First Call For Kitchen Innovations Awards

This past year, 21 trailblazing machines, technologies and equipment were honored with the National Restaurant Association’s Kitchens Innovations Awards.

While next year’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is still months away (May 18-21 at Chicago’s McCormick Place), the NRA has put out a first call to manufacturers to submit their cutting-edge equipment, technologies and supplies for the 2013 edition of the KIAs. Award recipients will be featured in an exclusive pavilion at the NRA Show.

“We’re looking for things that are new and new technologies, but more importantly, it’s innovations that solve problems for restaurateurs,” said KIA Judge Robert Marshall, v.p.-U.S. operations for McDonald’s Corp. 

Other KIA judges include Dan Bendall, principal at FoodStrategy Inc.; Martin Cowley, sr. mgr.-design and standards at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; William Eaton, chairman-Cini-Little Int’l.; Robert Forrester, principal-Restaurant Industry Solutions; Foster Frable Jr., founding partner- Clevenger Frable LaVallee; Jim Krueger Jr., chief-F&B Research and Development, Air Force Services; Aaron LaMotte, director-Sodexo Performance Interiors; and Kathleen Seelye, managing partner-Ricca Newmark Design.

Dec. 7 is the deadline for applications; award recipients will be announced in February. All entries must be introduced within the 24 months prior to NRA Show 2013. Visit restaurant.org/show for more details on the KIA program and to see a list of past awardees, or contact Eric Rude at 312/853-2525 or erude@restaurant.org.