Local restaurant owner awarded for ‘exceptional lifetime service’

The Miami Valley’s “chief ice cream dipper” recently received a big honor.

Dan Young, the CEO of Young's Jersey Dairy just outside of Yellow Springs, was awarded the Ohio Restaurant Association's Claude F. Morton Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award.

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A local restaurant with two locations was also recognized  the ceremony held Jan. 28 in Columbus.

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Young’s family farm dates back to 1869, when relatives built the Young’s red barn. The Young Family began selling Jersey milk directly to the public in 1958.

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According to a press release, the Ohio Restaurant Association’s lifetime achievement award is given to one restaurateur who has been a member for more than 10 years and has provided exceptional lifetime service to the restaurant industry and their community.

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Dan Young is a former chair of Ohio Restaurant Association,  former president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association and is active in the National Restaurant Association.

Each year he visits Washington to speak to elected officials about the needs and concerns of restaurants and other small businesses.

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Young said it is nice to be recognized by peers in with such a prestigious award. The lifetime achievement honor is not given out every year.

“It was kind of a cool thing, but it is certainly no way why we do it,” he said.

Young said he loves advocating for the restaurant industry, and credited his family and more than 300 employees for his business’ success.

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He said he’s far from done, and joked that the award was unexpected partly because he isn’t old enough for a lifetime achievement award.

One Bistro, a pair of 'pay what you can" eateries in Xenia and Miamisburg, received the association's inaugural Nourishing the Community Award
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The price came with a $2,500 donation to One Bistro founder Robert Adamson.

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