The Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association presented awards Nov. 2 at its annual Stars of the Industry Awards, recognizing people across Alabama’s restaurant and hospitality industry in categories ranging from Back of the House Employee of the Year to Restaurateur of the Year.
The event was held at The Hotel Wildemont in Mountain Brook. Along with the awards presentation, the evening featured a dinner and a statewide bartender competition, and attendees had the chance to connect with other industry professionals, leaders and honorees.
(Mason David Erwin/Contributed)
The Stars of the Industry honors were split into two groups. The main awards recognized leaders in the industry, including a restaurateur, a hotelier, a small hotelier, a chef, a bartender, a supplier, a tourism promoter, an educator and a government official. Humanitarian of the Year went to three recipients, representing PP Hospitality Group and Ascension Lutheran Preschool & Child Development Center.
The association’s Outstanding Star awards focused on the people who keep restaurants and hotels running day to day. Those honors covered restaurant and hospitality managers, department leaders and employees working in the back of the house, the front of the house and the heart of the house, from properties in Foley to Mobile and beyond.
ARHA says it is committed to promoting excellence and innovation in Alabama’s hospitality industry. More information about the awards and future events is available on the association’s website.
2026 Stars of the Industry award recipients
- Excellence in Government — Rep. Danny Garrett
- Restaurateur of the Year — Chris Lilly, Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q
- Hotelier of the Year — Bill Bennett, The Lodge at Gulf State Park
- Small Hotelier of the Year — Neil Patel, ITD Hotels
- Supplier of the Year — Parking Management Company
- Chef of the Year — Jarvis Smith, Frenchie’s
- Best New Culinarian of the Year — Connor Wood, Little Betty Steak Bar
- Bartender of the Year — Chas Casey, Bellini’s Ristorante & Bar
- Tourism Promoter of the Year — Jenny Askins, Touronimo
- Humanitarian of the Year — Nick Dimario and Pete Blohme, PP Hospitality Group and Mark Bole, Ascension Lutheran Preschool & Child Development Center
- Educator of Excellence — Steven McIntyre, A.H. Parker High School
Outstanding Star recipients
- Spirit Award — Francis Dimario, PP Hospitality Group
- Hospitality Leadership Award — Bennett Coleman, The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, PCH Hotels & Resorts
- Restaurant Leadership Award — Caitlin Lyon, Pizzelle’s Confections
- Hospitality Department Manager of the Year — Jami Cureton, Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa, PCH Hotels & Resorts
- Restaurant Manager of the Year — Cori Gaston, The Waterfront, PP Hospitality Group
- Heart of the House Hospitality Employee of the Year — Shirley Brown, Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel, PCH Hotels & Resorts
- Back of the House Restaurant Employee of the Year — D’Angelo Dixon, Baumhower’s Victory Grille in Foley
- Front of the House Hospitality Employee of the Year — Pam Harris, Montgomery Marriott Prattville Hotel & Conference Center, PCH Hotels & Resorts
- Front of the House Restaurant Employee of the Year — Angel Estes, Ithaka Hospitality Partners
This story originally appeared on Yellowhammer News.
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