Miami foodies know John Kunkel for his crispy friend chicken (Yardbird), tangy northern Thai delicacies (Khong River House) , smokey brisket (Swine) and healthy cheap Mexican eats (Lime Fresh.) The founder and CEO of the 50 Eggs group is also a freshly awarded Ernst & Young Florida Entrepreneur of the Year in the hospitality category. (He previously was honored as one of the Miami Herald’s 20 Under 40.)
The winners in the highly regarded annual competition were named Thursday night by the consulting and accounting firm. Honorees will compete in national competition.
Other winners were:
• Emerging category: Naomi Whittel, chief executive officer and founder, Reserveage Organics, Boca Raton
• Services category: Philip Anson, Jr., chief executive officer, STS Holdings., Inc. Jensen Beach
• Distribution and Manufacturing category- R. Charles Murray, chief executive officer, PPi Technologies Group/Redi-2-DrinQ Group, Sarasota
• Family Business category: Wayne Johnson, chief executive officer, Accuform Manufacturing, Inc., Brooksville
• Financial Services category: Trevor Burgess, chief executive officer, C1 Bank, Saint Petersburg
• Retail and Consumer Products category: Norbert P. Donelly, chairman, Tervis, North Venice
• Te chnology category: Dan Doyle, Jr., president and chief executive officer, DEX Imaging, Tampa
• Health Care category: Mark Montgomery, president and chief executive officer, Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, Inc., Lake Mary