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
"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."
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."
