COLORADO, USA — Four chefs at Colorado restaurants were named the 2023 Chefs of the Year as part of the Colorado Restaurant Association's Industry Spotlight Awards.
The Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA) awarded Jenna McNeil of Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar in Glendale, Kenneth Minton of Coperta in Denver, Greg Weadick of Monarch Chophouse at Monarch Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk, and Nicholas Winden of Laundry Kitchen & Cocktails in Steamboat Springs.
The CRA started giving out this award in 2018. They give it to chefs who demonstrates culinary excellence, creativity, outstanding leadership and contributions of service or involvement within the community.
"This particular award was really established as a way to show that Colorado is home to outstanding culinary talent, and shine a light on the individuals who are making a name for all of us in the dining scene," said Sonia Riggs, President and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association. Riggs said mentorship is also a big part of the award.
A CRA committee made up of restauranteurs and industry professionals chooses the award winners.
"We reach out to restaurants all over Colorado and ask for their input and nominations," Riggs said. "And then this committee spends quite a few hours, over several meeting dates, to consider all of the applications."
One of the 2023 winners is Jenna McNeil. She said winning the award was totally unexpected.
"I was very shocked and surprised," McNeil said. "It took a while for it to really sink in."
McNeil attended the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University through a scholarship after she discovered her love for cooking in high school.
Since the CRA created the Chef of the Year award in 2018, the majority of the winners have been men. About a third of the winners are women. Of the 2023 winners, McNeil is the only woman.
According to the career search site Zippia, nearly 75% of chefs in the U.S. are men. Just over 25% are women. But the CRA said women in the industry is a growing trend.
"Certainly the industry has traditionally been male-dominated. That being said, it's changing a lot," Riggs said. "More women are represented both in management and ownership than in any other industry. So the restaurant industry is really making a name for itself for being much more inclusive, and you're seeing women and people of color more represented than they ever have before."
"It's great to see that there's more and more women coming into this work field, and seeing them grow and succeeding is just awesome," McNeil said.
You can learn more about McNeil and the other CRA Industry Spotlight Award winners on CRA's YouTube page.
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