LOS ANGELES, CA – The 2018 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo will present their annual Beacon and Torch Awards, to two very deserving and inspirational women. The Beacon Award will be presented to Dominique Crenn, a respected leader of the culinary community and Chef and Co-Owner of Atelier Crenn and The Torch Award will be presented to Caroline Styne, Sommelier and Restaurateur of The Lacques Group, a highly acclaimed group of restaurants. The awards will be presented at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Sunday, August 19th through Tuesday, August 21st. For more information about the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo and to register for this year's event, visit www.westernfoodexpo.com.
"We are thrilled to announce these two inspiring women as the recipients of this year's Beacon and Torch awards," said Tom Loughran, Vice President for the Clarion UX Food & Beverage Portfolio. "Dominique Crenn and Caroline Styne truly embody the best of the industry today, and we are excited to present them with these prestigious awards. They both serve as an inspiration to the culinary industry, and we are excited to hear more about their achievements during the Show and see where their already amazing careers take them next."
The Beacon Award will be presented during the Foodservice Council for Women Panel Discussion on Sunday, August 19 at 1:00 pm. The award was created to recognize a woman leader who has truly served as a Beacon for the industry through her leadership, contributions, and inspiration. This year's winner of the Beacon Award, Dominique Crenn, Chef and Co-Owner of Atelier Crenn, demonstrates this through her efforts topromote sustainability and equality through her collaboration with various organizations. Her career has taken her across the globe, including France, various parts of Europe, the United States and Indonesia, where she served as the first female executive chef in the country. Dominique Crenn was also named "Best Chef of the Year" in 2007 by Esquire magazine. Dominique joins past recipients, including City Harvest's Jilly Stevens, FRLA's Carol Dover, Chili's Kelli Valade, Chef Sara Moulton, and others. For more information about the Beacon Award, visit https://www.westernfoodexpo.com/Beacon-Award.
Dominque will join the Foodservice Council for Women (FSCW), panel discussion on Sunday, August 19th at 1:00 pm which will feature Nina Curtis, Chef/Culinary Wellness Consultant/Lecturer/Activist; Niki Nakayama, Chef/Owner of n/naka; Chef Tati Polo; Erin Wade, Founder/CEO of Homeroom; and moderator, FSCW co-founder Kathleen Wood. FSCW is a group that aims to connect women in the foodservice industry together to share, inspire and learn from each other. The FSCW networking panel features women leaders in the foodservice industry who are transforming the hospitality industry through their strength, perseverance and forward-thinking demeanors.
The Torch Award was created to honor talented chefs and/or restaurateurs for the brilliance of their careers and the impact they have had on the industry and their surrounding community. This year's recipient is Caroline Styne, Sommelier and Restaurateur of The Lacques Group, who's critically acclaimed restaurants have won awards such as "Best New Wine List of 2003," "Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator" three times and was also named among the 100 Best Wine Restaurants 2015 by Wine Enthusiast. Caroline joins past recipients including Geoffrey Zakarian, Danny Meyer, Thomas Keller, and others. For more information on the Torch Award, visithttps://www.westernfoodexpo.com/torch-award-recipients. The award will be presented on Monday, August 20 at 1:00 pm on Center Stage.
The 2018 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo will be held Sunday, August 19 – Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The tradeshow and conferencewill provide 9,000+ industry professionals with access to the hottest menu trends, state of the art design and decor, a renowned education program, special events including Hip Sip, Rapid Fire Challenge and several culinary demonstrations, and 450+ of the leading vendors and purveyors dedicated to serving the restaurant & foodservice community. The tradeshow and conference, started in 1936 is managed by Clarion UX (www.clarionux.com) and sponsored by the California Restaurant Association (www.calrest.org). For more information, visit www.westernfoodexpo.com. The 2018 event will be co-located with Coffee Fest and Healthy Food Expo West, and attendees will have access to all three events.
About Clarion UX – Clarion UX produces 37 events across 13 sectors of both trade and consumer events. Clarion UX, which is the U.S. division of Clarion Events, UK, and backed by The Blackstone Group has become one of the fastest growing event companies in the U.S. with aggressive growth through both acquisition and launch. Clarion acquired PennWell in early 2018, bringing 4 Tradeshow 200 events into the U.S. portfolio and super-charging the already rapid growth. Clarion UX has offices in Trumbull, CT; Kennesaw, GA; Boca Raton, FL; Tacoma, WA, and Fairlawn, NJ. www.clarionux.com.
About Clarion Events – Clarion Events operates over 180 events in 50 countries from offices in the UK, South Africa, USA, Brazil, Germany, Singapore, UAE, and the Netherlands. Clarion can trace its roots back to 1947 and takes great pride in being one of the oldest independent event organizers in the UK. More recently the firm has developed an international portfolio of brands and now has interests in a number of global vertical industries. The teams at Clarion create uniquely effective and stimulating environments that can serve as a platform to build businesses, enhance customer relationships and accelerate product awareness. www.clarionevents.com
Source: The 2018 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo
