Congratulations to Chris and Kirsten Cramer, who were feted by the City of Hope at a gala last month. Chris, CEO of Karl Strauss Brewing Co., and Kirsten received the Spirit of Life Award at the celebration held at the Hotel del Coronado.

The award is presented to individuals who have made an invaluable contribution to both their profession and community. The hospitality and tourism industry unanimously selected the couple as the honorees. Past winners include David and Lesley Cohn, Reint Reinders and Ingrid Croce.

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Arterra Restaurant Executive Chef Carl Schroeder and company are off to New York to cook at the James Beard House Oct. 15. Schroeder, a protégé of Bradley Ogden, will be preparing a five-course dinner paired with wine for special guests of the Beard House. The menu will feature San Diego ingredients (and you can bet some Chino Farm vegetables will be included) that Schroeder will overnight to New York for the dinner. Those lucky enough to get a reservation (and I am one of them) will be feasting on local spiny lobster, roasted white bass and mustard-fried poussin. Can’t wait.

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Check out the recently opened VOYÁGE restaurant at 1845 India St. in Little Italy, which took over the former Gargoyle Gallery space. This good-looking restaurant featuring French-Asian cuisine — with a touch of Caribbean influence — is the effort of several San Diego restaurant folks. Gary Decker and Gary Grassi, owners of La Vâche restaurants in Hillcrest and La Jolla, along with Dino Cresci and Jennifer Morrison, proprietors of the former Gargoyle Gallery, are co-owners. Philippe Beltran, former proprietor of French Side of the West, Alizé, and La Vâche in Hillcrest, created the concept and is its managing director. Chef Andre Bellard, former owner of the restaurant Sassafras, is in command of the kitchen and Chuck Lee (also of Sassafras) is in charge of the bar.

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Mathew Herter, formerly of New Leaf Restaurant and Nectar, has taken over the executive chef position at Hotel W’s RICE restaurant. The W’s restaurant, which was formerly operated by C5 Restaurant Group, dissolved its relationship with C5 earlier this year and hired Herter to revamp the restaurant and the menu. Herter’s new menu is in place and looks fabulous. Mirin glazed short ribs, prosciutto wrapped salmon and ginger seared ahi are oh so tempting. Check it out.

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Jonathan Pfleuger returns to San Diego as executive chef at Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa. Let me bring you up to date on the peripatetic Pfleuger: Star of the Sea in the late ‘90s, then to New York for a stretch at the Russian Tea Room, a tour of duty at his own Laguna Beach restaurant VERTICAL, followed by a stint at the Montage Resort and Spa and HUSH restaurant, both in Laguna Beach. Pfleuger started Sept. 15 at Rancho Valencia. Give him a month or so to get his menu in place and I bid you good eating!

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The Rancho Bernardo Inn has a new culinary team. Lewis Butler has been named executive chef, and Gavin Kraysen is the new chef de cuisine. Butler, a graduate of Summerset College of Applied Arts and Technology, spent more than 15 years with Four Seasons Hotels before accepting the position at RBI in March.

Kraysen, a youngster at just 24, is a graduate of the New England Culinary Academy in Montpelier, Vt. Immediately after graduation he headed for Napa Valley where he worked under chef Robert Curry at Domaine Chandon. After a brief stint in Switzerland working under Jacky Vuillet at Auberge de Lavaux, he returned to the United States and began working with chef de cuisine Patrick Ponsaty at El Bizcocho. He was promoted to chef de cuisine in February when Ponsaty left to pursue his own catering company.

Terryl Gavre believes the world would be a better place if everyone worked once as a foodserver. She is owner of Café 222, Downtown, and can be reached at (619) 233-4060, Ext. 316, or terryl@sandiegometro.com.