You might think that 71 years of practice makes for a perfectly executed award program. History tells us otherwise.
Over the decades, the Gold and Silver Plate Award ceremonies have had their share of twists, surprises good and bad, and even the occasional gaff.
Most years everything goes smoothly...but the unexpected can become the norm when hundreds of people gather for a live event with considerable suspense (who’ll be revealed as the year’s Gold Plate winner?), high spirits, and an ego or two.
Here are some of surprising moments from the last seven decades. In some instances, the names of the individuals involved have not been revealed to spare them embarrassment. Some of the revelations are offered for their sheer surprise value. Others are incidents that everyone might prefer to forget.
Where does one even buy nine trophy-worthy silver plates and a grand gold platter? Experience has shown the correct answer to be from someplace with a decent listener on staff.
According to the lore that’s been passed down for decades, the order for the plates once went to a Chicago trophy shop on admittedly shorter-than-usual notice. The place assured the staff that the awards would be ready in time, with less than a day to spare and not much time for a quality check.
The big day arrived, and the plates were unpacked. As the purchase order specified, there were 10 of them—and all of them silver. There was no Gold Plate.
Hell erupted. With only hours to go before the event, shop personnel were tracked down for an explanation and hopefully a fix.
Turns out the shop thought the tenth plate was a big award going to someone named Gold. The Gold plate.
Silver Plate winners aren’t always the greatest rule-followers. Witness what happened when one of the nation’s most eminent restaurateurs won a Silver Plate in 1989.
At the time, the winners would parade down a central aisle toward the dais in the company of a significant other. This Chicago operator opted to have his mother accompany him, melting more than a few hearts.
Usually the winner and their plus-one would separate at the foot of the elevated stage, but this recipient refused to let go of his mom.
He pulled her onto the stage with him and had her sit next to him, making everyone else on the dais shift down a place in a domino effect and requiring an extra chair to be shoehorned into the array. She remained up there for the whole ceremony.
Years later, family connections again trumped tradition when Rafi Taherian, the head of foodservice for Yale University, was announced as the winner of the Gold, he pulled his teenaged son up to the podium with him. And, yes, it was heart-warming.
Plenty of pageantry is woven into the Gold and Silver Plate Awards gala, yet great pains are taken to conclude the Saturday night soiree by 9 p.m. in deference to other demands on attendees’ time during the industry’s big weekend.
The evening is run on a tight schedule, which can be a major challenge at times. Chefs, in particular, are not keen on checking wristwatches, as we learned when one of the most famous culinarians in the world was an award winner a few years ago.
As the other plate winners were parading to their seats, the chef had not yet arrived. Fortunately, the honorees proceed in alphabetical order, and that bought the AWOL award winner some time. He showed up literally moments before he had to be seated—and ended up winning the Gold Plate.
The food-away-from-home business has always been a melting pot, drawing people from all walks of life and backgrounds. The elite group who’ve earned a Silver or Gold Plate are no exceptions.
Sister Alice Marie Quinn, 2006 Gold & Silver Plate Awards
At least two winners, for instances, have been nuns. Sister Mary Kateri won the 1970 Silver Plate winner for the healthcare segment. The 2006 winner in the Specialty Foodservice category similarly answered to a higher authority. Sister Alice Marie Quinn was an early winner in the then-emerging senior-living segment.
Lieutenant General John McLaughlin, 1973
The honorees have also included military brass like Lieutenant General John McLaughlin, commanding general of the U.S. Army’s European support operations, and Captain Henry Hirschy, commanding officer of the Navy Food Service Systems.
Indeed, military, and public-service operations once had their own category of competition. Prison foodservice has also been recognized, albeit in a catch-all Specialty Foodservice category.
(Center back row) John Lovelace, 1995
Department stores aren’t exactly foodie destinations today, but at one time their restaurants were the place to sample the latest trends.
Three operators from that realm have won plates, including two from Nieman-Marcus (Helen Corbitt, the first woman to win a Gold, in 1962, and Bob Wray Jones in 1990.) The third retailer to take home the prize was 1995 Silver Plate winner John Lovelace of Dayton Hudson, or what we now know as Target.
Decades ago, the awards ceremony featured Vegas-style singers of renown. Not all of them were exactly Elvis. The roster included a Sinatra, but Frank, Jr., not his father or sister. Robert Goulet also crooned for the crowd.
And there were some major talents in the group, including Ella Fitzgerald. Isn’t that amazing?
Some winners have provided entertainment of their own to the audience. John Miller, who won a Silver and Gold Plate in 2015 for his leadership of Denny’s, recited a poem of his own composition when he took the podium.
It all makes you wonder what might happen this year, right?
The 2025 Gold and Silver Plate Awards will be presented this year at a gala on May 17 at the Grand Hall of Chicago’s Union Station. Click here for more information on attending.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.