Catering the 44th Annual RAMMYS: A Pre-Awards Reception at Arena Stage
- Jun 30
- 4 min read
Some audiences are harder to impress than others. A room full of 680 chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals — gathered for the biggest night in Washington dining — is about as discerning as it gets.
Held on Monday, June 29, 2026, the 44th Annual RAMMYS Awards & Gala marked a new era for the region's most prestigious celebration of culinary excellence. For the first time in the awards' four-decade history, the ceremony moved to the iconic Arena Stage at The Mead Center for American Theater in Southwest DC, with a post-awards celebration following at The Anthem on The Wharf. Presented annually by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), The RAMMYS honor the chefs, restaurants, beverage programs, and industry leaders shaping one of the most dynamic dining scenes in the country.
Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events was proud to serve as a catering partner for the pre-awards reception — feeding the very community we're honored to be part of.
Awards Ceremony Reception Catering in Washington, DC
Catering for your own industry is a special kind of challenge, and a special kind of privilege. When guests arrived at Arena Stage ahead of the awards ceremony, our team was ready with a reception built for mingling, toasting, and celebrating — a steady rhythm of passed hors d'oeuvres and abundant displays designed to keep 680 guests fed and moving through the space from the first arrival to the moment the ceremony began.
Majority owned by American family farmers, including the North Dakota Farmers Union, all of our food is made from scratch — breads, sauces, spreads, and more — sourced from farmers and producers we know and trust. On a night dedicated to celebrating the best of Washington's food community, that commitment to craft was exactly what we wanted on every plate.
The Menu: Food Displays, Passed Bites and a Winners Circle
Guests were welcomed by our Signature Display, artfully arranged on our carefully curated plates and platters: cheese and charcuterie with assorted cured meats, gourmet cheeses, olives, dried and fresh fruits, and nuts, alongside Mediterranean spreads — beet hummus, classic hummus, and baba ghanoush with marinated olives, fresh vegetables, house-made pita chips, and pesto-dusted crostini.
Throughout the reception, our team tray-passed eight hors d'oeuvres selections through the crowd:
Steak Crostini with horseradish cream, onion jam, and chives
Garlic Black Pepper Chicken Skewers
Black Pepper Blini with whipped ricotta and maple bacon
Ahi Tuna Crispy Wontons with avocado
Apple-Brie Crostini with onion preserves
Lamb Meatballs with cucumber dill yogurt
House Hot Smoked Salmon Waffle Chips with fresh dill
Mini Eggplant & Shiitake Tacos with ginger soy glaze, green onion, and wonton taco shells
To honor the night's finalists and soon-to-be winners, our Winners Circle station offered a celebratory spread: a brie duo of almond brittle brie and fresh fruited brie with sliced French bread and crackers, plus a Summer Harvest Crudité display with summer pea dip, green goddess dip, and Greek feta dip alongside seasonal crudité and sweet potato chips.
Rounding out the evening was a raw oyster station, with oysters generously provided in kind by ProFish and served by our team with hot sauce, cocktail sauce, horseradish, and fresh lemon. Our team also provided full bar setup and service throughout the reception.
A Night for the Industry, By the Industry
There's something meaningful about serving the people who serve everyone else. The RAMMYS bring together the full breadth of Washington's restaurant and hospitality community — the line cooks and sommeliers, the founders and front-of-house teams — for one night of well-earned recognition. As a farmer-owned restaurant group with deep roots in the DC region, we were honored to help set the table for it.
Planning an Awards Ceremony, Gala, or Large-Scale Reception in DC?
Whether you're planning an awards ceremony, an industry gala, or a large-scale reception in the Washington, DC metro area, Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events brings the food, the service, and the team to make it exceptional — for 50 guests or 680.
We offer full service catering with scratch-made cuisine, a best-in-class beverage program featuring our very own spirits from our DC-based distillery, Founding Spirits, and the kind of hospitality your guests will remember.
Why Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events is the Right Caterer for Your Event
Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events is a mission-driven company majority owned by American family farmers. We are working to not only serve delicious food and drink with exceptional hospitality but do so while caring about our people, our communities, and the land we all call home. Our mission has farmers at the root. We are working to unbundle the industrial supply chain and earn family farmers a larger share of the food dollar. With every event, we are giving back to our farmer owners, strengthening their livelihood, giving back to the community, preserving our land and waterways, and making high-quality food more accessible to all. When you hire us, farmers directly benefit. That is what it means to be farmer-owned.
Founding Farmers Co. Catering & Events serves the DC, Maryland, Virginia, and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania region.
