Ferragamo bought the Emanuel Ungaro couture business in 1996 and acquired the Ungaro fragrances from Chanel at the same time.

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"There is no doubt that it elevates standing among peers, and the publicity reverberates through the town or city, " Ungaro said last week.

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Of particular passion to Ungaro are the America's Classics awards, given to restaurants, generally 50 to 100 years old and of iconic status in their communities.

CNN: Nominees for 'Oscars of the food world'

Though there is no cash reward, a win -- or even a nomination -- can substantially increase the buzz for business, according to foundation president Susan Ungaro.

CNN: Nominees for 'Oscars of the food world'

Judging by this appearance, it seems she wants to be un-auffed by the fashion crowd who turned on her after that disastrous stint as a consultant for Emanuel Ungaro, not to mention all that probation and jail sentence drama.

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Aras Agalarov, one of the first traders of luxury brands on the Russian market, recently left the luxury business, transferring the rights to develop brands including Lanvin, Chloe, Emanuel Ungaro, Nina Ricci and Sergio Rossi to competitors Mercury and Bosco di Ciliegi.

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Second, the four of us each reached into our networks to solicit names from other savvy insiders (special thanks to president of the James Beard Foundation Susan Ungaro, Rick Tramonto, Thomas Keller and Anthony Giglio, among many others).

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