A local southwest restaurant is continuing its recent string of success.

Shaunavon's Harvest Eatery has been recognized as Sysco's Distinguished Restaurant for 2017.

The recognition certificate was given to the business for their strong partnership with Sysco and was presented to the Harvest Eatery earlier this week.

"For the restaurant, it's amazing (to be named Sysco's Distinguished Restaurant for 2017)," Garrett "Rusty" Thienes, Chef and Owner of the Harvest Eatery said. "I think for any business when you get that kind of recognition, obviously what comes along with it is exposure and a bit of publicity, neither of those things are awful for a business to have people talking about you."

Chef Thienes' business also won the Gold Medal Plates Competition at the end of October in Regina and competed at the National Gold Medal Plates Competition in Kelowna, British Columbia in early February. The restaurant was also recently announced as a finalist for Business of the Year in the under 20 employees category by Tourism Saskatchewan.

"I think the big thing for me is that I really love being recognized by peers, friends, people in the industry and people across the province - it's super cool and I'd be lying if I said otherwise," he told Swift Current Online.

Thienes expressed that the recognition doesn't change his approach to his restaurant and that the passion he and his staff have for the industry is the main factor driving them.

Since garnering attention from recent awards and nominations, he admitted the business has seen an influx of customers.

"I'd be crazy to say it hasn't, I think it's definitely put us up on people's radars and like I said that's awesome for business," Thienes said. "We're used to this being a really slow period, but we're considerably busier than we were this time last year."

Chef Thienes and his staff will also find out Wednesday night at the 28th Annual Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence Gala if they are this year's winner of the Business of the Year Award in the under 20 employees category.