Bon Appetit: honoring the 2016 Utah restaurant industry awards.

• Position: Restaurant review

It's a gathering of leading chefs, restaurateurs, suppliers and industry up-and-comers. An evening of celebration. An opportunity for hard-working folks behind the scenes to be recognized for their starring role in Utah's restaurant scene. It's the annual Utah Restaurant Industry Awards, hosted by the Utah Restaurant Association and Utah Business. A tradition more than 30 years in the making, here we shine a light on the latest honorees to receive top dining accolades.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Honoring a Utah restaurant industry leader whose contributions have helped shape the culinary landscape over the course of the last 25 years

JEANNE THOMAS

The Pie Pizzeria

Practically hidden in the basement under the University Pharmacy, just steps off the University of Utah campus, lies one of Salt Lake's sought-after destinations for pizza--The Pie Pizzeria.

It all started in the early '80s, when Jeanne Thomas launched the new restaurant in the subterranean space.

Barely bothering to post a single sign (hidden behind a wall on 200 South), Thomas let the pizza do the talking, and students and professors were quickly listening. As the crowds grew, the ambiance stayed the same: a famously dusky, relaxed hangout with dark brick walls covered in decades of customer-etched graffiti, odes to love and existential "I was here" proclamations.

Over the past 35 years, Thomas (now joined by her three sons, one of whom is a chef), has taken The Pie from one location to soon-to-be six--stretching from South Jordan to Ogden. As managing member, Thomas guides the family-owned and operated business, maintaining its commitment to its no-shortcuts philosophy even as the company has grown.

Thomas received the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award for shepherding the restaurant through its growth--no small feat considering the intense competition in the pizza sector. "The Pie stands out from the national pizza chains and other pizza competitors because we change with the times," she says. "We maintain the integrity of our original product, but we also add additional healthy options like vegan toppings, sprouted wheat dough, thin crust pizzas with light cheese and gluten-free pizzas. The Pie offers ghost pepper pizza dough for those who like extra hot food, and sweet dough for dessert pizzas. Customers are not rushed off--they can sit and relax for as long as they like and be a part of The Pie by writing their name on the brick walls before they leave. The Pie also has a division that mails frozen pizzas all over the United States and the world. These pizzas are sent to our military forces overseas, college students, missionaries, relatives, friends and as gifts on holidays. Pie pizza is a little 'taste of home' for those who have to be away from Salt Lake."

A perennial No. 1 choice among magazine, newspaper and online polls, The Pie offers traditional pizza toppings, but also gourmet selections like linguica sausage, smoked gouda, bay shrimp and smoked oysters. Some of its specialty pizzas push the envelope further, like the seasonal Bacon-Berry (sweet strawberry balsamic sauce, roasted chicken, cilantro and strawberries) and The Greek (with authentic white cucumber sauce, gyro meat and a squeeze of fresh lemon). 'Lire menu rounds out with Zappis (calzones), baked subs, salads, breads and even unique noodle dishes like the Spicy Thai and Holy Shiitake Pasta.

Of the award, Thomas says, "As a woman in business, it was a tremendous honor to stand before my peers in the restaurant industry, to be recognized for surviving and succeeding since 1982 in a very competitive pizza marketplace. I have great respect for the Utah Restaurant Association and all they do to help family-owned businesses."

For helping guide The Pie's growth, endurance and culinary innovation, Jeanne Thomas more than deserves the prestigious 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award.

GOLDEN SPOON

Honoring a Utah restaurateur who personifies the hard work, passion, teamwork and leadership it takes to operate a successful restaurant

ERIC AND SCOTT SLAYMAKER

Wingers

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