Nominees have been unveiled for the 2025 Best of the Valley Restaurant Awards presented by the California Restaurant Association Fresno chapter. File photo

The LaRocca family’s 40-year-plus legacy of Italian dining is being honored by the Fresno Chapter of the California Restaurant Association later this month.

More than a 120 local eateries and people nominated for awards will also find out if they won as part of the 30th annual Best of the Valley Restaurant Awards on Monday, May 22 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Downtown Fresno.

The ceremony recognizes restaurants, restaurateurs, chefs and this year, will recognize Lifetime Achievement Award winners as well as the first Hall of Fame inductees.

This year’s list of nominees included both familiar and new faces in the local restaurant and food service industry, honoring them in a variety of “best of” categories.

This year, the Fresno CRA will honor the LaRocca family with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“On behalf of the entire LaRocca family, we would like to acknowledge and thank the CRA for nominating us with this great honor of the Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Pat LaRocca, owner of Five Restaurant. “We would like to thank the community for all your loyalty, support, generosity and friendship over the last 40 years.”

Pat’s parents, Carmine and Giuseppina LaRocca, moved to Canada from Pacentro, Italy, in 1952. They eventually settled in Fresno in 1967 to be closer to Giuseppina’s family, the DiCiccos. They learned the ins and outs of the restaurant business while working at DiCicco’s Italian Restaurant.

In 1980, the LaRoccas opened their own restaurant — LaRocca’s Ristorante Italiano — which served the community for more than 30 years.

Vincent Papagni and Ichiro Yoshino will also be recognized posthumously as the first Hall of Fame inductees for their service in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Voting for the Best of the Valley Restaurant Awards begins with nominations from the local dining community, with the CRA casting final votes for nominees.

“These restaurants really have a lot to be proud of,” said CRA Fresno Chapter President Raul Gutierrez, owner of Papi’s Mex Grill. “The restaurants on this list were honored by the dining public, as well as by their own peers.”

For ticket and sponsorship information, visit the CRA’s website.

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Below is a list of nominees and their categories:

500 Club — Best Hotel/Casino Dining 

559 Tacos — Best Food Truck

99 Craft House — Best Pizza

Ampersand — Best Sweet Treats

Annesso Pizzeria —  Best Pizza / New on the Scene

Ark Mediterranean Grill — Best Fast Casual / Best Mediterranean 

BarrelHouse Brewing —  Best Watering Hole

Batter Up Pancakes — Best Breakfast

Benaddiction — Best Breakfast 

Bollywood Indian Street Food — Best Indian

Casa Corona — Best Mexican

Chiffonos Bakery — Best Sweet Treats

Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino — Best Hotel/Casino Dining

Colorado Grill — Best Burger / People’s Choice 

Colton’s Social House — Best Outdoor Dining / Best Service 

Comfy Food Truck — Best Food Truck

Component Coffee Lab — Best Local Coffee Shop

Cracked Pepper Bistro — Most Romantic 

Craw Daddy’s — Best Night Life

Crow & Wolf Brewing Co. Taproom —  Best Local Brewery

CRU — Best Local Winery

Crumbl Cookies — Sweet Treats

Deli Delicious — Best Deli

DiCicco’s Italian Restaurant — Best Italian

Dog House Grill — Best BBQ

Dutch Bros — Best Local Coffee Shop

Eddie’s Bakery Cafe — Best Sweet Treats

Elbow Room — Best Outdoor Dining

Eureka Burger — Best Burger

FIVE — Best Fine Dining / Best Italian

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar — Best Steak

Four Seasons — Best Chinese

Fresno Breakfast House — Best Breakfast

Golden Restaurant — Best Chinese

Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant — Best Family Dining / Best BBQ

Heirloom — Best Fast Casual / Best Family Dining / People’s Choice

Hino Oishi — Best Japanese

Hotel Piccadilly – Mochuelo Tapas — Best Craft Cocktail / Best Service / People’s Choice

House of JuJu — Best American

Hunan — Best Chinese

I Love Sushi — Best Sushi

Idle Hour Winery — Best Local Winery

In N Out — Best Burger

India’s Oven — Best Indian

Indian Kebab Palace — Best Indian

Irene’s Café — Best Burger

Jack’s Urban Eats — Best Fast Casual

Kabob Land — Best Mediterranean

Kuppa Joy — Best Local Coffee Shop

Libelula — New on the Scene

Love & Garlic — Best Banquet/Catering Services

Lucy’s Lounge — Best Night Life

Mad Duck Craft Brewing Co. — Best Burger / Best Local Brewery

Manhattan Steakhouse & Bar — Most Romantic

Maya Sushi Lounge — Best Sushi

Me N Eds Pizzeria — Best Family Dining / Best Pizza

Mediterranean Grill & Cafe — Best Mediterranean

Mike’s Grill —  Best BBQ

Modernist Craft Cocktail Bar — Best Craft Cocktail

More than Pizza — Best Pizza

Mountain Mike’s Pizza — Best Pizza

Namikaze — Best Sushi / Best Japanese

Ovidio Ristorante Italiano —  Best Italian

Papi’s Mex Grill — Best Watering Hole / Best Mexican 

Pardini’s Catering & Banquets — Best Banquet/Catering Services

Parma Ristorante — Best Italian / Best Service 

Phoenician Garden Mediterranean Bar & Grill — Best Mediterranean

Piazza Del Pane — Best Outdoor Dining

Piemonte’s Italian Delicatessen —  Best Deli

Pismo’s Coastal Grill — Best Watering Hole

Red Apple Café — Best Breakfast

Rocket Dog Brats and Brew — Best Fast Casual / Best American 

Roma’s Italian Street Cuisine — Best Food Truck

Ruth’s Chris Steak House — Best Steak

Sabor Cocina Latina & Bar — Best Mexican / New on the Scene

Saizon — Best Fine Dining / New on the Scene

Sakura Chaya — Best Japanese

Sal’s Mexican Restaurant — Best Family Dining / Best Mexican 

Sam’s Italian Deli & Market — Best Deli

School House Restaurant & Tavern — Best Fine Dining / Most Romantic 

Senor Aji Peruvian Kitchen — Best Food Truck / People’s Choice

Shanghai Chinese Cuisine — Best Chinese

Solitary Cellars Wine Company — Best Local Winery

Splash Bar —  Best Night Life

The Standard — Best Night Life

Summer Fox Brewing — Best Watering Hole / Best Local Brewery 

Tabachines Cocina — Best Mexican

Table Mountain Casino — Best Hotel/Casino Dining

Tachi Palace Casino Resort — Best Hotel/Casino Dining

Tandoori Night — Best Indian

The Annex Kitchen — Best Craft Cocktail / Best Italian

The Lime Lite — Best Fine Dining / Best Steak

The Local — Best American

The Meat Up — Best Deli

The Painted Table — Best Banquet/Catering Services

The Point Patio Bar & Bistro —  Best Outdoor Dining

Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. Beer Garden — Best Local Brewery

Toca Madera Winery —  Best Local Winery

Trelio Food & Wine — Most Romantic / Best Service

Twisted Bowls — Best Food Truck

Two Cities Coffee Roasters — Best Local Coffee Shop

Wassabi — Best Sushi / Best Japanese

Wedgewood Weddings —  Best Banquet/Catering Services

Westwoods BBQ & Spice Co. — Best BBQ

Yosemite Ranch — Best Steak / Best American 

Yoshino Japanese — Restaurant Best Sushi 

Valley Wide Beverage — Beverage Supplier of the Year

Southern Wine and Spirits — Beverage Supplier of the Year

RNDC — Beverage Supplier of the Year

Pepsi —  Beverage Supplier of the Year

Saladino’s — Foodservice Supplier of the Year

US Foods Supplier — of the Year

JD Food — Supplier of the Year

Sysco — Supplier of the Year

Mauricio Arizola — Chef of the Year

Eric Rodriguez — Chef of the Year

Justin Shannon — Chef of the Year

Jimmy Pardini — Chef of the Year

Manny Perales — Restauranteur of the Year

Brandon Smittcamp — Restauranteur of the Year

Jimmy Pardini — Restaurateur of the Year

Mike Shirinian — Restaurateur of the Year

Daniel McGee — Rising Star

Amber McFarland — Rising Star

Brit Collins Dean — Rising Star

Brett Cardoza — Rising Star

Yosemite Falls Café — People’s Choice