Newly Awarded Restaurant
New Directory
Napa Conference
July has been a busy month for DiRoNA! We have a newly awarded restaurant in Sedona, AZ, a new and improved directory in the works, plus we are gearing up for our 2018 Conference in Napa this September!
This past spring our founder John Arena celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary! What an amazing marriage they have had. John and his wife met in 1957 in Toronto, ON and were married in 1958. This year they spent several weeks in Sedona, AZ to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They did some day trips and ate in a variety of restaurants including Rene Restaurant at Tlaquepaque. They were celebrating their wedding anniversary with another couple and enjoyed a wonderful meal, complete with wine and champagne to toast the special day.
After enjoying such a fine meal with excellent service and a spectacular wine list, John emailed us to let us know he would like to nominate Rene’s for the DiRoNA Achievement of Distinction in Fine Dining Award. A nomination package was sent out and Chef Walter completed the information and sent it back. After careful review, it was declared Rene Restaurant at Tlaquepaque is our newest DiRoNA Awarded restaurant! Congratulations!
Rene Restaurant at Tlaquepaque
Chef Walter Paulson
As you know, we offer a directory of all our DiRoNA Awarded restaurants. The interactive map allows you to zoom in over your city or state and will show pinpoints of all the awarded restaurants in your area. When you click on a pin, it will take you to a page about that restaurant!
Although our directory has worked well for us for the past 18 months, there are some limitations to the directory. We have found a better way to show everyone where our awarded restaurants are located. Our new restaurant locator will even use your geo-location to show you the restaurants in your area without having to show you the entire map. You will be able to search by city or restaurant name as well. Plus the locator is lightning fast, showing you the best restaurants quicker! There is even a button that will give you distance from your location or driving directions – printable directions or send them to your phone.
Each restaurant will have a new and improved page featuring all social channels, maps, clickable phone number and website, plus a link to make reservations. We are still in the process of adding all 680 restaurants to the directory but expect to roll it out this fall. Of course, it is mobile friendly!
“The 2018 Conference in Napa, Calfornia is going to be a fantastic event!”
Our 2018 Conference in Napa, CA is happening September 4th to 6th and is shaping up to be a great event! Our opening evening is scheduled for Tuesday, September 4th and will feature wine stations from 8 different wineries. This is a great chance to meet and socialize with your fellow conference guests.
Wednesday morning we will enjoy breakfast at The Westing Verasa then a seminar provided by Chef Ken Frank of La Toque. Lunch will include a hands-on cooking class in the Hestan Teaching Kitchen at The Culinary Institute of America at Copia. During the afternoon you will visit a variety of wineries, which will be quite exciting!
Our conference attendees will be divided into small groups on Wednesday evening for private intimate dinners at a few different wineries from the Napa Valley which include Cakebread Cellars, Jackson Family Winery, Robert Mondavi Winery, and William Hill Winery. This is an exciting part of our conference as it will give our guests time to get to know the Winemakers at such esteemed wineries!
Thursday, September 6th is our last official day together and will include breakfast at The Westin Verasa. We will then move on to a private wine tour of Spottswoode Family Estate with lunch following at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone with our partner The Oneida Group. Thursday afternoon will feature a personal tour and presentations by several food-related vendors at Oxbow Market.
Thursday evening presents our gala dinner by Chef Ken Frank at The Westin Verasa. Dinner jackets are required, ties optional.
Friday morning we have some unofficial conference offerings including golf, hot air balloon ride, and the Napa Wine Train. Pricing for these events is available upon request.