Korey Rorison, public relations director, Les Clefs d’Or Canada (left); and Jamie Clarke, VIP concierge, Niagara regional director of Les Clefs D’Or (right) present the Golden Plate Award to Craig Youdale, dean of Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute (second left); and Sarah Scott, manager of dining operations, Benchmark Restaurant (second right); on Dec. 2, 2014 at Benchmark Restaurant.
On December 2, 2014 the members of Les Clefs d’Or Niagara presented their 8th Annual Golden Plate Award to Benchmark Restaurant at Niagara College.
This local restaurant award is voted on by the members of Les Clefs d’Or Niagara, a local hotel concierge association, during their year-end meetings. The Golden Plate Award has strict guidelines with the following criteria: cuisine, service, atmosphere, hotel guest feedback, and accommodation to concierge calling for reservations. The members select their top five restaurants based on these categories and vote for the winner. The members voted unanimously for Benchmark Restaurant at Niagara College to be the 2014 winner.
The Golden Plate Award is a Royal Dalton gold ringed plate framed in glass with the Les Clefs d’Or Canada Logo engraved in plated gold in the center. This award was created by the members in Niagara and has since been duplicated in Toronto and Vancouver. Previous winners of this prestigious award include Peller Estates, Stone Road Grille, Toi Restaurant, Trius Restaurant at Hillebrand, AG Restaurant, Ravine Vineyard, and LIV Restaurant at White Oaks Resort.
“We are thrilled with the recognition for our team in Benchmark. The restaurant is the window for our community into our world here at CFWI to see what our students can create, taste our beer and wines, and see our students working first hand,” said dean of Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute Craig Youdale. “To have a global organization such as the Clef D’Or recognize our efforts is truly exciting and an honour well deserved by our team.”
Les Clefs d’Or is a society of hotel concierge whose aim as an organization is to facilitate the exchange of ideas between its members and to provide mutual assistance in order to better serve its valued hotel guests. Canada was accepted as a National Chapter into the International Association known as the Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hôtels (UICH) as the 18th country in 1976, and since then the association has grown to encompass over 42 countries with over 3,500 members. The crossed golden keys worn by concierge signify their membership in the organization, and its motto ‘In Service Through Friendship’ embraces its fundamental principles of cooperation and communication. Visit www.lesclefsdorcanada.org
