NRN selects 2011 MenuMasters Award winners

Chicago- Neither a sour economy nor consumer reluctance to dine out dampened the creative capacity of American restaurant operators in 2011. Over the past year, seven chains in particular deployed food innovations that Nation's Restaurant News will recognize as the industry's best during its annual MenuMasters awards celebration on May 21 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The event, sponsored by Ventura Foods LLC, also will honor restaurant legend Jon Luther, executive chairman at Dunkin' Brands, with an induction into the MenuMasters prestigious Hall of Fame.

Jim Goggin, vice president of food service groups for Ventura Foods, said the company is pleased to sponsor this tribute to menu creativity and foodservice excellence.

"Each year the restaurant industry outdoes itself by serving an ever growing crop of outstanding MenuMaster candidates,” said Nation’s Restaurant News’ executive food editor, Pamela Parseghian. “The winners were selected for their success with guests by offering affordable, out-of-the-ordinary foods that are often healthful and delicious."

The Honorees for 2011 are:

Best Menu/Line Extension: Shari's Management - Blackberry Limited-Time-Offer promotion coincided with Oregon's highly anticipated annual Fresh Blackberry Season. Every year, our guests throughout the Pacific Northwest look forward to Oregon's Fresh Blackberry season, which runs in July and August.
Best Menu Revamp: Old Chicago - When you're a deep dish pizza pub editing your offerings in the time of hyperactive health legislation, what do you put on your menu? Deep dish pizza, of course. In May, casual pizza-pub chain Old Chicago announced it would undergo the biggest menu overhaul the brand had seen in more than half a decade, adding or tweaking roughly 30 menu items. The new menus would be rolled out to 100 systemwide stores over the course of the first two weeks in June.
Best New Menu Item: Panda Express - Honey Walnut Shrimp made its national debut on March 10, 2010 and quickly became the company’s most successful new entrée launch in history. Made with crisp tempura shrimp, wok-tossed in a signature gourmet honey sauce, and topped with glazed walnuts, Honey Walnut Shrimp is Panda's first-ever, tempura battered shrimp entree.
Best Limited-Time-Offer: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen - Wicked chicken: most successful product launch in Popeye's history. Popeyes' goal was to launch an innovative Limited Time Offer that incorporates the personality of the brand: youthful and fun, with the consumer requirements: portable and value-driven.
Menu Trendsetter: UMass Dining - Today more than ever, many students look to their campus dining locations for food choices that are not only healthy but delicious. It is imperative for our chefs and staff to embrace opportunities to create healthy, appealing, everyday foods for a new generation
Healthful Innovations: Subway Restaurants - Our strategy to add health and value to our Breakfast menu resulted in a new, egg-white version of our successful omelet-egg, and the addition of a new danwich line, our Egg Muffin Melts, which are smaller, more portable versions of our 6"/Flatbread Omelet sandwiches
Chef/Innovator: Scott Davis, Executive Vice President & Chief Concept Officer Panera Bread - Scott Davis joined Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. as a Store Manager in 1987 and was promoted to District Manager the following year. In 1993 he became New Concept Manager and led the development of the Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. Choices concept.
Hall of Fame: Tom Colicchio Chef/Owner Craft restaurants, Colicchio & Sons, & 'wichcraft - Tom Colicchio spent his childhood immersed in food, cooking with his mother and grandmother.  It was his father, however, who suggested that he make a career of it. Tom taught himself to cook with the help of Jacques Pépin’s legendary illustrated manuals on French cooking, La Technique and La Méthode.  At age 17, Tom made his kitchen debut in his native town of Elizabeth, New Jersey at Evelyn’s Seafood Restaurant.