The ruby motif also came into play in the stage design. The gold geometric backdrop was a play on the deconstructed lines of a cut gemstone. "The main stage was, I think, our most beautiful awards main stage of the past 10 years," said Roger Whyte, CEO and founder of RJ Whyte Event Production, the production company behind the event. "Each year it's always been unique and amazing, but this year really just took your breath away a little bit when you walked in."Photo: David Claypool/Kalorama Photography
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's (RAMW) annual Rammy Awards returned full throttle this year following a virtual event in 2020 and a scaled-down version of the gala in 2021. The event was reflective of the resilience of the restaurant industry, which was hit hard during the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic—a report from the National Restaurant Association even estimated that around 90,000 eating and drinking establishments have permanently or temporarily closed since then.
But spirits were (deservedly) high at this year's Rammys, held July 24. The event, hosted for the past nine years (aside from 2020) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, drew a crowd of about 2,700—a larger amount than in year's past. "The real highlight for everyone was to see how this industry came back for what was a much-needed, very celebratory evening," said Roger Whyte, CEO and founder of production and event management company RJ Whyte Event Production, which has produced the event for the past 10 years. "The energy, the joviality, and the happiness in the room was palpable."
The big winners of the evening—which also serves as a fundraiser for RAMW—included Scott Drewno and Danny Lee of The Fried Rice Collective for Restaurateur of the Year; Indian restaurant and cocktail bar Daru for New Restaurant of the Year; and Rob Rubba of Oyster Oyster for Chef of the Year.
2022 also marked 40 years of the Rammys. Although the event typically does not have a theme, Whyte said this year's design—produced in collaboration with Design Foundry—was inspired by the fact that it was the ruby anniversary. "We took that and ran with it," he said. "The ruby inspiration is something you see throughout the different elements of the event, in terms of the color—a lot more red and vibrancy—down to some of the design aspects."
Also new this year? A headlining DJ, Cash Cash, which came about thanks to RAMW's partnership with D.C.'s Club Glow and Echostage.
"In years past, we've just had a DJ that's played dance music all night; this year we actually had a headliner, which was really cool for the last hour of the party," Whyte said. "And quite honestly, the energy in the room was like nothing it's ever been. Everyone was so happy to be back in person."
Scroll down to see key vendors and photos—with more fun details—from the celebratory night.
Vendors
Audiovisual Production, Sound: Projection
Catering: Aramark
Decor, Design, Staging: Design Foundry
Event Management, Production: RJ Whyte Event Production
Lighting: GLP Lighting
![For the past nine years (save for 2020), the Rammys have been held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This year, the event took up more of the venue's space and doubled in square footage—from 50,000 to about 100,000. This allowed for more activations and for the event production company to go all out for the Rammys' 40th anniversary.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/07/WC_088_0T2A3706.62e2f7617acfc.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![About 2,700 people were in attendance to celebrate the talent and accomplishments of the hard-working professionals that make up the D.C. area's foodservice community. The convention center's A and B ballrooms were lit with a red glow during the awards ceremony—a nod to the 40th anniversary, also known as the ruby anniversary.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/07/WC_205_0T2A3923.62e2f76d81f77.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The ruby motif also came into play in the stage design. The gold geometric backdrop was a play on the deconstructed lines of a cut gemstone. 'The main stage was, I think, our most beautiful awards main stage of the past 10 years,' said Roger Whyte, CEO and founder of RJ Whyte Event Production, the production company behind the event. 'Each year it's always been unique and amazing, but this year really just took your breath away a little bit when you walked in.'](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/08/WC_342_0T2A4145.62e7e91961f43.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![RJ Whyte Event Production once again partnered with D.C.-based artists No Kings Collective to create a custom painting on-site during the event. Whyte said the collective suggested they create a portrait of renowned chef Anthony Bourdain, who passed away in 2018. The painting was auctioned off later that evening, with proceeds going toward the RAMW and its education programs. 'That was one of the bigger items of the night, in terms of somebody winning it,' Whyte explained. 'It was amazing to partner with No Kings again; they do a lot of mural art around town. They also partner with a lot of local restaurants to do murals either inside their space or outside on the building.'](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/07/WC_125_0T2A3762.62e2f778e7863.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
"That was one of the bigger items of the night, in terms of somebody winning it," Whyte explained. "It was amazing to partner with No Kings again; they do a lot of mural art around town. They also partner with a lot of local restaurants to do murals either inside their space or outside on the building."
![The signature cocktail this year was The Red Ruby—yet another reference to the milestone anniversary—and was made with Deep Eddy Vodka, Campari, raspberry, lemon, and hibiscus flower. Many of the bars throughout the flow of the room each celebrated a different brand sponsor. And for the first time ever, the event put a major focus on mocktails. 'We had about five or six mocktail bars throughout the space that were all alcohol-free bars, which was something that people really enjoyed,' Whyte noted, adding that those bars 'were busy all night.'](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/07/WC_057_0W3A4471.62e2fc744aa4b.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Many of the bars throughout the flow of the room each celebrated a different brand sponsor. And for the first time ever, the event put a major focus on mocktails. "We had about five or six mocktail bars throughout the space that were all alcohol-free bars, which was something that people really enjoyed," Whyte noted, adding that those bars "were busy all night."
![Bars at the Rammys served drinks courtesy of Republic National Distributing Company. Beverages also included specialty cocktails from the restaurant finalists in the Best Cocktail Program category.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/08/WC_291_0T2A4054.62e7e914d93f2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![For an event celebrating restaurant professionals, the food (of course) had to be inventive and exciting. Whyte and his team worked again with catering partner Aramark to develop the menu. Whyte said about 95% of the food and beverage for the Rammys each year is donated by purveyors and distributors that service the restaurant industry. There were about 10 food stations highlighting these donated items. Standouts included this sushi platter—from the Embassy of Japan—with wagyu, salmon, Japanese mackerel, and rice.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/07/WC_493_IMG_6029.62e2fc79ed3c5.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Rammys activations included specialty foods from the Embassy of Korea and a lounge from K-Food.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/08/WC_277_0T2A4025.62e7e92f69f27.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Thanks to RAMW's partnership with D.C.'s Club Glow and Echostage this year, Cash Cash headlined the post-ceremony party, where Whyte said the energy on the dance floor was 'nothing like it's ever been.'](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/07/WC_584_0W3A5714.62e2f7a40f2c9.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
!['The real highlight for everyone was to see how this industry came back for what was a much-needed, very celebratory evening,' Whyte explained. 'The energy, the joviality, and the happiness in the room was palpable.'](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2022/07/WC_612_0T2A4717.62e2f7fbf2d1e.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)