill by the Waterfall | Chester
• Café Routier | Westbrook
• Gran Arso | Chester
• The Essex | Old Saybrook

WINDHAM COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• A Mano Taco Shop | Willimantic
• Elizabeth’s Farmhouse | Putnam
• Trigo Wood Fired Pizza | Willimantic
• Stone Row Kitchen + Bar | Willimantic

NEW LONDON COUNTY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

• Fat Tuna | Waterford
• The Port of Call | Mystic
• The Tin Peddler | North Stonington
• Whitecrest Eatery | Stonington