A bakery off of Langston Blvd and the chef behind a Laotian restaurant in South Arlington walked away with honors at last night’s RAMMY Awards.
Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe received the Honorary Milestone Award for 50 years in business, while local chef Seng Luangrath won “Best Restaurateur of the Year.”
Luangrath’s award honored her achievements at Padaek — which has locations just outside Falls Church and in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center at 2931 S. Glebe Road — and at the D.C. restaurants Baan Mae and Thip Khao.
Over the years, Luangrath’s restaurants and work on the Lao Food Movement have earned her the nickname, “the Godmother of Laotian cuisine in America.”
Meanwhile, the family-owned Heidelberg bakery celebrated its 50-year anniversary earlier this year at 2150 N. Culpeper Street. Known for its gourmet European pastries and deli goods, the shop has become a generational D.C.-area mainstay.
“The days and the years, they go on when you’re busy working, but somehow they all add up,” co-owner Carla Büchler told ARLnow in February. “When you are at 50 and you’re looking back, it’s like, ‘wow, that went really fast.’”
D.C.-based Atlas Brew Works, which recently opened a restaurant and bar in Reagan National Airport, also captured the RAMMY for “Beer Program of the Year.”
Hosted annually by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, the RAMMY Awards aim to celebrate achievements in the D.C. area’s restaurant and hospitality scene. Last year’s local winners included Ellie Bird (Best New Restaurant) and Colada Shop (Hottest Sandwich Shop).
Several restaurants and businesses with ties to Arlington and Falls Church were finalists at the RAMMY Awards this year. They included Andy’s Pizza for “Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year” and Beauty Champagne and Sugar Boutique for “Wine Program of the Year.”
