Meet the 2025 Hospitality Heroes

Dear Pros,

You've got Amelia this week and boy do I have some exciting news for you about a brand new Food & Wine accolade. We're still riding the high of the 2025 Best New Chefs announcement last week. As you might have read in F&W Pro last week, the grand celebration started with a mentorship panel, preparing the new class for what's to come with this life-changing distinction. One question that comes up year after year: How can chefs share honors like this with their whole team, when the only names getting recognized are their own?

We select our Best New Chefs based on factors including delicious cooking, a ground-breaking menu, forward-thinking leadership, and community impact. But at a great restaurant, a chef is only part of the equation. It's the host greeting you at the door with a smile, making you feel like you're in safe hands. It's the server giving you that perfect dish recommendation that you didn't even know you wanted. It's the busser swiftly clearing your plate as soon as you put down your fork. (How did they know you were finished? They just know.) And it's that dishwasher — the one who has worked at the restaurant for a decade or longer and operates at seemingly impossible levels of efficiency.

Food media tends to give a lot of attention to the big-name chefs, restaurateurs, and beverage directors behind a restaurant, but it’s rare that the day-to-day employees who keep the ship afloat get recognized. So for the first time ever, F&W has an annual accolade for front- and back-of-house workers.

Hospitality Heroes recognizes the people who go above and beyond at their restaurant. We reached out to over 500 food and beverage professionals for nominations. Our seven winners embody the values of hospitality, uplift their peers, and create a next-level experience for their guests. The list includes a dishwasher, a maître d', and an oyster shucker — all of whom make dining a more joyful, seamless, and welcoming experience. You can read all about these special folks who made our 2025 list here.

Do you work with someone who you'd consider to be a Hospitality Hero? It's time to nominate them for next year's list. Email your nomination to me or hospitalityheroes@foodandwine.com. I'm sure you know as well as we do, their work deserves to be recognized.

Until next time,
Amelia Schwartz