Meet the 2013 MenuMasters Award winners

A record-breaking taco, glazed salmon for kids and a seafood restaurant’s pork chop all are being honored with 2013 MenuMasters Awards.

Presented by Nation’s Restaurant News and sponsored by Ventura Foods, the MenuMasters Awards honor outstanding foodservice research and development. Winners have created menu items that NRN’s editorial board has judged to have had significant impact on the industry.

Restaurants being honored this year are Taco Bell, Noodles & Company, Papa John’s International, Silver Diner, Red Lobster and Cooper’s Hawk Winery.

Also being honored are Cleveland-based chef Jonathon Sawyer, who has been named Innovator of the year, and José Andrés of Think Food Group in Washington, D.C., who is being inducted into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame.

“The 2013 MenuMasters honorees are prime examples of the kind of menu innovation that makes this industry so exciting,” said Jim Goggin, senior vice president of Ventura Foods. “They have not only inspired their peers, but have also managed to surprise and delight their customers with delicious dining experiences.  We look forward to congratulating this year’s winners and celebrating the 16th annual MenuMasters celebration.”  

Winners will be fêted at a gala ceremony at the Drake Hotel in Chicago on May 18, where guests will receive a limited-edition print by artist Mark Andrew Bailey, who will be at the party to sign it.

“When selecting MenuMasters awardees, we don’t only take into consideration culinary ingenuity, but also the likely impact of the candidates on foodservice as a whole,” NRN senior food editor Bret Thorn said. “This year’s winners are a great mix of terrific new proteins, creative flavor combinations and adjustments to menus that are likely to pave the way for further innovation.”

Learn more about this year's honorees on the following pages.