Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar - Low-fat chicken quesadilla
Award: Best Healthy Choice Menu Selection
Accepting: Kurt Hankins, Vice President of Menu Development & Innovation
Profile: Applebee's recently added weight to its menu with the overhaul of its low-fat chicken quesadilla, which was overseen by Kurt Hankins, vice president of menu development and innovation.

Bob Evans Farms
Award: Best Menu Revamp
Accepting: Chad Congrove, Executive Development Chef and Peter Keiser, Senior Brand Manager
Profile: For big results from small people, don't look any further than Bob Evans Farms. The family restaurant chain's revamped children's menu and program, called "Kid Times," has seen double-digit increases in kids visits and kids sales, plus a jump of more than 50 percent in kids dessert sales.

Robert Okura
Award: Chef/Innovator
Accepting: Robert Okura, Vice President of Culinary Development and Corporate Executive Chef, The Cheesecake Factory
Profile: Life often turns on little things. Just ask Robert Okura, whose culinary career was launched by an office going-away party.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro - Banana Spring Rolls
Award: Best New Menu Item
Accepting: Paul Muller, Director of Culinary Operations and Corporate Executive Chef
Profile: It's amazing how much this sells," says chef Christopher Byrd, pointing to the Banana Spring Rolls dessert, which P.F. Chang's China Bistro added to its menu last summer.

Ponzu - Contemporary Asian cuisine
Award: Best Independent Operator Menu
Accepting: Lisa Redwine, General Manager
Profile: "I think its food is better than other Asian restaurants," says chef Barney Brown, formerly of Betelnut restaurant and now with Café Asia, a casual concept in the city's Asian Art Museum. "They use a little bit of fusion, and that's hard to pull off unless you're really familiar with the flavor and ingredients," he adds.

Paul Prudhomme
Award: 2003 MenuMasters Hall of Fame
Paul Prudhomme. A famed restaurateur as well as the author of eight cookbooks and numerous cooking vidoes, Prudhomme's philosophy is "When you put something in someone's mouth, and it makes them go 'wow' and they keep talking about it for a couple of days, well there's no greater pleasure." Prudhomme has carved his own niche within his company and states, "I own the company and can do what I want, so research and development is what I selected for myself because it's the most fun I have."
Profile: Pairing pride and a magic blend of seasonings, this renowned Louisiana chef cooks up one hot career Chef Paul Prudhomme greets each day with a smile.

Round Table Pizza - Mama Zella pie
Award: Best Limited-Time Offer
Accepting: Michele Hennessey, Director of Product Development
Profile: At Round Table Pizza the legend of Mama Zella lives on. Months after this limited-time offer graced the chain's menu last year, it remains the company's best-selling pizza to date.

Schlotzsky's - All American Angus Sandwich
Award: Best Menu/Line Extension
Accepting: Lori Schneider, Research & Development Coordinator and Joyce Cates, Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations
Profile: "I love the name All American for this sandwich," says Schlotzsky's franchisee Don Stitt. "It's a great name, and all good products need a great name."

Sodexho - Asian Street Food line
Award: Best On-Site Operator Menu
Accepting: Frank Ruffino Corporate Executive Chef
Profile: Asian Street Food turned around a typically slow month for Sodexho's Rio Café in Gaithersburg, Md., according to general manager, Austin Isemann. He had plenty of reasons to like last August's salad bowl concept from Sodexho's Trend Trackers limited-time-offer promotion program.