Restaurants & Institutions Announces 2008 Ivy Award Winners

Restaurants & Institutions magazine has announced the recipients
of its 38th annual Ivy Awards, one of the oldest and most-coveted
accolades in the foodservice industry. Six operations that embody the
Ivy standards for excellence in food and service will be inducted into
the Ivy Society in Chicago on May 18, 2008. This year's recipients
will be honored at a gala Ivy Awards Celebration and Dinner held at
The Field Museum, an event that coincides with the National Restaurant
Association's Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show.

In keeping with Ivy Society tradition, this year's recipients were
nominated for consideration by past Ivy winners. The six winners then
were chosen by the readers of R&I through a ballot in the magazine's
January issue.

"This year's Ivy Awards class is a distinguished group of
outstanding foodservice operations that deserve the accolades they are
receiving from their colleagues," said Scott Hume, editor-in-chief of
Restaurants & Institutions.

The 2008 Ivy Awards will be presented to:

-- Alinea, Chicago

-- Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Las Vegas

-- Hotel Healdsburg, Healdsburg, Calif.

-- Per Se, New York City

-- Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, Plano, Texas

-- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.

The selection of this year's Ivy Awards winners began when
representatives from previous Ivy-winning operations--which include
such notables as "21" Club in New York City, Charlie Trotter's in
Chicago, Commander's Palace in New Orleans and Chez Panisse in
Berkeley, Calif.--were invited to nominate restaurants, hotels and
noncommercial operations that they believe exemplify the Ivy standards
of excellence. Nominees appeared on a ballot in Restaurants &
Institutions' January 2008 issue, and the magazine's 140,000 readers
were allowed to cast votes for their choices.

This year's Ivy honorees will be profiled in the May 1, 2008,
issue of Restaurants & Institutions.

The premium platinum sponsor of the 2008 Ivy Awards event is Basic
American Foods. Based in Walnut Creek, Calif., Basic American Foods'
primary business is dehydrated potato and bean products for the
foodservice industry.

Restaurants & Institutions magazine is published 18 times a year
by Reed Business Information.