Restaurant Company’s Leadership Conference Recognizes Four Local Individuals, Two Local Concepts For Leadership Contributions

COLUMBUS, Ohio (September 21, 2016) – Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) recently recognized four associates and two concepts for their outstanding performance in 2016. The awards were presented at the company’s annual Leadership Conference, which was held at the Seaport District in Boston, Mass., in September.

“As our company steadily grows, we continue to hire and retain outstanding associates that work tirelessly and are exceptional leaders who excel in their roles,” said David Miller, president, CMR. “Without a doubt, we have the strongest team we’ve ever had in the last two decades and they continue to lead at a very high level and consistently deliver genuine hospitality, which makes me proud to be a part of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Our annual awards are just one way we thank our dedicated associates for their accomplishments and I’m truly honored to work alongside these award recipients.”

The 2016 Leadership Conference award recipients include:

Restaurant of the Year: Cap City Fine Diner in the Grandview is this year’s recipient of the Restaurant of the Year award. The restaurant just celebrated its 20th anniversary in the city last year and has become a Columbus favorite. Cap City Grandview is led by General Manager David Moeser, of Upper Arlington, and Executive Chef Larry MacDonald, of Columbus. Cap City is a classic American diner with upscale touches that make the menu special and memorable.

General Manager of the Year: Kelly Nordstrom, of Columbus, is the 2016 General Manager of the Year award recipient. Nordstrom is the general manager at Molly Woo’s Asian Bistro. She has been professionally working in the hospitality industry since the age of 14 and joined the CMR family in 2004. Nordstrom’s experience both inside and outside of the restaurant makes her an exceptional leader and general manager.

Executive Chef of the Year: Michael Ho, of Canal Winchester, Ohio, is this year’s recipient of CMR’s Executive Chef of the Year award. Ho is the executive chef for The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek and has been in the CMR family since 2001. He’s certainly no stranger to the kitchen as his father was a chef and both sets of his grandparents owned restaurants while he was growing up. With a passion for food and a drive for mentoring chefs in the kitchen, Ho is a model executive chef for CMR.

Dining Room Manager of the Year: Laurie Kneiss, of Columbus, Ohio, received this year’s Dining Room Manager of the Year award. Kneiss is the dining room manager at The Pearl and has been in the CMR family for nearly four years and started at The Pearl working in guest services. Cameron Mitchell noted that Kneiss is an associate who he’s been watching since she started at the company and who has a bright future in the company because she continually motivates and encourages her team, has good communication skills and great guest services.

Sous Chef of the Year: Kaitlin Lamont is the 2016 Sous Chef of the Year at CMR. Lamont, of Galloway, has served as the sous chef at The Avenue Steak Tavern since the restaurant opened in February 2016. Lamont has been in the CMR family for several years and was most recently at Ocean Prime Philadelphia. Because of her great mentorship and personal skills with associates, ability to multitask and keep organized, Lamont has been the best sous chef Executive Chef Jeff Lindemeyer has ever had.

Cameron Mitchell Award: This year’s Cameron Mitchell Award was presented to Cameron Mitchell Premier Events (CMPE). CMPE plans, designs and coordinates each and every detail of a clients’ event – from weddings to corporate events the team helps bring a clients’ vision to life to create an unforgettable experience. The organization is celebrating its 15th anniversary and has planned thousands of successful events.

Restaurant Of The Year: Ocean Prime Troy is the winner of this year’s Restaurant of the Year award. Ocean Prime Troy is led by General Manager Louis Morgan III, this year’s recipient of General Manager of the Year, Dining Room Managers Steve Hermiz, Brandon Kidder and Sue Simich, Executive Chef Sean Force, and Sous Chefs Chris Mayer and Steve Ackner. The restaurant was voted “Best in Troy” by the Troy Chamber of Commerce and “Best Seafood” by Ambassador magazine.

General Manager Of The Year: Louis Morgan III of Ocean Prime Troy is the recipient of this year’s General Manager of the Year award. Louis joined CMR at Ocean Prime Indianapolis as a day one associate, working as Server, Bar Chef and Lead Trainer. He transferred to Ocean Prime Troy in 2013 as a Server and Bar Chef, became supervisor and was promoted to Dining Room Manager in 2013, and then to General Manager.

Executive Chef Of The Year: Adam Polisei loves being a member of the Cameron Mitchell Restaurants family, and its culture, and this is evident in his cooking at Ocean Prime Tampa. The winner of this year’s Executive Chef of the Year, Adam also enjoys cooking at home and watching football, as well as cheering on Michigan State!

Dining Room Manager Of The Year: Tricia Finke grew up in the Tampa Bay area and has over 15 years in the service industry. She is a day one associate out of Ocean Prime Tampa and successfully moved her way up the ladder since its opening in 2009. Her passion has always been in hospitality and she takes great pride in the level of service she can provide guests through Cameron Mitchell Restaurants as the Dining Room Manager at the Ocean Prime New York location.

Sous Chef Of The Year: As a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Orlando in 2010, Nick Pratt worked with RCH Hospitality Group before joining Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. Nick quickly worked up the line from saute station to lead broil cook before his promotion to Sous Chef. He is exciting about winning this award, and is eager to learn all there is to know in the kitchen and continue to grow in the company.