CHICAGO Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, along with this year’s Nation’s Restaurant News Fine Dining Hall of Fame Award winners at a festive luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
“Pano is an example of what the American dream is all about,” said James Doherty, group publisher of NRN, before presenting the award. “Success is there for those who have a commitment, develop their skills and execute their dreams.” —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Doherty outlined some of the winner’s biographical highlights, starting with a childhood in a family that was in the food business and instilled in him strong family values and a good work ethic. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
2008 Hall of Fame Inductees Cafe Ponte, Clearwater, Fla.Harrah’s Steak House, Reno, Nev.JiRaffe, Santa Monica, Calif.Manresa, Los Gatos, Calif.No. 9 Park, BostonNorth Pond, ChicagoSlightly North of Broad, Charleston, S.C.Splendido at the Chateau, Beaver Creek, Colo.Tribeca Grill, New YorkVidalia, Washington, D.C. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
After serving in the U.S. Navy, Karatassos graduated from The Culinary Institute of America and worked in several leading resorts, including the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., and several Swiss hotels. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
“He’s paid his dues, big time,” Doherty said. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Doherty noted that Karatassos often credits two mentors for inspiring him to succeed: Joe Amendola, a well-known CIA instructor who recently passed away, and Hermann Rusch, his boss at the Greenbrier. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
“Today, he has been a mentor to many new chefs,” Doherty said. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
In accepting the award, Karatassos, who now oversees a stable of restaurants with annual revenue of $70 million, mostly in Atlanta, said: “It has been said that operating a restaurant is not a big thing, just a lot of little things. When people ask me when am I going to take time to smell the roses, I tell them I’m among the roses every day by being with my guests in my restaurants. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
“My greatest satisfaction has been working every day with my sons and daughter and watching them develop as future leaders in this industry.” —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Karatassos also said he is proud to have been able to help relieve hunger in this country, particularly among children, by spearheading Atlanta’s Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation events over the past 20 years. Those events have raised $7 million. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
“I believe that those of us in the foodservice industry are the ones to lead in hunger relief,” he said. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Representatives of this year’s new Hall of Fame inductees accepted awards, presented by NRN editor Ellen Koteff, on behalf of Cafe Ponte, Clearwater, Fla.; Harrah’s Steak House, Reno, Nev.; JiRaffe, Santa Monica, Calif.; Manresa, Los Gatos, Calif.; No. 9 Park, Boston; North Pond, Chicago; Slightly North of Broad, Charleston, S.C.; Splendido at the Chateau, Beaver Creek, Colo.; Tribeca Grill, New York; and Vidalia, Washington, D.C. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Raphael Lunetta of JiRaffe, accompanied on stage by his 8-year-old son, Etienne, said: “We all know the difficult challenges and rewards of this business. This award gives me the energy to go back to work and continue doing what we do.” —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Bruce Sherman, chef-partner of North Pond, said, “I can assure you that none of us ever thought about receiving such an esteemed honor when we opened and that we would be a part of this list of renowned restaurateurs.” —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Drew Nieporent of Tribeca Grill, whose Myriad Restaurant Group has several movie stars as partners, quipped, “Robert De Niro would have been here today, but he has the Sunday brunch shift today.” —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Nieporent added that the Hall of Fame luncheon is the highlight of his annual trip to Chicago for the restaurant show. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
“I would also like to say that Pano Karatassos has been an inspiration to me for many years,” he said. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
American Express sponsored the Fine Dining Legend award, presented by Patrice Packer, director of the Restaurant Industry division. Luncheon sponsors were Fishbowl Marketing, Jennie-O Turkey Store and the Mazzetta Company. —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
Speeches, soirees highlight NRA confab —Fine-dining restaurateurs from coast to coast honored one of their own, Pano Karatassos, president of
