Cedar Rapids man named Chef of the Year by Iowa Restaurant Association

DES MOINES — The Iowa Restaurant Association has named two Cedar Rapids leaders as the 2023 winners of some of the organization’s biggest awards in Iowa.

Chef Monkut Sayasit at Black Sheep Social Club in Cedar Rapids was named 2023’s Chef of the Year.

Willie Ray Fairley, owner of Willie Ray’s Q Shack in Cedar Rapids, was named winner of the Restaurant Neighbor Philanthropist award.

Big Grove Brewery, another Corridor business making waves with new developments in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, was named winner of the Sustainability & Innovation Award.

“There are well over 100,000 hospitality professionals in Iowa who daily help patrons celebrate life’s biggest moments," said Jessica Dunker, president and CEO of the Iowa Restaurant Association. "Once a year we gather as an industry to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate a handful of those professionals who exemplify creativity, perseverance, and an unsurpassed commitment to their customers and communities.”

Winners will be recognized at a gala alongside the Iowa Restaurant Association’s 40 Women to Watch at a Nov. 13 gala in Des Moines.

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