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Shawn Danko has been named Restaurateur of the Year.
This weekend, the 56th annual Memphis Restaurant Association awards will honor Kooky Canuck owner Shawn Danko and Cleaner Solutions owner Pat Taylor.
Danko has been named Restaurateur of the Year, and Taylor is Associate Member of the Year. Both have been deeply involved in the local restaurant scene and are being honored for their commitment to celebrating and lobbying for the Memphis restaurant industry.
Danko, who is originally from Montreal, first came to Memphis to open the Hard Rock Cafe and later the Downtown restaurant Kooky Canuck. He serves on boards for the Memphis Restaurant Association and Memphis Tourism and has been featured on a number of food shows including Man v. Food.
Taylor worked in restaurants for almost 20 years before transitioning to the cleaning and sanitation industry. His company Cleaner Solutions has serviced hundreds of Memphis restaurants with dishwashers and cleaners for roughly 16 years. Taylor has been an active member and sponsor of the Memphis Restaurant Association and says that he is driven by his desire to give back.
The annual celebration is a major fundraiser for the Memphis Restaurant Association, and the awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 23rd, at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. Go to memphisrestaurants.com/events for more info.