District Fray Magazine // Fall 2020

26

D.C. CHEFS LOOK AHEAD

TIME TO PUT ON YOUR BEST

GAME FACE WINTER LEAGUES ARE NOW OPEN

REGISTER AT: DCFRAY.COM/WINTER2021

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FEATURES

26 CHEFS RESTRUCTURING D.C.’S DINING SCENE

54

SANDWICH POP-UPS ON THE RISE

75

THE POWER OF WORDS: PLANET WORD COMES TO D.C.

35 50 UNDER THE WEATHER: EATERIES PREP FOR WINTER

FALL/WINTER FORECAST: 10 NEW FOOD CONCEPTS

70

THE GRAPHIC + SONIC EXPLOITS OF THE FOOD VILLAIN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RADAR

ROBERT KINSLER

4 Paul Wharton

MUSIC

62 Sondre Lerche

8 Calendar

64 Yelle

MONICA ALFORD

EAT

38 B.Lin Catering 43 Entrepreneurial Pivots 46 A Look in the Kitchen 48 Industrial Composting 58 Mozzeria Comes to H Street

DRINK

60 Sherry Week

Publisher

66 Local Music Coalition

Editor-in-Chief

CULTURE

M.K. KOSZYCKI

86 The R Mural Project

Assistant Editor

LIFE

JULIA GOLDBERG

PLAY

TOM ROTH

Editorial Designer

78 New Pup-Friendly Locales Key Account Manager

80 Glamping Adventures 83 Meditation + Mindfulness

KAYLA MARSH

Contributing Editor

LEFT PAGE. ABC Pony Executive Chef Armani Johnson. Photo courtesy of subject.

RIGHT PAGE. Fight Club trio. Photo by Maya Fiellin.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kelsey Cochran, Ingrid Harbo, Trent Johnson, Natalia Kolenko, Aparna Krishnamoorthy, Michael Loria, Abi Newhouse, Lanna Nguyen, Rina Rapuano, Jean Schindler, Amanda Weisbrod CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS James Coreas, Joe Jasper, Kimchi Photography COVER PHOTOGRAPHER Tony Powell ON THE COVER (Top to bottom) Anju’s Angel Barreto, Mercy Me’s Johanna Hellrigl, Reverie’s Johnny Spero and Compass Rose/Maydan’s Paola Velez COVER LOCATION Mercy Me at Yours Truly in the West End

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FORCE OF NATURE PAUL WHARTON FORGES HIS OWN PATH

WORDS BY MONICA ALFORD | PHOTO BY TONY POWELL

Paul Wharton is a morning person.

I could’ve easily guessed this within the first few minutes of our Zoom date, as he exudes a palpable enthusiasm that’s nearly impossible not to catch a high from through your laptop screen.

But still, he confirms my hunch with a charmingly theatrical rendition of his morning affirmations.

“The thing that makes me special is my ability to be resilient and look on the bright side,” he tells me while relaxing in his London flat, cocktail in hand and dressed to the nines before dinner with his quarantine bubble. “I’m one of those people in the morning who’s like, ‘Good morning, everybody! We get to do this all over again!’ You know? Unmedicated. That’s the way it is.”

Though currently overseas, Wharton is a local celebrity in the District. Born in Cleveland and raised in Columbia, Maryland, he’s built a reputation both in D.C. and nationally as a pop culture expert and entertainer. Television personality and producer, beauty and lifestyle expert, and author are among the professional titles he’s earned over the years. He’s sharing his infectious perkiness with me to highlight just how much the past seven months have impacted him.

“I started to feel a little cynical, a little, ‘Ugh. What’s the point?

Mornin.’”

While that sounds like a perfectly reasonable pre-coffee reaction to me, to him it was a red flag that he needed to switch up his surroundings.

“I live right up the street from Black Lives Matter Plaza, and I was looking down the street at the White House and I thought, ‘You know, this really depresses me. This is the source of my depression, and I really don’t have to be here.’”

And with that, he found a pied-à-terre through a friend-of-afriend and made the move in August. He describes the energy in London as less tense.

“People aren’t walking down the street ready to fight at any moment, which is what I felt before I left. We were all on edge.”

Still, he says D.C. will always be home and he has every intention of splitting his time between the two cities. He was home in September to host the RAMMYs and plans to be back for Christmas, although he says he’ll host his annual holiday special virtually from across the pond.

Wharton says his best friend and actress Jenifer Lewis, actress Debbie Allen, and Dolly Parton, who all collaborated on the soon-to-be-released Netflix film “Christmas on the Square,” will be a few of the “stellar group of mostly women” joining him on his special from their own homes.

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RADAR | DISTRICT DENIZENS Right now, his main focus is on creating TV shows through a partnership with producer Mona Scott-Young, known for her work on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop.” “Essentially, I come up with TV show ideas [and] attach talent to them. We’ve sold two shows since Covid, and we have several more we’re negotiating right now.”

The first successfully sold show, “his big baby,” will be based in L.A. and comprised of an ensemble cast of “iconic Hollywood people and their children.” The second he’s a little more hesitant to share too much about, but says he came up with the idea with close family friend Whoopi Goldberg.

“We do these slumber parties at her house, just me and [Whoopi], and we write our ideas. As cool as you see her on ‘The View’ is as cool as she is in real life.”

The show, which will be set in Atlanta, is very much rooted in exploring the human experience from a thought-provoking and original perspective. Beyond that, I’m sworn to secrecy.

While working as an executive producer and show creator is at the forefront of Wharton’s career, he is always hustling with a myriad of side projects. He’s got his own line of skin and hair care products, has several books in the works – he pulls out a copy of his 2018 book “Pulling It All Together: Essential Style Advice on Being Beautiful” as we chat, and is aiming “to do more food-centric things” in 2021, including writing a cookbook.

Wharton’s had a varied career, a fact he relishes rather than stresses over. He’s not fazed by much, least of all multitasking across half a dozen career tracks and racking up the list of passion projects.

He moved to New York City at 19 to model and got his big break in television a few years later on MTV’s “MADE.” Several model-focused TV shows followed.

“Because I’d always worked with models, that became my niche – the whole model life. But at a certain point, I was feeling like modeling wasn’t my whole world. I had gotten older. I wanted to evolve and get into my love of women. I say that because I do [love women]. I’ve always been mesmerized by the whole romantic part of a woman getting dressed, and just admiring [them]. I used to help my mom pick out her outfits when I was young, and she would go to a bunch of fancy parties and fun places. I took a lot of joy in that.”

Wharton left New York in 2005 and returned to the District, where he took a position as the face of the local CW station and started doing local castings for “America’s Next Top Model.”

After 16 cycles of castings for “Top Model” and doing makeovers on TVOne’s “Makeover Manor,” he got the opportunity to do a spinoff of “Queer Eye.” What he thought was his big break ended up being an opportunity to stand up for what he believed in and move on to more meaningful projects that resonated with him. In short, a producer encouraged him to push a woman on the show so far during a makeover that she would break down and cry, and Wharton wasn’t here for it.

“I thought, ‘Wow, with all the things [women] have going on in their lives already, [they] have enough on their shoulders. You want me to break them down? Why can’t we just build them up more?’ I brought that back to set, and the next thing I knew, I was on a plane back to D.C.” This was a major shift for Wharton, who says he always wants his career and his message to be positive. He knew in that moment that any future shows or books of his would come from a place of telling women, and people in general, they’re already beautiful.

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| FALL 2020

“That’s really who I am without faking it at all. I like to surround myself with beautiful things. I love fresh flowers. I like to cook and experiment with recipes. I’m a pretty good television producer. I loved making that life for myself in D.C. – although it wasn’t easy, in terms of when you are Black and gay in D.C., as I am. I was really the only one for many, many years [in that community] who made his way to those opportunities.”

Wharton is speaking of his years on Fox 5 and the CW, among other accolades. Though working in the entertainment industry in the District often feels like being a big fish in a tiny pond, he says the positive side is if you stick around and build a career here, you won’t just be a flash in the pan. You’ll have staying power.

“The one thing I tried to do over the years in D.C. is create a lane for people like me that create their own work. If we are truly the District of creativity, we really have to create more opportunities for creatives – not just to take the little crumbs, but to have a real space. You come up with the idea, you write it down, you make it into something, you plan it, you promote it, sell it, do it – and then you do it all over again. That’s kind of been my life.”

But perhaps his most irresistible quality is that he does not give a damn about pleasing other people. At this point in his life and career, he’s doing what makes him happy and in the most beautifully unapologetic way. A jaunt to a new city is the perfect example of him taking the reins of his own life.

“I think you get to a point in your life where you want to turn up the heat and challenge yourself a bit more, and I love the idea of living in more than one place at once. I think when you’re exploring what life is, you think, ‘Okay, I’m going to meet somebody, I’m going to buy a house, work over there, live over here. This is what I’m going to do. And then I’m going to have kids, and they’re going to go to that school, and then they’re going to go to college. And then I’m going to be old, and then I’m going to get a weekend house in…’ You know, all that bullshit.”

Wharton wasn’t about that life. He thought, “Why do I have to live in one place?”

“I move around maybe every three or four years, and people say, ‘Well, you’ve moved too much.’ I say, ‘I’ve been here for four years. I’m f—king bored. I want to look out the window and see something new. I need some inspiration.’ I’m just taking that desire to see something new to the next level.”

Admittedly, most recent interviews end on an uneasy note when the topic of the future comes up. But not with Wharton.

There’s no sign of the party stopping for this force of nature. He says he’s hoping to support more unity, collaboration and crosspromotion in D.C.’s creative spaces – maybe he’ll even produce a show here.

In the meantime, he’ll be gunning for his next dream project.

He’s dying to learn the ins and outs of being a physical producer – running the cameras, making the edits, owning every nittygritty part of the process. I have no doubt he’ll be the most stylish person in the room and wishing everyone a bubbly “Good morning” every step of the way.

Learn more about Wharton at www.paulwhartonstyle.com and follow @paulwhartonstyle on Instagram.

RADAR | CALENDAR

Winter is coming. Unlike “Game of Thrones,” 2020 is still a thing, if you can believe it.

While temperatures are decreasing, socially distant fun and innovative ways to enjoy your favorite pastimes are still alive and well. Join us in finding sparks of joy in these DMV happenings, from virtual music shows to cocktail classes on your couch.

NOTE: All descriptions are courtesy of participating businesses and edited for clarity, and all social media handles listed are for Instagram.

ONGOING

DC Fray’s Weekly Fantasy Football Contest Presented by Modelo Especial

There are 200 spots available in each weekly contest and DC Fray will open up more contest divisions as needed. Get in early so you have more chances to win. Register using the special DraftKings link included in your Eventbrite confirmation email, create a lineup by selecting players listed in the player pool, submit your new lineup each week of the NFL season and watch your favorite players rack up points and win cool prizes from Modelo Especial. Participants must be 21+, reside in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area and are only eligible to win one weekly prize throughout the duration of the contest. Free. www.dcfray.com // @dcfray

Free Online Bingo

Join B.Ro every other Wednesday night for a fun, free bingo night. Themes, laughs and a good time are included. Drinks optional. www.dcfray.com/events // @dcfray

Winter Leagues Are Open

Put your game face on and join in this winter for even more D.C. leagues. All your favorites are back with a few new locations to keep it fresh. DC Fray is playing it safe and masks are required for all leagues. Early bird registration closes November 17 and the last day to register for any sport is January 12, 2021. www.dcfray.com/winter2021 // @dcfray

Work Out for Free at Balance Gym

DC Fray has partnered with Balance Gym to give you free access for the month of November. You can sign up for your first session at bit.ly/BalanceGymWorkout. Bonus perks include a free FIT3D scan, optional free month and a contest to win a free six-month membership. www.dcfray.com // @dcfray

10.30-11.30

Subversions, Part 1: Exploring Power and Place CulturalDC is partnering with Baltimore-based curator Teri Henderson to present a two-part video exhibition that explores divisiveness in democratic countries and the history of racial injustices within the United States. The exhibit, “SUBVERSIONS,” will be projected onto the windows of CulturalDC’s Source Theatre in the historic 14th and U Street Corridor in Northwest D.C. The first installation in the series will be presented during the 2020 presidential election season. 6-10 p.m. Free. CulturalDC’s Source Theatre: 1835 14th St. NW, DC; www.culturaldc.com // @cultural_dc

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11.1

2020 Semper Fi 5K & Half

Come out and enjoy this scenic, flat half-marathon, marathon and 5K in the heart of Georgetown near the nation’s capital.

Both events run on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal paths.

Proceeds from this race go toward the Semper Fi Fund, a nonprofit organization that dedicates its resources to aiding and supporting catastrophically ill and injured members of the United States Armed Forces and their families. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. $30-$85. Potomac Boat Club: 3535 Water St. NW, DC; www.bishopsevents.com // @bishopeventsllc

ONE Musicfest 2020: Pre-Party to the Polls

Join us as we celebrate 10 years of ONE Musicfest with never before seen archived performances and artist interviews, new performances from some of the nation’s top talent, and celebrity appearances and PSAs. In partnership with Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” and Stacey Abram’s “Fair Fight” nonpartisan, nonprofit voter initiatives, join OMF and celebrity influencers as we rally our community to get out the vote. Streaming on ONE Musicfest, RevoltTV and The Roots Youtube pages. 5-8 p.m. Free; register to win prizes. www.onemusicfest.com // @onemusicfest

11.5 Signature Vinyl

Signature Theatre is proud to announce the new cinematic concert Signature Vinyl. Put your records on for a sizzling tribute to the golden age of the turntable, featuring the hits of Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Carole King, Marvin Gaye, Berry Gordy, Joni Mitchell, Elton John and others. This fully produced, professionally filmed experience features 26 local singers and musicians, and was safely filmed at several outdoor locations across the D.C. area. $25. www.sigtheatre.org // @sigtheatre

11.6

Women’s Right to Vote Art Exhibit Opening Day

This exhibit at Del Ray Artisans celebrates the achievements of women in the U.S. over the past 100 years, since the historic ratification of the 19th Amendment, which ensured that the right to vote could not be denied based on sex. This art exhibit features the work of Del Ray Artisans members, local area high school students and 2020 graduates. Please wear a face mask and maintain 6 feet of personal space. 12-8 p.m. Free; register online.

Del Ray Artisans Gallery: 2704 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria, VA; www.delrayartisans.org // @delrayartisans

11.7

Outdoor Yoga and Beer at Fair Winds

Roll out your mat on the patio of Fair Winds Brewing Company for an hour long, soul-filling yoga flow, suitable for all levels.

Following class, enjoy a tasty craft beer. Your ticket includes yoga and your first pour after class. Please bring your own mat.

You will be safely spaced out on the patio, with the option to be just inside the brewery in open air (bay doors open). Masks are required when checking in and ordering your beer. 9:30-11 a.m. $25. Fair Winds Brewing Company: 7000 Newington Rd. Suites K&L, Lorton, VA; www.eatyogadrink.com // @eatyogadrink

11.8

National Philharmonic Presents Music that Suspends Time

There is nothing more powerful than being so ‘in flow,’ that time feels like it is standing still. All art has the power to bring you so close to your own divinity that it transcends time and space. The best composers and compositions have that power. This online concert takes the audience to that place where troubles and challenges fall away, and all the best ideas present themselves.

2 p.m. Free. www.nationalphilharmonic.org // @natphilharmonic

Yoga at the National Building Museum

Rise and shine at the National Building Museum in D.C. Join a mellow, all-level yoga class under the colossal, 75-foot-tall Corinthian columns in the Great Hall of The National Building Museum, America’s leading cultural institution devoted to Sylvan Esso. Photo from www.billboard.com.

interpreting the history and impact of the built environment.

Attendees are required to wear a face mask when arriving and until they are on their mats. Yogis may practice with or without a mask.

10-11 a.m. $25; purchase tickets in advance. National Building Museum: 401 F St. NW, DC; www.bethawolfe.com // @bethawolf

11.9

All About Tuna: Sushi Feast and Demonstration

Yume Sushi is opening its doors for a one-night only Open Kitchen D.C. curated event featuring freshly imported tuna from Japan.

Attendees will enjoy some of the best sushi in the DMV during a five-course Omakase (chef selected) feast that features the freshly carved tuna in a variety of dishes. Yume will have a variety of seasonal cocktails and sake for guests to purchase during the event. 5:30-7:30 p.m. $70. Yume Sushi: 2121 N. Westmoreland St. A-2, Arlington, VA; www.yumesushiva.com // @yumesushiva

11.11

DIVERCITIES: Street Art around the World

Join fearless muralists and graffiti artists from Mexico, Berlin and Kabul for a global dialogue on the power of street art as a mode of civic engagement, an exercise in freedom of expression, and a channel to tell stories of a community. While we may not be able to roam the streets of our cities for great works of street art, learn from these artists how to develop your own signature style at home. 11 a.m. Free. www.planetwordmuseum.org // @planetworddc; www.sharedstudios.com // @sharedstudios DISTRICT FRAY |

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RADAR | CALENDAR

P&P Live: Peter Guralnick - Looking to Get Lost

Join music critic Peter Guralnick, as he discusses his newest book, “Looking to Get Lost,” with musician Rosanne Cash on P&P Live. By the bestselling author of “Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Last Train the Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley,” this dazzling new book of profiles is not so much a summation as a culmination of Peter Guralnick’s remarkable work, which from the start has encompassed the full sweep of blues, gospel, country and rock ‘n’ roll. 8 p.m. Free. www. politics-prose.com // @politicsprose

11.13-11.15

Pop-Up Beer Garden at Pike District

Enjoy local brews, restaurants and live music at the Bethesda North Marriott Lawn on Market Street.

Reserve your spot today to secure your picnic table or adirondack set. The lawn will be split into two zones, west and east. Sip on 7 Locks Brewing and eat food by different local vendors each day including Quincy’s South, The Big Greek and more to be announced. Capacity is limited, groups no larger than six will be admitted and you must have a ticket to attend. Reservations will be provided in two-hour increments. Guests must remain seated unless getting food and drinks or using restrooms and masks are required everywhere except at your assigned seating area. Hand sanitizing stations will be provided on site. $25 ticket includes two beer tickets and a $15 food voucher, or $15 for your designated driver, which includes a $15 food voucher. Various times. www.pikedistrict.org // @pike_district

11.11-11.18

Virtual Museum Shop Holiday Market

Strathmore’s Museum Shop Holiday Market is going virtual. The area’s best museum and cultural shops come together to create your one-stop online shop for fabulous finds that make marvelous gifts. Every gift is part of a larger purpose as your purchases support nonprofit museums and arts organizations in our community. Free; donations encouraged. www.strathmore.org // @strathmorearts

11.12

Beats for Beirut

Songbyrd is hosting a variety of performers for a livestream benefit concert. This event is in collaboration with Refresh Music Group and The P.U.S.O. Foundation to support the Lebanese NGO Lebanon of Tomorrow as they continue to help rebuild Beirut after the tragic explosion in August. This event will be live streamed from Songbyrd’s Twitch account. 5 p.m. Free; donations encouraged. www.songbyrddc.com // @songbyrddc 10 | FALL 2020

11.13

Profs and Pints Online: The Search for Alien Life

What will our first encounter with alien life be like? Will it be dangerous? Come hear such questions tackled by Professor Jason Wright, a scientist at the leading edge of the search for extraterrestrial life, especially intelligent life that can produce technology like – or perhaps very unlike – our own. 7 p.m. $12. www.profsandpints.com // @profsandpints

11.14

Brendan Benson Livestream

Touring may be on hold, but Brendan Benson and friends will be celebrating his 50th birthday in style and you’re all invited. Join the audience for Brendan’s first virtual concert live streamed Winter cocktails. Photo from Brook Lark // Unsplash.com.

via NoonChorus. Backed by members of The Shins, Eagles of Death Metal and Neon Castles, this will be the first chance to see songs from “Dear Life” played with a full band. 5:20 p.m. $15-$25. noonchorus.com // @noonchorus; www.brendanbenson.com // @brendanbensonmusic

Makers Market at Dumbarton

Tired of online shopping and jamming your recycling with more Amazon delivery boxes than you count? Join D.C. vendors and small businesses on the grounds of Dumbarton House for outdoor shopping. Vendors will be spaced throughout the grounds with everything from candles to home goods and more.

Enjoy a beautiful fall day and support local business. 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Free. Dumbarton House: 2715 Q St. NW, DC; www.dumbartonhouse.org // @dumbartonhouse

11.15

Gelatin Plate Printmaking Online

Learn to create beautiful, unique prints in minutes without a press, using Gelatin plates, acrylics or water-based printing printmaking inks. Students will learn to utilize stencils and natural and found objects to make textures while experimenting with a variety of papers. The final, unique hand-printed pieces are suitable as finished prints or as a jumping off point for mixed media and collage projects. Registration closes November 5.

2-5 p.m. $75. www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org // @pyramidatlantic

Place and Power

To what degree are identities shaped by food exchanges? From cultivation and harvest to preparation and consumption. In this virtual program, food rights activist Ianne Fields Stewart, interdisciplinary artist Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, culinary historian Laura Shapiro and interdisciplinary artist Zina SaroWiwa will discuss questions of global food access, gender, class and labor. Livestreamed on NMWA’s Facebook page. 4:30-6 p.m.

Free. www.nmwa.org // @womeninthearts

11.17 + 12.1

Sylvan Esso “From the Satellite” Livestream Series

Two different, exciting new shows from the enigmatic electronic-pop duo Sylvan Esso are coming to NoonChorus.

Check out their new record “Free Love” and buy a ticket to one or all shows. 9 p.m. $15. noonchorus.com // @noonchorus; www.sylvanesso.com // @sylvanesso

11.18

Fresh AIR: Artist in Residence Class of 2021 Virtual Debut Concert

Since 2005, Strathmore has proudly supported the budding careers of musicians through their highly regarded Artist in Residence (AIR) program. Join the AIR class of 2021 for their virtual debut concert, when all six class members and their mentors take the stage for an unforgettable evening of crossgenre collaborations. 7:30 p.m. $15-$50; www.strathmore.org // @strathmorearts

Holiday Wine Tasting Event

Join Sonoma Cellar to find the best wines to pair with all your celebrations and get holiday wines at 40 percent discount. Bring your own blanket and dress warm, or enjoy the dining room with safe, limited seating. 6:30-10 p.m. $30 for six 2-ounce pours.

Sonoma Cellar: 207 King St. Alexandria, VA; www.mysonomacellar.com // @sonomacellar

Virtual Craft Cocktail Class with Please Bring Chips

Looking to improve your bartending skills and make some fun cocktails along the way? Join DC Fray and Please Bring Chips for a virtual Thanksgiving-themed cocktail demonstration.

The ingredients list and Zoom info will be sent to registered participants prior to the event. During the one-hour session, a guest bartender will walk you through the steps for making the perfect craft cocktails. While you sip your drinks, any questions and conversation are welcome throughout. 7:30 p.m. $9.99. www.dcfray.com // @dcfray

11.19

Virtual Happy Hour: Georgia O’Keeffe Birthday Celebration

Join staff from NMWA and The O’Keeffe Museum to celebrate the life and work of Georgia O’Keeffe. Learn about her art and practice through works in each collection while enjoying a specialty cocktail in her honor. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free; registration required. www.nmwa.org // @womeninthearts

11.20

Painting with the Pros: Birds Up High Online Class

Now more than ever you need a creative break and the opportunity to be a part of a community. This class is perfect for students of any skill level as your instructor will walk you through the step-by-step process beginning at sketching your design all the way through the finishing steps. 7-10 p.m. $14.99; materials purchased separately. www.visartscenter.org // @visartscenter

11.21

TWIST: Late Night at the Manor

TWIST is a virtual experience centered around a rotating series of social strategy games. Each journey into the TWIST Manor requires creative problem-solving and collaboration. TWIST repurposes common forms of connection to create an immersive escape from the real world that’s unique to each player, every time. 8-11 p.m. Pay what you can; $5 suggested. www.twistvirtual.com // @twistvirtual

11.22

Master Choux Pastry: Cream Puffs and Eclairs

In this memorable, hands-on class, you will learn the art of French Choux pastry. An expert pastry chef instructor will take DISTRICT FRAY | 11

RADAR | CALENDAR you through a detailed demonstration before guiding you step-by-step through making the perfect choux dough, piping, baking and filling to create cream puffs and Paris Brest. 2 p.m. $49. The Board Room VA: 925 N Garfield St. Arlington, VA; www.cocusocial.com // @cocusocial

11.23

Virtual Talk With the Guerrilla Girls

Celebrating the opening of Praise Shadows Art Gallery in Boston, Brookline Booksmith and Praise Shadows welcome the Guerrilla Girls to discuss activism, art and the history of a movement with their new monograph.

Artists will be in conversation with gallery founder Yng-Ru Chen. 7 p.m. Free. www.praiseshadows.com // @praise.shadows.art

11.27

#OptOutside Forest Bathing Walk

while in-person live performances are currently on hold, the band is pleased to be partnering with Mandolin to bring you a virtual album release show, performed live and streamed from Minneapolis’ Slamhammer Studios on Mandolin’s high quality streaming platform. 9 p.m. $20-$75. www.thehamiltondc.com // @thehamiltondc; www.jayhawksofficial.com // @thejayhawksofficial

11.30

Azure Wolf Live Broadcast from DC9

This will be a live, five-camera produced show shot at DC9 Nightclub in front of a tiny, masked audience. Azure Wolf is a female-fronted indie rock band with an ethereal twist, located in Winchester, VA. They have a strong lyrical focus with dark and deep vibes that will leave your soul tingling. 7 p.m. $8; register online. www.dc9.club // @dc9club; www.azurewolfmusic.com // @azurewolfmusic

12.2

Bad B*tch Ornaments WebJam

Pay homage to the leading ladies in your life and join CraftJam’s Bad B*tches Ornament WebJam. From Beyoncé to Michelle, RBG to your own mama, the possibilities are endless, not to mention endlessly inspiring. Paint a set of four portraits on wooden ornaments in honor of the strong, badass female figures who inspire you to hustle and lean in on the daily. Support CraftJam and its creative community and purchase a ticket bundle with a CraftJam Wooden Ornament Painting Kit. 7-9 p.m. $25-$60. www.craftjam.co // @craftjam.co

Forest bathing, or shinrin yoku, is the simple practice of taking in the woods through the senses for health benefits.

Join a forest therapy guide in this twohour program as they lead you through invitations to more deeply experience and interact with nature. Each forest bathing walk will end with a modified tea ceremony. You bring the tea, the National Arboretum will bring small prepackaged snacks to close the walk. 9:30-11:30 a.m. $35.

U.S. National Arboretum: 2400 R St. NE, DC; www.fona.org // @fonarboretum

11.29

Indoor and Container Gardening 101

If you love plants but have limited space and time, this is the class for you. Learn the basics of indoor gardening and how to make a sub-irrigated planter to deal with watering when you go on vacation. You can also get a little dirty and leave with a gorgeous, portable garden. 1-4 p.m. $10-$20.

Cultivate the City: 910 Bladensburg Rd. NW, DC; www.cultivatethecity.com // @cultivatethecity

The Jayhawks Livestream: The Sound of Lies Show The Jayhawks released their latest album “XOXO” in the middle of lockdown, and 12 | FALL 2020

Swedish cinnamon rolls. Photo from www.farmtablefoundation.com.

12.3

Atlas Obscura: Oregon Trail Live

Saddle up! Oregon Trail Live is taking you on an online journey down your favorite historic overland route. Hosts Kylie Holloway and Michael Salgarolo are two comedians and public historians who are obsessed with the wild history of the Oregon Trail. On each show, they’ll bring you wild stories of the hidden locations, unexpected characters and fascinating stories that definitely weren’t in your history books. 7-8 p.m. $10. www.atlasobscura.com // @atlasobscura

12.5

Charles O. Anderson: (Re)current Unrest

(Re)current Unrest is an evening-length immersive performance installation ‘ritual’ built on the sonic foundation of Steve Reich’s three earliest works. This work utilizes movement, media and powerful imagery to meditate on the “American Dream” and Black nihilism, born of the current racially charged moment.

Dance Place will present a reimagined digital iteration of (Re) current Unrest, featuring live and pre-recorded video footage as well as a video component featuring D.C.-based artists.

6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. www.danceplace.org // @danceplacedc

12.9 Dolly Parton Film Screening

After postponing the April launch of the Imagination Library documentary “The Library That Dolly Built: Celebrating the People Who Made Dolly’s Dream Come True,” Open Books is excited to announce that they will now host a highly produced North American premier, featuring a live Q&A and song from Dolly herself. 7 p.m. Free. www.open-books.org // @openbooksltd

Holiday Cocktails Virtual Workshop

Join Craft Happy, virtually, to learn the art of those delicious themed cocktails and how to garnish like a pro. Registration includes access to the broadcast event only. A shopping list will be provided upon purchase so you can get your supplies to follow along during the workshop. 6:30-7:30 p.m. $10. www.crafthappyco.com // @crafthappyco

12.12

Sounds of Joy & Light: Christmas in Russia and Around the World

Classical movement presents delightful selection of familiar and uncommon holiday folk music from Russia, Ukraine and other countries, in unique arrangements for the unmistakable sounds of domra, balalaika and classical guitar. 5-6 p.m. $45. The Secret Garden at the Rectory: 711 Princess St. Alexandria, VA; www.classicalmovements.com // @classicalmvmts

JOIN US FOR A FUN

ONLINE BINGO NIGHT SELECT WEDNESDAYS THROUGH DECEMBER

DISTRICT FRAY | 13 REGISTER AT: DCFRAY.COM/EVENTS

EAT 26

CHEFS RESTRUCTURING

D.C.’S DINING

SCENE PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL

There’s a dark cloud looming over the hospitality industry right now, as the nation’s capital and the rest of the country hold our collective breath and try to determine this winter’s trajectory. Not only have D.C. restaurants and bars taken a devastating hit during Covid, the fear that cases may spike while we’re all stuck inside has business owners scrambling to find creative ways to stay afloat and winterize their locations. And yet, in the midst of the waiting game, some restaurateurs are launching new concepts, opening side businesses and finding socially distant-friendly ways to engage their customers. We selected 26 chefs in the D.C. area who have been on our radar not only for the amazing work they’ve done to support their staff and the local community, but also for remaining resilient and keeping our city on the culinary map during an economic crisis. While there are many entrepreneurs in the District to celebrate, some of whom are featured in other articles in this issue, here are some of the chefs making an impact as they forge ahead to restructure D.C.’s dining scene.

NO HOLDS BARRED Paola Velez Fights for Change WORDS BY MONICA ALFORD

16 | FALL 2020

An avalanche of accolades in a dizzyingly short amount of time could drive anyone to get swept up in the moment and lose a sense of who they are. And yet, the James Beard-nominated, RAMMY Award-winning powerhouse pastry chef behind internationally lauded fundraising initiative Bakers Against Racism strikes me as a woman who approaches each day with a level of calm and resolve reserved for those who know they are just one of many working to make a difference for the greater good.

Paola Velez and I are sitting opposite one another at Compass Rose when I come to this realization, listening to her speak about fighting for social justice, keeping her staff gainfully employed and finding ways to keep the D.C. community connected mid-pandemic. She’s sporting her signature round glasses, this pair made from vinyl records and purchased at a mom-and-pop in Richmond, and a fuzzy pullover that she notes keeps her warm in the often-chilly kitchen of her La Bodega Bakery, located in the U Street Corridor restaurant’s basement.

She’s soft-spoken and demure, and yet she speaks with a steely resolve on most every topic. She has a contemplative nature that draws you in and makes you want to pick her brain; she’s someone we can learn a lot from, especially in such a tumultuous year for the hospitality industry and the Black community. For starters, she turned me on to the term “restructure” as it relates to how D.C.’s dining scene is being rebuilt, which has since informed a great deal of the angle for this issue of the magazine.

“We’re restructuring the industry,” Velez says. “I think pivoting was what we did in February [and] March. We pivoted and adjusted. Now, we have to restructure whole business plans.

We have to think outside of the box in a way that is otherworldly.

Chefs and restaurateurs have to create magic. [We have] to be able to reimagine what a business looks like forever. It’s a different playing field.”

Velez began her own restructure in the early days of Covid, when she decided to leave her position as executive pastry chef at Afro-Caribbean restaurant Kith/Kin “as soon as I saw the pandemic was ravaging small businesses.” James Beard-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi, the culinary mastermind behind the trendy locale at The Wharf, also resigned this summer.

“The hotel industry will rebound,” she says. “Something didn’t settle right with me working for a hotel knowing that small businesses need people like me, creatives, to come back and really jolt their situation. From March until now, thousands of restaurants, bakeries [and] bars have been closing. Instead of being every man for themselves, I think we all need to – as a unit, that power of the collective – come together and really figure this out until the government steps in.”

She immediately called Compass Rose and Maydan owner Rose Previte, who she credits as an established force in the D.C. hospitality industry and one of the few people who she can trust with her brain. What began as a cathartic conversation where Velez sought advice ended three hours later with a job offer. While Previte wasn’t looking for an executive pastry chef, she decided to create that exact position for Velez at both of her restaurants. By August, the pair had joined forces.

“At this stage in my career, who do I trust?” she asks. “Most people would have seen the James Beard nomination, the RAMMY nomination [and] Bakers Against Racism, and would have been like, ‘Perfect, come to my team.’ They’d milk me for all the PR I’m worth and then at the end of the year, they might just say, ‘We can’t afford you anymore.’ Who do I trust that [doesn’t] see me as a marketing vessel [or] figurehead or, ‘Hey, look at us.

We have somebody who’s brown on this team [or] who’s Black on this team. It’s a gift. [Rose and I] gave each other a gift.”

La Bodega Bakery operates out of Compass Rose, where Velez and her team craft delicious desserts for their homebase and Maydan like dulce de leche babka, Portuguese egg tart and New York-style cheesecake inspired by the Bronx-based Cheesecake Factory the pastry chef grew up near. The bakery also serves as a retail space with presale baked goods and a daily rotation of sweet treats available for socially distant pickup. Her doughnuts are a fan favorite, and she keeps things interesting with a slew of new flavors like ube finished with cornflake crunchies.

“It’s really cool to bring a taste of New York [and the] bodegas I grew up in here to D.C. I just want people to feel like they can travel again, even if it’s just through a dessert. I want them to feel like something different is happening. We’re constantly pulling from like, ‘Oh, I went to this place once, and I think that this memory and this memory would do very well together.’”

Velez has been encouraged by the steady stream of customers to the bakery itself, and the happiness it seems to bring them by having a reason to be out and about to pick up a soughtafter dessert item all while remaining safe and healthy. But her concerns for the future are great, and she stands firm that without government assistance, the hospitality industry cannot survive the undeniable economic consequences of the pandemic.

“We are one of the biggest stimulators in the economy. Yes, you want to go out and celebrate and have fun – it’s a social interaction. But also, every single dollar that a dishwasher makes gets put back into the economy. We stimulate the economy in a very real, tangible, day-to-day way.”

She implores patrons to go above and beyond to frequent their favorite local restaurants, if they feel safe. And if they aren’t comfortable eating out, she says consider telling the staff at their neighborhood eatery, “Thank you, because you don’t actually have to be here. You could shutter down and be safe at home.”

Her conviction extends in full to the wildly successful initiative that’s kept her in the news since this summer and considered by many to be a local hero. In only five days this June, what began as a small pop-up in support of immigrant organization Ayuda grew to a virtual bake sale with thousands of contributing home bakers and professionals like Velez who raised $1.9 million for social justice organizations. Her collaboration with chefs Rob Rubba and Willa Pelini has become an international movement that’s taken on a life of its own.

“Bakers Against Racism was born out of a need. I wanted to give people a way to actively engage and stand up for what they believe in without having to go outside during a pandemic, because we’re dealing with two pandemics: racism and an actual pandemic. It’s a true showcase of the collective. There’s nothing that I could have ever done to make Bakers Against Racism what it is today without other people. I’m very grateful that our baker community is so strong and resilient. Even though our industry is failing, we’re willing to stand up for what’s right.”

Velez remains at the helm of the initiative, with Pelini on to her next professional chapter in a new city and Rubba supporting as needed while also juggling his own operations at Oyster Oyster. In October, she wrapped a smaller activation leading up to the presidential election called Bake The Vote to encourage people to vote, and is now working to solidify partnerships so bakers can have more access to product in tandem with prepping for a more wide-reaching holiday bake sale in support of racial justice at the beginning of December.

“We want [the holiday sale] to be an expression of love toward each other in the pastry and baking community, but also an expression of love to the Black community. What happened in June was powerful, but it’s starting to fade away. If businesses are going to say, ‘Black lives matter’ [and] if people are going to restructure how they do things, then we need to keep that constant reminder happening. We need to actually say that and mean it, so we’re excited to be bringing another bake sale to life. We use these as a form of encouragement. In the restaurant industry, we always use desserts to accommodate a meal to say, ‘I’m sorry’ if we messed something up. But now, we’re using dessert as a weapon to fight for what we believe in.”

Velez recently partnered with another baker to launch Bee’s Grocery Fund, which provides $50 worth of groceries to essential workers, and also sits on the board of the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation. With any spare moment she may have (and they’re rare, for sure), she’s with her husband Hector, exploring Glenstone museum in Potomac, Maryland or practicing self-care by convincing her mom that FaceTime is a worthy alternative to catching up in person.

“I don’t have a good balance yet. I just think there’s a lot of work to be done. I endure – for now. Then slowly but surely, I know things will stabilize. And once they do, maybe I’ll take a nap.”

For more information about La Bodega Bakery, visit www.compassrosedc.com/la-bodega and @labodegabakerydc on Instagram. Support Bakers Against Racism at www.bakersagainstracism.com and @bakersagainstracism on Instagram. Find out what Velez is up to @smallorchids on Instagram. Find out more about Previte’s restaurants below.

Compass Rose: 1346 T St. NW, DC; www.compassrosedc.com; @compassrose_dc on Instagram Maydan: 1346 Florida Ave. NW, DC; www.maydandc.com; @maydandc on Instagram DISTRICT FRAY | 17

A

t one point in time, Angel Barreto envisioned himself in a profession that many flock to the District for: politics.

Today, you’ll find him in a role in another industry entirely but one that’s quickly become enmeshed in the culture of the city, as the executive chef of Korean restaurant Anju in Dupont Circle. Partway through an internship after studying international relations, he realized it wasn’t his calling, but the kitchen was.

“I told my parents I wanted to go to culinary school and they were taken aback but said, ‘If that’s what you really want, then do it,’” Barreto says of the career change. “So, I went to L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland to study French food. I knew French food wasn’t what I actually wanted to do, but I felt it was a great background for cooking, because most great chefs have a classical background.”

After graduating from culinary school, Barreto worked in various restaurants around the city, gaining even more experience by way of cooking a multitude of fares and working his way up in the kitchen. That led him to his current role, executive chef of Anju, which affords him the opportunity to work closely with Korean cuisine and culture, which he has a farreaching connection to. Both of his parents were in the Army and lived in Korea, with Barreto living there as a young child as well.

“My mom was enamored with Korean food, like I am,” Barreto says. “She loved the culture, she loved the food, and it was something she picked up. So even at my house, I grew up eating Korean food and knowing a little bit about the culture and the traditions of Korean food. So when I transitioned to cooking Asian food, it was very easy, because I already love the flavors of Korean food. The saltiness, the spiciness – those things really appealed to me.”

At Anju, the second restaurant from The Fried Rice Collective by Danny Lee, Scott Drewno and Drew Kim, Barreto is able to marry his French foundational skills with his reverence for Korean cuisine to craft dishes that are truly distinctive. While Barreto notes their sister restaurant Mandu is the place for homestyle Korean cooking, Anju is where he’s able to showcase the things he’s learned across cuisines over the years.

“My background really helped me, because I could look at Korean food and ask things like, ‘How can I take this French technique and apply it to a Korean stock?’ That’s the great thing about Anju: I have more leniency here to be creative and do some slightly different things with Korean cooking. I can bring in more expensive ingredients or better ingredients to kind of make a slightly modern dish, but still link the culture into the food.”

In addition to being Anju’s executive chef, Barreto is also manning the desserts at the restaurant. And while pastry is something he never set out to do, his classical training alongside an innovative mindset lets him play in a space of creativity to once again let unexpected flavors shine alongside traditional Korean influences.

“It’s been fun to figure out how to take an item and 18 | FALL 2020

turn it into a Korean dessert. For example, we worked with Milk Cult and their team to have a roasted barley and goat cheese ice cream. We’ve done a lot of flavors of ice creams with them, but by far, this is probably my favorite. There’s such rich caramel and nutty overtones. And then you have that cheese hanging in the back. We’re pairing it with pear cider donuts, an Asian pear combo that’s really, really delicious. I can come up with more interesting ideas that have Korean ingredients and change them in a way that elevates a little but keeps its core.”

Barreto had to kick that innovative spirit into overdrive when he and his team, like all in the hospitality world, had to reckon with the devastating effects of Covid-19 on their industry. He describes the initial shutdown as devastating, and their first attempts to find a way to effectively translate their food to a takeout format proved to be an intricate challenge. But they prevailed, finding what was most efficient and allowed them to put out the same quality of product as they had during regular in-house business.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished,” he says. “We never offered to-go at Anju before. From where we’ve started to where we are now is worlds apart. That’s just a testament to the passion and the drive of the people that I work with. I’m a chef, but there are so many other people who are way more important here and do many things that keep the restaurant going. I’m just really blessed to have such a strong team who understands the vision that I have.”

Despite the obvious challenges brought about this year, his vision remains strong – and is clearly seen by those outside of Anju’s team. Barreto was awarded rising culinary star of the year at the 2020 RAMMYs, and though the award represents a notable achievement within the vibrant D.C. dining world, Barreto says the achievement, for him, reaches far beyond just the award itself.

“When I first started out there were not a lot of chefs and people [in the industry] who look like me.

It’s important, I think, to be able to put a positive spin on things so people can see that if I can achieve something, they can do it too – especially in a time like this with such crazy social injustices and things in the world. If [that example] is what I can show people – that means more to me than any award could.”

As he looks to the future, Barreto is focused on nurturing his team and fostering their talents both as Anju employees and as they grow in their careers long-term. While this year has seen Barreto innovating in more than just the things he cooks, he takes pride in being able to share his passions with everyone who has eaten at Anju since they opened their doors.

“I am really happy about how we’re introducing people to what Korean food can be, on a different level.

I’m really proud of that, and I want to continue to push that as we go forward.”

For more on Anju, visit www.anjurestaurant.com and follow them @anjufrc on Instagram and Twitter.

1805 18th St. NW, DC; 202-845-8935; www.anjurestaurant.com

ANGEL BARRETO

Fuses Passion + Tradition at Anju WORDS BY M.K. KOSZYCKI

At Mercy Me, Johanna Hellrigl

FORGES FORWARD WORDS BY M.K. KOSZYCKI

ohanna Hellrigl grew up in restaurants.

The child of Italian immigrants, she spent days and nights alongside her mother, who took the helm of the family’s New York City restaurant after her father passed away. As adulthood rolled around, Hellrigl decided to study international affairs and work in democracy building during her postgrad years. But her childhood was always with her, and she was eventually drawn back to the culinary world.

By the time she returned, her background of travel and international work paired with her formative years and family’s knowledge gave her a wide set of skills with which to run her kitchens and cook.

“I feel very fortunate that I could mix the balance of what is in my blood with my project management skills,” she says. “I was able to take the good things I learned in the corporate and nonprofit world and transfer them into the kitchen.”

Those skills have served Hellrigl well, especially in recent times. She joined the team of Mercy Me last year, billed as a “sorta South American” spot from Daniela Moreira and Andrew Dana of Call Your Mother and Timber Pizza Company, with cocktails from Micah Wilder of Chaplin’s and Zeppelin and pastries by Plume’s Camila Arango. This five-person dream team of some of the most innovative minds in D.C.’s food and beverage world forged on to open the spot, located inside the West End’s Yours Truly Hotel, despite the sweeping uncertainty of Covid-19.

Mercy Me’s bustling energy matches that of the creative menu, and despite safety precautions and social distancing measures in place, it remains a lively escape. Walk through the lobby of Yours Truly to see students and remote employees who have set up shop, eating a guava vigilante and sipping on coffee while they work, or jovial brunchers outside on the patio eating hen and pancakes and sipping on a frozen Kick Ass Colada. Outside on the corner, you can walk up through a cafe to grab a Call Your Mother bagel alongside coffees, pastries and more for those on the go. Or in some cases, maybe you’re compelled to do all three in one day.

“I think the intention was always to have you stay as long as you want,” she says. “This space can translate in so many different ways. The daytime cafe feels really funky, fresh and clean. You can get work done there. But at night, the space transforms significantly in terms of feeling. It doesn’t feel like D.C. It feels like a nice little escape. With the back patio for brunch, it’s a safe oasis despite us being in Covid. There’s been so many cool parts of how much this space can evolve and how many things you can do in here.”

While Hellrigl very much sees the collaboration as a group effort between her and the rest of the multitalented team, joining the group to open the restaurant marks an important moment for her on a personal level, too. As executive chef of Mercy Me and Yours Truly, she’s embarking on a new, relatively uncharted challenge in her career.

“I feel very proud to be here. I don’t think there’s many female chefs who run hotels, so I was really excited for the opportunity. It’s been awesome, despite the circumstances. We had every intention of opening as we did in March, and then [Covid] happened. So, you roll with the punches and you evolve – it only makes you stronger.”

Hellrigl did just that by stirring the sourdough craze that swept the States as lockdown first began.

What began as a project to encourage people to try their hand at baking it while also supporting restaurants – Hellrigl asked for donations to local spots in exchange for starters she had – took on a life of its own. While she’s no longer sending starters to new homes, you’ll see what she calls an ode to Covid times sitting on Mercy Me’s brunch menu: her sourdough pancakes, featuring banana, salted dulce de leche maple syrup and toasted hazelnuts.

“I gave away over 800 sourdough starters and I still have people write to me about the sourdough and the things they’re making. I really cherish that time and that we were able to come together to do something for restaurants.”

As Hellrigl looks to the future of her personal journey as a chef and as part of Mercy Me, she has another adventure to look forward to: becoming a parent. While she counts herself lucky to be experiencing motherhood in a supportive and encouraging environment, she knows that’s not the case for many women in the restaurant world. She hopes, through leading by example and using her voice to create a dialogue around being pregnant or a parent in the food and beverage world, to see this change.

“Yes, I am working long hours. Yes, I am doing the things you wouldn’t imagine a pregnant woman doing. But just get uncomfortable for a second and realize this is actually the most normal thing a woman does.”

She adds of her experience, “There are so many women I’ve seen who are badasses [in other industries] getting so much done. I just wish that it was more supportive in ours, whether it’s health insurance or maternity leave and everything else that goes with that. Raising a child and running a restaurant have some similarities for sure, and we should be able to have room to do both and not have to apologize for it.”

Hellrigl’s convictions surely set the tone for positive change in the industry at a time when the restaurant world itself has been flipped on its head due to uncontrollable circumstances. It’s that same conviction that keeps Mercy Me safely bustling through this challenging year, and will surely usher the spot into whatever comes next.

Fore more on Mercy Me, visit www.mercymedc.com and @mercyme.dc on Instagram. Follow Hellrigl @chefjohannahellrigl on Instagram.

1143 New Hampshire Ave. NW, DC; 202-828-7762; www.mercymedc.com DISTRICT FRAY | 21

A CHEF WITH INTENTION Reverie’s Johnny Spero WORDS BY MONICA ALFORD

22 | FALL 2020

W

hen Johnny Spero makes a life change, he goes all in.

While simultaneously preparing for the opening of his modern American restaurant Reverie and the birth of his daughter Fiona in 2018, he stopped drinking. The storied chef and restaurateur made a conscious choice to live life as fully and clear-headed as possible when embarking on the next chapter as both a business owner and father.

And when Covid hit and he had to rethink how to keep his Georgetown brick-and-mortar open and his family safe and healthy, he embraced clean living. A plant-based diet, cycling daily, prioritizing his family, and making economically sound decisions for his personal and professional life have all been the perfect recipe for Spero to remain sane and resilient during the pandemic.

This acute sense of intentionality trickling down through every facet of his life is what has equipped him to keep an upscale restaurant with an intimate experience afloat while the nation’s hospitality industry is floundering.

“This whole year has been [about] restructuring,” he tells me on Reverie’s soon-to-be winterized enclosed patio on an October afternoon. “It definitely brought a lot of things to light, like, ‘Okay, we can live a much better life if we just eat cleaner, work smarter and are smart with our money.

We can actually budget ourselves to live a better life. It’s the same thing with the restaurant. If we just scale this back and this and this, because otherwise we’ll be closed, we’ll be able to operate a lot healthier.”

Spero speaks with an earnestness that defies even the biggest cynic’s first impression of his minimalist approach to living life purposefully. He knows what he wants, and despite his youthful presence, he has the chops to back it up. He’s been in the restaurant industry since his teen years, propelling his career with stints at Komi in Old Town, Alexandria and acclaimed chef Johnny Shields’ Town House in Southwest Virginia. After opening his short-lived but memorable D.C. restaurant Suno, he then worked for several years as executive sous chef for José Andrés’ Minibar.

But it was his season-long experience at world-renowned restaurant Mugaritz in Errenteria, Spain where the wheels began turning and Spero’s plan for Reverie was set in motion. Upon his return to the District, he worked as head chef at Drink Company’s Columbia Room while renovating the space that would become his second restaurant until October 2018, when his self-described second baby opened its doors. “[Opening in] Georgetown is based on the experience of coming to this space. It might be that dreamer side of me. I really wanted someone to walk and stumble upon this place and find it. There was something about being right off the [C&O] Canal. Georgetown is probably the most historic neighborhood in D.C. that will not change in our lifetime because they just won’t allow for it. It’s beautiful in the sense that this building will not get torn down and turned into some new, modern building. It’ll just be as it is.”

As his vision for Reverie came together, he was balancing an around-the-clock gig at Columbia Room with starting a family. Spero and his wife Alexis found out they were pregnant with their daughter Fiona leading up

to the opening, and the chef says he knew he needed to make a change.

“A month before we opened, I just completely stopped drinking. I haven’t had a drink in a little over two years now.

I knew I had to beg, borrow and do whatever I could to get the restaurant open. I didn’t have the luxury of not being mentally present, [especially] knowing that my daughter was going to be there soon. I needed to make sure that I was firing on all cylinders. That was definitely an interesting way to build up to a restaurant opening.”

While he couldn’t have been more confident in his lifestyle choices, Spero couldn’t quite put a finger on what he wanted the voice of his restaurant to be beyond a one-of-a-kind experience. In fact, he credits the pandemic with solidifying Reverie as the space he intended it to be from day one: a cozy neighborhood restaurant known for a dynamic menu of sustainably sourced, consistently fresh ingredients.

Simplicity seems key to Spero’s success at Reverie.

He readily admits to getting bored of dishes quickly and seems eager to swap out items in order to keep guests on their toes, but he appreciates the reliability of mainstays – especially during Covid when locals are looking for a go-to source of comfort.

He doesn’t overcomplicate the dishes on his prix-fixe menu; it’s the story behind the crustacean’s point of origin or how every part of a creature was used in the sauce to avoid even a single ounce of waste that the chef takes pride in. Availability is also a core part of his culinary mantra, as he relies on what he can source locally from farms he’s built trusted partnerships with.

Spero tells me about the local farmer who tapped syrup from his birch trees, and how he bought every single gallon to use for his signature birch ice cream at Reverie until he ran out – no other birch syrup would do.

He walks me through the turbot, a popular Spanish fish, he cooks in a tomato reduction glaze made from “the ugly tomatoes we got from our farmer over the summer” and grills until charred. The fish is covered with preserved lemons, herbs like parsley and lovage, and a butter sauce made of dashi, garlic and dill.

“It’s inspired by the open fire-roasted turbot you get in Spain, but it has a bit more finesse and our touch to it.”

Another favorite is crab – it could be king or Dungeness, or swapped out for langoustine, depending on the live catch of the day – steamed just enough but not all the way through and gently cooked in butter. Spero glazes the crab in a sauce made of egg yolk, saves all of the juice and mustard inside each crab, separates the crab fat to make a hollandaise sauce, sprinkles breadcrumbs cooked in Edwards Surryano ham on top, and serves the dish with very ripe pears or apples that have been roasted for up to five hours.

Spero says he’s not looking to check off boxes with his menu; he just wants to cook good food and have fun.

“It’s not cookie cutter [or] repeat the same script. We have all the cooks describe the food, and everybody describes it differently. You get as much out of it as you put into it. If you want to know more, we can tell you where we got the crab from or how we cooked it, but everyone’s got their own voice. If I didn’t have every person here from the front of the house to the back of the house to the person who cleans the restaurant in the morning, it wouldn’t be the same restaurant. It has gone through so many different changes.

DISTRICT FRAY | 23

EAT But [through] every iteration, the restaurant is unique to itself because of the people who are here.”

Spero and his team are not immune to the economic impacts of Covid, but the chef is grateful for the rhythm they’ve found over the past few months. While not as robust as before, he can still rely on a steady stream of Georgetown-based regulars and locals from other parts of the DMV eager to support D.C.’s dining scene and create some semblance of a special night out during such trying times.

And even with cold weather ahead, his covered patio will soon be full of heaters sure to keep guests warm until the bitter cold of early 2021. He says carryout has also been a huge success for Reverie during the pandemic.

“Now that we’ve defined who we are, we can figure out how to recreate the Reverie experience at home,” he says. “If you don’t want to go to the restaurant, we want to give the restaurant to you.”

He is hopeful guests understand the time and energy that goes into sourcing locally and sustainably, and also knows that his approach won’t appeal to every diner in the District. In fact, he prefers having a niche and is unapologetic about it.

“It’s a good mentality to have, that out of 10 people who come to the restaurant, there’s always going to be somebody who doesn’t like what you’re doing. Instead of trying to do this shotgun blast of food that appeals to every single person, we have to hyperfocus and get a very specific crowd in here. We’re not a very big restaurant. It’s about an experience. We’re not this crazy, hyper-fine dining restaurant, but we are fine dining. No matter how we try to spin it or hide it behind something else like a casual nuance, it’s still a fine dining restaurant.”

As Reverie continues to hit its stride and braces for cold weather

months, Spero implores locals to remember that all D.C. restaurants need support.

“Whether it’s carryout or dining in, or even just mental checkins – ask your favorite restaurant how they’re doing and if there’s anything you can do to help. Send as many people as you can to the restaurants.”

He describes the District’s hospitality community as tightknit and says, “We want to make sure we’re all building each other up and not breaking each other down, which is probably easier to do sometimes.

Negativity is an easy thing to jump on, but we make sure to stay positive because it’s really easy to dive into that dark place. So just don’t do that.”

While still in the works and not yet ready to announce, Spero alludes to plans for a fast-casual concept that draws inspiration from the plant-based, health-conscious diet he has at home and the fresh, sustainable dishes he serves at Reverie. We may be rebuilding our food scene, but Spero doesn’t seem deterred by trying something new in the process.

“Hopefully, people will support the restaurants that are here and the restaurants that are trying to make the dining scene better, and look at it not as a sacrifice but as an investment to have a good experience. If it’s getting a burger to-go or sitting down doing a tasting menu, it has its value.”

Learn more about Reverie at www.reveriedc.com. Follow @reverie_restaurant and @johnnyspero on Instagram.

3201 Cherry Hill Ln. NW, DC; 202-808-2952; www.reveriedc.com

26 Chefs Restructuring D.C.'s Dining Scene (continued) INTERVIEWS COMPILED BY MONICA ALFORD

MARCELLE G AFRAM, MAYDAN + COMPASS ROSE

as Tigris and La Bodega at Compass Rose, or building on new operating hours as we are with lunchtime shawarmas at Maydan.

As a leader in the restaurants during these times, it’s really reinforced the importance of having safe spaces for our team, both physical and mental, and this is just as much a priority as it always has been to have that awareness and enforcement.

Culinary Concept: Growing up in a Lebanese and Syrian family and Syriac home in Maryland [and with] my parents owning mom-and-pop shops in the D.C. area, my culinary style draws upon these roots to pay homage to the flavors of the Mesopotamia along with celebrating local foodways and supporting local farmers and seasonality. As a young adult, my experiences in my culinary exploration included traveling and working on farms and fishing boats, which also influence what I do.

Compass Rose: 1346 T St. NW, DC; www.compassrosedc.com; @compassrose_dc on Instagram | Maydan: 1346 Florida Ave. NW, DC; www.maydandc.com; @maydandc on Instagram

Standout Dish: Charred graffiti eggplant glazed in an Aleppianstyle pomegranate and tomato sauce with sumac onions The Restructure: We are part of an ecosystem that helps sustain so many factors associated with the industry. With this in mind for 2021, I hope to continue to create experiences and menus for our guests that are wholesome and also allow us to continue our partnership with local farms and purveyors, while being able to take measures to support our local communities all while sustaining the current employment of our team members.

That being said, creating new revenue streams has been a major pivot – whether it’s trying to capture what we can via new concepts and ideas launching out of our current operations, such 24 | FALL 2020

JASSI BINDRA, PUNJAB GRILL Culinary Concept: As a chef, I prefer to enjoy the road rather than the destination. My speciality is to present classical Indian dishes with modern expressions. All of this is a gastronomic journey of childhood. The taste of my grandmother’s recipes allows me to bring fond memories to the present. My menus at Punjab Grill are designed to find a mélange of urban cravings for Indian food, authenticity [and] creativity using locally sourced produce served with love [and] expressing warmth of hospitality through flavors on the plate.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT. Marcelle Afram. Photo by Jen Chase. Jassi Bindra. Photo by @esculentbymsp on Instagram.

Henji Cheung. Photo courtesy of subject. Peter Chang. Photo courtesy of subject.

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The Restructure: When we were forced to close our dining room in March, we immediately pivoted to takeout and delivery.

It was so important to us to preserve the idea that food is more than just a necessity. We created a date night menu that featured a decadent three-course menu, complete with craft cocktails or wine for a more opulent takeout experience. When we learned of the difficulty some people were having obtaining grocery items, we added another service: offering grocery products for sale.

It’s been very important to us to expand our community work through this crisis. We personally handed out meals provided by our internal “langar fund” nearly every day of the pandemic. We are approaching 100 days of giving. Maintaining safety for all our guests and staff has remained our top priority throughout this entire process, and we have made every possible effort to create an environment that is both enjoyable and safe. Every day, we learn more about the needs of our guests and will continue to adapt and make important changes as necessary.

The Restructure: We have the most amazing, motivated staff who has gotten us through this year. We started in May by offering a set menu for pickup. We were able quickly thereafter to pivot to offer delivery via our own staff members. In June, we had a pop-up serving Hong Kong breakfast snacks. When the city entered into Phase 2, we opened limited dining on our patio.

We now have a streatery that seats – socially distanced – almost as many guests as our dining room did pre-Covid. We are now offering dinner six nights a week on our heated patio [with] delivery. We have also turned our dining room into a natural wine and candle shop. In November, we are planning another pop-up featuring rotating Hong Kong breakfast pastries, congee and classic macaroni soup. “One day at a time” is a motto we live by right now. Our staff has become one of the strongest teams and everyone is committed to the idea that if we survive this, nothing can stop us. We are all hands on deck and crosstrained on all facets of current business. We wouldn’t be here still without our outstanding guests and neighbors in Columbia Heights, who have been so supportive and kept our spirits high throughout these crazy months. We will continue to listen to what the neighborhood needs and pivot accordingly.

427 11th St. NW, DC; www.punjabgrilldc.com; @punjabgrilldc on Instagram

3410 11th St. NW, DC; www.queensenglishdc.com; @queensenglishdc on Instagram

PETER CHANG, MAMA CHANG

DINA DANIEL, FAVA POT

Standout Dish: 1) Patiala duck glazed with jaggery and black pepper; and 2) My take on Peking duck, Punjabi-style: whole-roasted duck carved tableside, served with rumali pancake, pickled onion, pickled cucumber, pickled carrot, masala hoisin [and] house spice.

Culinary Concept: Mama Chang was created to celebrate the culinary contribution of the Chang women, including my grandmother, mother [and] wife, Chef Lisa Chang. It focuses on homestyle Chinese cooking and recipes, many of which have remained in the Chang family for generations.

Standout Dish: Farmer’s stir-fry (tofu skin, long green pepper and eggs) The Restructure: It was quite shocking for us to experience the impact of Covid as early as January during the Lunar New Year holiday. Looking in retrospect, it gave us more time to act and come up with carryout programs that focus on familysized meals. Our business has become 90 percent carryout and delivery to 10 percent dine-in since March. Going forward into 2021, we hope to retain as many staff as we possibly can – hopefully with the help of another government stimulus bill.

We’d like to bring the restaurant experience to the guests’ homes in terms of packaging, taste and food quality. Our business will likely remain a mix of dine-in and carryout until Covid is over.

Culinary Concept: We serve grandma-style Egyptian cuisine.

My vision was – and still is – that anyone who walks into Fava Pot should feel welcomed at his [or her] second home. The hospitality, the decorations and the food are so fresh and homey.

Standout Dish: Our cuisine is so rich. Our menu stands out and I have many returning guests who try a new dish every time. I believe the koshary bowl, which is a vegan street food, is very well-received by the community. It is a best-selling item, and not only vegan people love it – all of our guests order it and love it. [It’s] a hearty dish starring lentils, Egyptian rice, pasta and a rich, spicy tomato sauce, topped with chickpeas and sweet caramelized onions.

3251 Old Lee Hwy. #101, Fairfax, VA; www.mamachangva.com; @mamachangva on Instagram

The Restructure: When the pandemic hit, I was taken by the shock for a few days. Then I sat down and realized I need to work out a way to survive. I put down three goals I need to figure out how to achieve: 1) Not to lose any of my team who I have trained very well – 95 percent of them been with me since I started; 2) Generate income that will keep our doors open and our name out there; and 3) Keep my landlord on the same page as us. We’ve switched to online ordering, free delivery for 30 miles, and [are working the] minimum hours so we can keep food on our tables and pay rent and other expenses at home.

HENJI CHEUNG, QUEEN’S ENGLISH

7393 D Lee Hwy. Falls Church, VA; www.favapot.com; @favapot on Instagram

Culinary Concept: The culinary concept at Queen’s English is to shine a different light on Asian cuisine – Cantonese specifically. Asian food is more than dumplings and fried rice.

Cantonese cuisine can be refined and elevated.

DAVID DESHAIES, UNCONVENTIONAL DINER

Standout Dish: We have so many neighbors that come see us frequently, so we are constantly changing the menu. One dish we can’t change, though, [that’s] been on the menu since day one is daikon fritters filled with baby shrimp, shiitake mushrooms and scallions topped with mayo, oyster sauce and pork sung.

26 | FALL 2020

Culinary Concept: My background is in classic French cooking, but what I crave most as an eater is comfort food. When I travel, I love to eat local and try to experience a culture through its food. When I cook, I like to bring that sense of place back to my kitchen and then apply culinary technique to elevate those food memories.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT. Dina Daniel, David Deshaies, Javier Fernandez, Dennis Friedman. Photos courtesy of subjects.

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EAT Standout Dish: I think our standout dish is our chicken parm florentine. We blend chicken with spices, stuff it with a gruyère and spinach blend before frying it, and then melt the requisite fresh mozzarella on top. We serve it with buttered parmesan noodles and house-made marinara.

The Restructure: At the onset of Covid, we pivoted early to provide our Stay at Home Supper Club, featuring meals for two [or more] to be enjoyed at home at an affordable price. Before reopening our dining room, we built plexiglass dividers between tables and developed entry/exit strategies with proper social distancing for safe dining and pickup, among other practices.

Eventually, we developed a large-scale outdoor patio while continuing to build our delivery and [takeout] businesses. That said, we still look forward to the day we can break bread without masks and the worry of contagion. Until then, we remain focused on guest and staff safety, and will continue to evolve our business and practices to ensure safe dining and a safe workplace.

1207 9th St. NW, DC; www.unconventionaldiner.com; @unconventionaldiner on Instagram

JAVIER FERNANDEZ, KUYA JA’S LECHON BELLY Culinary Concept: I am a classically French-trained chef who worked at many local French restaurants. I try to incorporate French cooking techniques into my Filipino comfort food while trying to use as many local ingredients as possible.

Standout Dish: Lechon Belly, of course. Think Filipino porchetta: pork belly stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, green onions and a house spice blend roasted for over six hours until the meat is juicy and tender with mahogany crackling skin.

The Restructure: I feel extremely lucky to have already had a primarily takeout restaurant pre-pandemic. I think the pandemic has not only taught us how we can operate more efficiently postpandemic but also how having an amazing team can conquer anything. We closed the restaurant for almost three months for the safety of our staff and their families. Reopening felt like the grand opening of our restaurant. We were stressed, we were tired, we were overwhelmed with all the changes, and we were operating with 50 percent of our staff. I owe everything to my amazing wife/business partner. Not only does she work a full-time job, she does a wonderful job raising our two young daughters and somehow still finds time to manage the restaurant. Countless hours of raising funds through GoFundMe for our staff out of work, applying for numerous loans and grants to help us survive, providing our staff with groceries, [and] placing orders to make sure we had PPE [personal protective equipment], cleaning supplies, and the right equipment for reopening. She inspires our team to continue trucking on, even when times are tough. If I had any advice for restaurants/chefs, it would be to not take shortcuts and to be innovative. If the quality of your food stays consistent, I truly believe the community will continue to support as they will not be able to resist your delicious dishes. Our industry is resilient and the winter months may be a struggle, but I hope that we will all bounce back in 2021.

5268-H Nicholson Ln. Kensington, MD; www.kuyajas.com; @kuyaja on Instagram 28 | FALL 2020

DENNIS FRIEDMAN, SHOUK Culinary Concept: Coming from a fine-dining background, I have made myself an expert in the plant-based world and am committed to making plant-based food both accessible and delicious. Eating more plants is the right thing to do for the health of our bodies, the community and the planet.

Standout Dish: The Shouk Burger is the best-selling item on our menu and has won multiple awards. The plant-based patty is made from 12 whole vegetables, beans and grains, lending a healthier, unprocessed option to the growing market of meatfree burgers. At the restaurant, it’s served with roasted tomato, pickled turnip, arugula, charred onion and tahina. We also just launched a frozen version of the burger available for carryout and delivery, which gives diners the opportunity to build the burger their way at home. We saw an increased demand for plant-based options at home. Customers weren’t necessarily looking for a non-meat burger engineered to be disguised as beef, but rather a plant-packed burger made entirely of recognizable and clean ingredients. Our Shouk Burger checked all the boxes.

The Restructure: With both of our restaurants being located downtown, we had to find alternative ways to get our food to guests outside of D.C. In addition to third-party delivery apps, we created Hood Drops to bring food to those outside the standard delivery range. Through the restaurant’s app, diners find the day we will be delivering to their neighborhood, place their order and then pick it up from a convenient location nearby. The response has been incredible and on average, we deliver to 20 different neighborhoods in D.C., Maryland and Virginia each week. We also started selling our pantry items for the home cook including dips, sauces, non-dairy cheeses, pickled veggies and spice blends, as well as our choco-cardamom cookie dough and the newly launched frozen Shouk Burger.

395 Morse St. NE, DC | 655 K St. NW, DC; www.shouk.com; @shoukfood on Instagram

KATSUYA FUKUSHIMA, DAIKAYA GROUP Culinary Concept: First of all, my approach is not unique, but I take pride in being extremely thoughtful when it comes to the ingredients I’m working with, being respectful of culinary culture, and bringing a very open mind to my methodology and technique.

Standout Dish: 1) Scallop grilled in the shell with Ichiban dashi, fresh apple juice, butter and usukuchi; and 2) dashi and habanero-brined fried chicken using multiple types of starches and flours in the dredge.

The Restructure: With all of our restaurants at Daikaya Group, safety takes precedence. Staff is scheduled in a way [where] they work with the same coworkers to minimize the overlap of staff coming and going during [a] shift change. Stations have been spaced out to enforce safe social distancing. All of this has had a huge impact on the design of our menus. Keeping as many cooks and chefs working is important to us as a local small business and restaurant group based in the District. We will continue to do our best to remain positive, move forward, [and] support our amazing staff and community during these challenging times, lifting each other up along the way.

705 6th St. NW, DC; www.daikaya.com; @daikaya2f on Instagram CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT. Katsuya Fukushima. Photo by Jennifer Chase. Christian Irabién by Holly Barzyk.

Chef Armani Johnson. Photo courtesy of subject. Haidar Karoum. Photo courtesy of subject.

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CHRISTIAN IRABIÉN, MUCHAS GRACIAS Culinary Concept: My approach has been refined to create simple dishes, using what is in season and around to recreate dishes from my growing up in and near Mexico. [I] always [pay] special attention to flavor [and] textures – and a big, big player is always color contrasts – in how we garnish at the restaurant to make the food vibrant and incredibly festive, which to me, is exactly what Mexico is.

Standout Dish: At Muchas Gracias, we are getting a lot of attention for our carnitas (Spanish for little meats, referring to their tenderness), a traditional Mexican dish of pork generally cooked in its own fat – similar to a confit. We cook them Chihuahua-style by braising our pork low and slow in a bath of chicken stock, citrus juices and an incredible amount of garlic.

The Restructure: My world as a chef at Muchas Gracias has pivoted continuously, and it continues to do so as the world seems to adjust daily to living through a pandemic. [There are] so many different opportunities to support not just our neighborhood but our staff and their families as well by [providing] our neighbors with necessary staples [and] delicious, nutritious hot food [and] taking a portion of our revenue and using it to actively donate to different organizations. Most importantly, [we see] all the ways we can continuously support our in-house team by providing financial stability, purpose through their work, and continuing education through honing their skills and gaining more professional development and growth during their time with us.

We have pivoted from being a small community grocer with a Latin focus to a prepared meal, deli-like operation to a fast-casual takeout Mexican spot to now, a full-service dine-in neighborhood restaurant. The transformation at times feels organic and at other times like arming and disarming a very complex operation. As winter arrives, we are trying to take everything into consideration to make smart decisions by winterizing our outside seating and taking it day by day on figuring out what the business model looks like.

5029 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC; www.muchasgraciasdc.com; @muchasgraciasdc on Instagram

ARMANI JOHNSON, ABC PONY Culinary Concept: I have been told that I am a very inquisitive person. I think that’s where most of my ideas start – not by trying to reinvent the wheel, but how can I give you something that looks familiar but taste a little more refined.

Standout Dish: The most standout dish to me is the blackened rockfish. It is very simple as far as the plating and surprises everyone that eats it because it’s just some fish sitting on a bed of rice. We blacken the fish with a super traditional blackening seasoning and some togarashi spice. [We cook the rice] with a chicken liver XO sauce and soffritto.

The Restructure: I think the restaurants that have survived are the epitome of pivoting. It seems as if overnight, we went from talented people who cook because we love it to people cooking for survival. Changing from a regular, full-service menu to a takeout operation was extremely difficult for all of us because it was only five of us working six days a week for a few months. We had to learn to accept uncertainty and continue to push. We now have the ABC Pony menu, making meals for the Power of 10 Initiative, and three dinner specials every week to 30 | FALL 2020

please our guests and also make it over the hump in revenue. In 2021, we want to continue to keep things going, and will continue to take things one day at a time.

2 I St. SE, DC; www.abcpony.com; @abcpony on Instagram

HAIDAR KAROUM, CHLOE Culinary Concept: Chef-driven, internationally inspired fare led by the seasons, [drawing] upon a diverse culinary heritage Standout Dish: Cobia crudo: sashimi-grade slices of slightly cured cobia dressed with nuoc cham (an essential Vietnamese dipping sauce), avocado, chilies, puffed black rice, crispy shallots and baby coriander The Restructure: The most drastic pivot was in April when we reopened for carryout/delivery. It’s just a different animal, and flipping a switch to 100 percent to-go food was like opening a new restaurant in some ways. It took a day or two before we got it down and figured out the new systems. The most important aspect of coping with the pandemic is putting the restaurant into “survival mode,” trimming the fat in any which way possible without sacrificing quality. With profit margins razor-thin to begin with, every aspect of cost savings has to be considered and implemented.

Menu items have to be reduced, labor costs have to be strictly monitored, and maximum product utilization must be adhered [to].

1331 4th St. SE, DC; www.restaurantchloe.com; @restaurantchloe on Instagram

SENG LUANGRATH, THIP KHAO + PADAEK Culinary Concept: My approach to cooking is based on memories growing up in Laos and what I like to cook for my family. It is very homestyle and true to its integrity, with the opportunity to express my Lao heritage.

Standout Dish: It would have to be the Naem Khao, which is a crispy rice salad mixed with a variety of herbs, sour pork and peanuts. It's seasoned with fish sauce and lime juice, a refreshing textural dish served with lettuce leaves on the side as wraps [and] best eaten with your hands.

The Restructure: We were unsure how we [would] move through the pandemic, as we felt it is our responsibility to keep our staff and guests safe. We closed for a month in hopes [of achieving] any loans and funds out there. Time went by with very little progress, [so] we decided that waiting was not an option anymore and we initially pivoted to only contactless carryout.

Slowly, our services extended to limited, reservation-only patio seating, but that is only for our D.C. location due to its larger size.

Our team is much smaller, and we are working hard to provide what our guests want. With that, we felt that focusing on the well-being of our staff was the highest priority as we continue to deal with health and financial challenges. As for our approach to next year, we have no idea where our restaurants will stand, as the future remains uncertain. We [are taking] this time to simply focus on the present and continue to use our creativity tank to keep our lights on and more importantly, [to] support our staff.

Thip Khao: 3462 14th St. NW, DC; www.thipkhao.com; @thipkhaodc on Instagram | Padaek: 6395 Seven Corners Center, Falls Church, VA; www.padaekdc.com; @padaekdc on Instagram

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT. Seng Luangrath, Rose Noel, Chef Teresa Padilla, Jeeraporn Poksupthong, Peter Prime. Photos courtesy of subjects.

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ROSE NOEL, MAIALINO MARE Culinary Concept: I want the team to love what we do as much as I do. The goal is to build a talented and passionate team. I lead with that in mind.

Standout Dish: Fettuccine con gamberetti: Argentinian red shrimp, butter [and] parsley with fresh fettuccine noodles The Restructure: I’m very excited to have Maialino Mare reopen soon and welcome back all our wonderful guests. Our restaurant brought together two of my great loves: pasta and seafood. I was so grateful to be able to share my loves with our guests and look forward to doing so again. Covid-19 has undoubted[ly] changed the way we run our businesses. It also has changed the way we work with our teams and how we take care of ourselves. Safety is a priority like never before, for our guests as well as our employees.

221 Tingey St. SE, DC; www.maialinomare.com; @maialinomare on Instagram

TERESA PADILLA, TAQUERIA XOCHI Culinary Concept: [Our] mission is to bring authentic Mexican food to Washington with an emphasis on dishes [we’ve] been searching for in D.C. such as cemitas (Puebla-style sandwiches), mangonadas (a sweet-and-sour slushee full of mango, lime, tamarind and chamoy, a chile-based sauce) and tlayudas (a Mexican flatbread/pizza with a tortilla base). [Our] menu influences come from family recipes and experiences in Puebla, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Jalisco while growing up in Mexico.

hosts, etc. No one knows what 2021 is going to be like, so all we can do is focus on just getting through the winter. That means a focus on delivery and carryout.

425 I St. NW, DC; www.baansiamdc.com; @baansiamdc on Instagram

PETER PRIME, CANE Culinary Concept: I’m a flavor crusader who likes to experiment and play with different cuisines. I’m always searching for new tastes and experiences, and ways to incorporate the tastes and flavors I love and grew up with into them.

Standout Dish: Paratha tiffin box: a deconstructed roti (herbivore or omnivore) with potato and channa, chickpea and meat curries (goat, duck, beef, chicken) or eggplant and tomato chokas for the herbivore The Restructure: Going strictly delivery really inspired a further appreciation for the guest experience. We really miss having people in. As we look to the future with hopes of expansion, we are searching for safe and ingenuitive ways to bring a unique and delicious dining experience back to our guests. We are also extremely conscious of inclusionary partnerships and support when it comes to our fellow restaurateurs and hospitality professionals. It›s clear now that we need to always support each other – not just in time of crisis. From Cane, you can expect some holiday specials, new menu items and some cool partnerships. Post-pandemic, we’re hoping to expand our dining experience and options.

Standout Dish: [My] standout dish is [my] quesabirria taco, a braised beef taco with a layer of cheese melted into the tortilla and served with a bowl of delicious consomé for dipping.

403 H St. NE, DC; www.cane-dc.com; @cane_dc on Instagram

The Restructure: Taqueria Xochi is a new concept that resulted from the circumstances created by the pandemic.

Xochi’s director of operations Geraldine Mendoza [and I] are two of the many restaurant workers who were displaced from their jobs as a result of the pandemic. A 16-year veteran at José Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup restaurants, [I] always dreamed of opening [my] own Mexican concept in D.C. and bringing many traditional Mexican dishes to the city and decided to use the circumstances created by the pandemic as an opportunity to chase [my] dream.

Culinary Concept: At RASA, we share high-quality Indian flavors in a fast-casual environment that is designed to introduce folks to [the] wonders of Indian culture and cuisine in a fun, fast and affordable setting.

924 U St. NW, DC; www.taqueriaxochi.com; @taqueriaxochi on Instagram

JEERAPORN POKSUPTHONG, BAAN SIAM Culinary Concept: My food doesn’t just represent me. It represents my family, my culture and my heritage. Food is so important to Thai life that when people eat our food, we are sharing a huge part of our identity with them. That’s part of what drives me to be the best I can.

Standout Dish: Kanom Jeen Nahm Phrik: Thai rice noodles, coconut milk, peanuts, ground chicken and shrimp, red onions, garlic, tempura vegetables, and chili powder The Restructure: 2020 has been an absolute disaster for everyone, with every week bringing new challenges. But people in the restaurant industry are highly adaptable, and we’re tough.

We managed to keep all our staff by shifting everyone’s jobs around. Cooks became delivery drivers, bartenders became 32 | FALL 2020

SAHIL RAHMAN + RAHUL VINOD, RASA

Standout Dish: One of our standout dishes is the Home Cooking. It features South Indian rice noodles, turmeric ginger shrimp, a spicy tamarind chili sauce and tossed green beans, and then we finish it off with a mango salsa, a tangy tamarind ginger chutney, mango coconut yogurt and a toasted coconut powder.

The Restructure: Covid has turned the world upside down, and we continue to adapt on a daily basis to serve the needs of our community. Over the last few months, we pivoted to focus on feeding those in need through a unique partnership with World Central Kitchen. We also adapted our physical space to optimize for more delivery and takeout to help keep our guests and team members safe. Moving forward, we will continue to do our best to share the joys of our culture and cuisine while staying flexible and making sure we keep everyone safe. Covid has presented a grand challenge for the industry, and while this has been a difficult few months, we remain optimistic and are looking to make the most of a challenging time.

1247 First St. SE, DC | 485 K St. NW, DC | Coming soon to 2200 Crystal Dr. Arlington, VA; www.rasagrill.com; @rasa on Instagram

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT. Rahul Vinod (L) + Sahil Rahman (R). Photo by Rey Lopez. Jonni Scott. Photo courtesy of subject.

Aaron Silverman. Photo by Kate Warren. Katherine Thompson. Photo by Kelli Scott.

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JONNI SCOTT, ITABERCO, INC. Culinary Concept: I love to take classic desserts and flavor combinations I enjoy and turn them into something whimsical and fun.

Standout Dish: When I was at Cranes, my crowd favorite dessert was an ube coconut ice cream popsicle: ube-toasted coconut ice cream coated in chocolate cookie crumbs, dark chocolate and toasted coconut. Since being out of work due to the pandemic, I have focused on perfecting French macarons and making them more fun. I have made Pusheen cat, Kawaii dumplings and pandas into macarons.

The Restructure: 2020 started out on an exciting and hopeful note for me as the opening of Cranes approached. The Spanish/ Japanese fine-dining restaurant was only open for five weeks before the pandemic started. Over the first five months of the pandemic, I was furloughed, brought back to work and then laid off due to lack of business. After having this experience, I was very hesitant to apply for another executive pastry chef role in a fine-dining restaurant. Thankfully, I have been able to find a different, more multifaceted pastry chef role. In December, I will be joining the team at Itaberco, Inc. [in Baltimore] as the corporate pastry chef. While I will still be spending time in the kitchen, my new role will involve media, marketing, demos for clients, consulting, and research and development. I am excited to be able to continue to do what I love in a different capacity.

410-500-5150; www.itaberco.com; @itaberco_inc on Instagram

AARON SILVERMAN, ROSE’S AT HOME Culinary Concept: We try to make our food these four things: fun, familiar, craveable and good value.

Standout Dish: Our pork and lychee salad is considered a standout dish to most, but personally, I think our coconut ice cream and caviar stands out even more in that it has two ingredients. I think it is one of the most exciting, delicious and unique dishes we have ever put on the menu.

The Restructure: We are taking 2020 as an opportunity to do two major things. First, to make our three restaurants more inclusive and better places to work for every single individual on our team – from translating every policy we have into Spanish to hiring a director of people and growth, and everything inbetween. Second, to do things no one has done before – from $20 starting wages for dishwashers and cooks to 45-hour max work weeks for managers, and more. events@rosesathome.com; www.rosesathome.com; @rosesathomedc on Instagram

KATHERINE THOMPSON, THOMPSON ITALIAN Culinary Concept: My husband and I decided to name our restaurant Thompson Italian to poke fun at the fact that Thompson is not an Italian name at all – and our food is not traditional Italian food, either. Instead, our approach to food is to take American dishes and make them in a way that is inspired

by Italy. As for desserts, I try to make dishes that are simple and delicious. Less is more. My main goal is to create delicious and memorable desserts with bold flavors.

34 | FALL 2020

Standout Dish: The most popular dessert on our menu is the olive oil cake. It is a very simple, moist and slightly sweet cake. Since the cake is so simple, it made sense to serve it as a simple slice. The cake is garnished with a tangy crème fraîche mousse, caramel-poached raisins and a sprinkle of maldon salt.

The combination of flavors is slightly savory and slightly sweet.

Every once in a while, I debate changing the dessert altogether.

But it is perhaps too popular for me to change.

The Restructure: Never in our wildest dreams did we see a pandemic destroying the restaurant industry. We quickly pivoted to takeout only. While the majority of our sales are from our à la carte dinner menu, we are getting [as] creative as possible with other ideas. We’ve done everything from holidaythemed dinner boxes to larger format dishes that can be cooked at home. We are trying to keep our guests engaged in new ideas while experimenting with different food concepts. I am focusing on expanding my dessert offerings to include larger cakes and boxes of cookies. The goal is to focus on takeout through the winter months. We are hoping to open for dining service in March with an expanded outdoor seating area. Our fingers are crossed that things will return to more normal(ish) by mid-2021, but if there is one thing we have learned from 2020, pretty much nothing is guaranteed. We have to roll with the punches and do the best that we can to survive.

124 N Washington St. Falls Church, VA; www.thompsonitalian.com; @thompsonitalian on Instagram

MATTEO VENINI, STELLINA PIZZERIA Culinary Concept: At Stellina, I use my background in fine dining to create more casual food that still reflects a focus on the best ingredients, classic techniques and imaginative flavor profiles. Our style of neo-Neapolitan pizza uses a carefully made, signature dough for light, crispy pizzas. All of our pastas and sauces are homemade. We aim to deliver an eating experience that’s both creative and approachable.

Standout Dish: The cacio e pepe pizza is a Stellina signature that reinvents the classic Roman pasta dish. The pizza features three kinds of cheese – cacio di Roma, mozzarella and pecorino – and toasted black pepper, which is hand-ground with a mortar and pestle to hold the spice’s robust flavor.

The Restructure: While we’ve always offered delivery and carryout, with the pandemic we sought to continue bringing Stellina to guests in D.C. and beyond in other ways: by expanding our use of third-party delivery services and through other creative offerings. We launched Stellina Bottega, an online marketplace offering Italian pantry goods; wine; butcher boxes of local meats, DIY pizza and pasta kits; and ready-to-cook meals like frozen pizzas, lasagna and more. The Bottega is available both for pickup and delivery. Looking ahead, we’re getting ready to open our second location of Stellina and our first in Northern Virginia later this year in Shirlington. We’re also moving ahead on another D.C. location on K Street [in] Northwest, which will open in 2021.

399 Morse St. NE, DC | second location opening in Shirlington in late 2020; www.stellinapizzeria.com; @stellinapizzeria on Instagram

Under the

Weather WORDS BY RINA RAPUANO

D.C. restaurant owners see city efforts and takeout orders as essential elements to making it until spring.

EAT Yes, we know you’ve leveled up in domestic god/dess status by nurturing your sourdough starter and rocking that weekly CSA box loaded with seasonal fruits and veggies. We’ve seen the photos.

But with colder months on the way and threats of a Covid-19 spike looming large, D.C. restaurateurs are hoping you’ll occasionally consider putting down the chef’s knife to order takeout from your favorite pre-pandemic dinner spot. This simple act could help save an industry on the brink – an industry that encompassed nearly 2,500 restaurants, generated roughly $400 million annually in sales tax to the District and employed around 65,200 before the pandemic, according to the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW).

“At this point, I believe that we will make it through, all of my places,” says veteran restaurateur Jackie Greenbaum, co-owner of Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring and Little Coco’s, El Chucho and Bar Charley in D.C. “Now, what that means is a little bit hard for me to know. This does not mean that we are breaking even or making money.”

Later, she added via text, “We feel strongly enough about our business that we want to try, but we may be crippled by debt next year and beyond in a way which may compromise our eventual survival.”

Greenbaum expressed gratitude toward understanding landlords and RAMW for supporting restaurants through this unimaginable time and to the city for supplying much-needed grants and implementing an efficient permitting process for outdoor spaces that are now a lifeline for those hoping to make it through the lean months.

“The whole thing of the ‘streateries’ going through December of next year is a huge win for restaurants,” she says of the city council’s extension of streatery allowances through the end of 2021.

“I’m very proud of D.C. for doing something so enterprising and so proactive. It could really be a way that restaurants could recover losses from either being closed or mostly closed during the winter.”

Carey Tang, who co-owns Rooster & Owl on 14th Street Northwest with her husband, Chef Yuan Tang, echoes Greenbaum’s praises of the city, particularly three rounds of grants including one specifically designed to help restaurants offset the costs of getting winter-friendly outdoor spaces up and running.

“Heaters are very expensive, the maintenance of heaters is expensive, marketing expenses around that – any help we can get toward that area is helpful,” she says.

The Tangs, who are expecting their second child this fall, have ordered branded blankets that they will sell to chilly diners for $50; have changed their dishware to a type that holds heat longer; and worked diligently to find the most effective and safe heaters available. She also cites the easier permitting process as a huge relief.

“We’ve had a very positive experience with expanding our patio.

The adaptations to the permit and approval process to operate outside safely and within their parameters have also been really positive for us,” Carey Tang says of the city’s creative workarounds for a notoriously onerous process. “That really enabled us to be swift and to open service outside as soon as possible.”

Shawn Townsend, director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture, says they are doing the best they can – despite being left out of the federal CARES Act relief offered to states – to protect D.C.’s beloved restaurants, which he notes are more than 90 percent locally owned.

“As we assess the District’s finances, we’re constantly thinking of ways to provide relief,” he says. “We have a whole outdoor relief package that includes the grant program, but it also includes us 36 | FALL 2020

pushing the new insurance requirements to January 2022; it also includes waiving propane and tent permit fees so that businesses don’t have to worry about spending that money on permits.”

Whether or not it’s enough remains to be seen, but Townsend says there are signs that the relief efforts are making an impact.

“We’ve heard feedback from businesses acknowledging that if it weren’t for these types of relief being offered that they might have considered closing,” he says.

In addition, he points to a tweet from El Rey, which had planned to close after Halloween but decided to stay open due to a wellspring of support from fans. The U Street Northwest bar owned by Ian and Eric Hilton also tweeted its thanks for the grant: “A big shoutout to @MayorBowser & @dcmonc for the Streatery Winter Ready Grant.

Way to support us small businesses and help us keep the fight going! #DCHope” “We don’t want to take the credit for keeping the business open, but we will take the credit for providing that relief to help them stay open,” Townsend says.

Other restaurants have not been so lucky, with RAMW reporting that 83 District-based restaurants have closed in 2020.

So, what can you do to help your favorite restaurants see the other side of this pandemic? Order takeout as often as possible, say restaurateurs like Chef Joancarlo Parkhurst, who opened his Puerto Rican restaurant La Famosa in Navy Yard this September.

“Just keep us in the rotation,” he says of all small restaurants, not just La Famosa. “We obviously understand that you can’t dine with us every night of the week, but if you can make it out to your local eatery once or twice a month, if it’s within your budget, it would really help a lot of places out.”

He says his “fine casual” business model turned out to be ideal for opening during a pandemic, because they always expected to have strong carryout sales. But he certainly didn’t expect to keep his patio open during winter. He’s currently looking into a canopy system, investigating heating and partition options, and planning to serve cozy dishes and drinks like stews and coquito, the Puerto Rican answer to eggnog, on a patio that seats nearly 40 socially distanced diners.

At the same time, he’s banking on restaurants providing a dose of much-needed escapism for D.C. residents during the cold, dark months ahead.

“You can try things that you typically wouldn’t make at home, take joy in being able to submerge yourself in a different culture and a different food, whether it be really badass Filipino food or your local Italian restaurant,” Parkhurst says. “It sounds cheesy, but it’s like your staycation right there. You’re able to break out of your four walls, in that regard.”

Learn about the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and Culture at https://communityaffairs.dc.gov/monc and follow @dcmonc on Instagram. Find more information on Greenbaum, Tang and Parkhurst and their restaurants below, including their Instagram handles.

Bar Charley: 1825 18th St. NW, DC; www.barcharley.com; @barcharley El Chucho: 3313 11th St. NW, DC; www.elchuchodc.com; @elchuchodc La Famosa: 1300 4th St. SE, DC; www.eatlafamosa.com; @eatlafamosa Little Coco’s: 3907 14th St. NW, DC; www.littlecocos.com; @littlecocosdc Quarry House Tavern: 8401 Georgia Ave. Silver Spring, MD; www.quarryhousetavern.com // @quarryhousetavern Rooster & Owl: 2436 14th St. NW, DC; www.roosterowl.com // @roosterandowl

FIRST PAGE. La Famosa treats. Photo by Scott Suchman. THIRD PAGE. Clockwise from top left: La Famosa snack + Chef Joancarlo Parkhurst. Photos by Scott Suchman. Jackie Greenbaum. Photo courtesy of subject. Rooster & Owl Chef Yuan Tang with tortellini. Photo by Albert Ting // @pootie_ting on Instagram.

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Catering

Covid

Ben Lin Talks Staycation Platters, Shared Kitchen Spaces + Supporting Small Businesses WORDS BY M.K. KOSZYCKI | PHOTOS BY KIMCHI PHOTOGRAPHY

Ben Lin of B.Lin Catering has been shifting with the times since he realized his dream was to cook for others and not to work in the world of finance. His journey took him from dinner parties at his own place to cooking for members of the Supreme Court to finally starting his own catering venture in 2012. As the food and beverage world deals with the tricky implications of preventing the spread of a virus that requires people to not gather in large groups, Lin and his team have had the added challenge of not being a typical brick-and-mortar restaurant.

So, Lin found a two-fold solution: bring delicious, groupfriendly food to the District through pickup and delivery and inject some fun into what small gatherings can be had with family and quarantine bubble friend groups right now. These staycation platters offer respite not only from the dread of cancelled vacations that might haunt your dreams, but also your typical takeout order. After visiting Lin’s kitchen in Northeast D.C. and trying these treats for ourselves, we caught up with Lin on the food, the space, and how he and his team are supporting other small businesses during this tricky time.

“When Covid hit, it was pretty hard on us. All of our business was from big events. When you put a moratorium on more than 10 people [being together] and people start working from home, that’s all your business. And like most catering companies, we’re not in central business districts because we don’t need to be.

Usually, people don’t know this [space] exists.”

“We’ve not only pivoted to this new model, but we pivoted to become a shared kitchen space ourselves as well. There were a lot of other small businesses that couldn’t pay their rent. It helps them if I can get them cheaper rent and it sure as hell helps me, too. We have [seven] other small businesses here now. It’s been tough for them too, so we try to work together and support one another.”

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“The whole concept behind it is that while we might not be able to have big gatherings, maybe people will start having small gatherings of six to 10 friends. Can we still do something delicious and make it special, affordable and something that’s not your ordinary takeout? That’s when we came up with staycation platters.”

40 | FALL 2020

“Staycation platters include Korean braised short rib (galbi jjim), lumpia Shanghai with sweet chili sauce, lemongrass flank steak skewers, chicken satay skewers with sriracha peanut sauce, vegan garden rolls with hoisin, vegan roasted butternut squash curry, crab rangoon with sweet chili sauce, ube coconut jasmine rice, vegetarian fried rice, Korean fried chicken, Singapore noodles with jumbo shrimp and sambal olek.”

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“The basil and gochugaru daiquiri and the lemongrass gin and tonic are the cocktails people can order when they’re placing an order online for a staycation platter. The 16-ounce serves two and the 32-ounce serves four, and they’re 3 ounces of liquor per 6 ounces.”

Visit www.blincatering.com to place an order of staycation platters and cocktails for pickup or delivery. Stay up-to-date with the latest from B.Lin Catering by following @blincatering on Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about the seven small businesses within B.Lin’s space below, including their Instagram handles.

Arepas & Empanadas District: www.arepasandempanadasdistrict.com; @arepas_and_empanadas_district Chups: www.chupsitup.com; @chuspitup DC Taste: www.dctaste.com; @dctaste La Tejana: www.latejanadc.com; @latejanadc Lao Ban Dumplings: www.laobandumplings.com; @laobandumplings Palette Dome Cuisine: www.palettedome.com/cuisine; @chefmesilati Pickled Heads: www.pickledheads.com; @pickled_heads

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The District’s Dining Resilience Five Local Businesses with Entrepreneurial Pivots WORDS BY AMANDA WEISBROD Running a restaurant during a pandemic is no small feat, but these local eateries and delivery services are doing their best to grow and support one another in the midst of‌well, you know.

I hate to do this to you, dear reader, but remember the before times? When wandering the streets on your lunch break in search of the just-right food truck or restaurant to satisfy your cravings was routine? Or taking the family out to dinner at your favorite local spot? Dinner dates at high-end, gourmet eateries featuring brilliant chefs and mixologists? Me too.

Now, nights in with sweatpants and delivery has become our new normal as dining options dwindle and delivery service options multiply.

The restaurant industry was hit hard by the pandemic as it has suffered more sales and employment losses than any other

industry in the nation since restrictions were put into place in March, according to the National Restaurant Association.

In April, this same food service trade association sent out a survey to 6,500 restaurants across the country and discovered more than 8 million food service employees had been laid off or furloughed since March, and predicted the restaurant industry would lose $240 billion by the end of this year. Although many food service jobs have returned as dining restrictions have eased up, industry employment is still 2.3 million below precoronavirus levels.

But in the District, several organizations, delivery services and local restaurants are working to keep the city's diverse and nationally lauded dining scene alive.

Immigrant Food + Seven Reasons Chef Enrique Limardo (L) with Tables Without Borders Chef Bacon Williams (R). Photo by Tea Ivanovic.

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DC To-GoGo

Immigrant Food

When the pandemic hit, Chris Powers, Adam Fry and Josh Saltzman sprung into action by cofounding DC To-GoGo – a delivery service committed only to local residents and businesses in order to keep money in the District. Their approach is one that is solely dedicated to an “eat local, drink local, support local” mentality, which is 100 percent reflected in their business model.

“By focusing on supporting local businesses, customers are helping to create jobs for their neighbors and community members,” Fry says. “Supporting local as an ideology means giving more attention to those around us and how our actions affect the people nearest to us.”

He continues, saying he’s not looking to build a monopoly on food delivery and maximize the salaries for their stakeholders.

“We’re looking to give restaurants an alternative that has the industry in mind and that has all of our favorite regulars in mind, too.

Our long-term goal is to be able to give back to the community around us and those who want to make D.C. even better than it already is.”

Immigrant Food’s mission to “celebrate the successes of immigrants and positively impact today’s immigrants who have come to America to remake their lives” began as a spark in the mind of co-founder Peter Schechter after his parents died in 2018. And since its opening early this year, the restaurant has followed this mission by not only sharing the delicious cuisine of various cultures around the world, but also by advocating for the immigrants who bring the spice and zest to the melting pot that is D.C. Téa Ivanovic, director of communications and outreach for Immigrant Food, says while Immigrant Food has been able to withstand the challenges brought by the pandemic, it required resilience to brave through it all.

“Opening a new restaurant, with an ambitious social justice cause, and then being hit by a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic three months later is what we’d call an intensive course in crisis management!” she says. “It’s difficult to grow a new brand in the midst of a pandemic, but we [had to choose]: Try to adapt or close our doors. We chose the former.”

To adapt, Immigrant Food expanded their in-dining options to include a new patio, which Ivanovic noted has been “winterized” with heaters and cozy blankets (sanitized after each use). The restaurant is also continuing their mission by partnering with Tables Without Borders to financially support immigrant chefs during a time of massive layoffs in the restaurant industry.

Order from DC To-GoGo at www.dctogogo.com.

Bring It! As another local delivery service, Bring It! stands out because of their unique, sustainability-conscious approach. Owner Kimmie Harlow says having bike couriers deliver goods is both faster and more environmentally friendly than the traditional vehicle delivery system because couriers are able to quickly navigate the streets of D.C. and avoid idling in traffic.

“Especially with climate change being an increasingly pressing concern, it’s important to promote alternative means of transportation that have less of an impact on our environment,” she says. “We don’t want to add to the lines of cars parked with their hazards on in front of restaurants or add to car traffic in an already congested city.”

Bring It! offers on-demand delivery for restaurants and to anyone living in D.C. Call 202-603-2718 or email fast@bringitdc.com to place an order from 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Power of 10 Initiative This nonprofit, created by chef Erik Bruner-Yang, works to keep mom-and-pop restaurants afloat, serve free meals to people in need, and create more jobs in the industry by donating $10,000 a week to each restaurant so that it can support 10 fulltime employees and serve 1,000 meals.

Since its founding in March, Power of 10 has served nearly 230,000 meals and raised over a million dollars from individuals and corporate sponsors. They began in D.C. by sponsoring Cane, a family-owned restaurant in the H Street Corridor and have expanded their aid to Los Angeles, New York City, Charlotte, North Carolina, Chicago, Dallas, Baltimore, and Richmond and Fairfax City in Virginia.

“Our ability to help so many restaurants, about 40 across the country, and move at a pace that’s faster than local or federal government for relief funds really keeps these small businesses whole,” Bruner-Yang says. “I feel like we’ve been really successful.”

Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Dine in or order pickup or delivery from www.immigrantfood.com. 1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, DC; 202-681-3848.

Tables Without Borders With a mission to give refugees and asylum-seekers a fresh start, Tables Without Borders offers displaced chefs paid culinary internships at local restaurants to “showcase their talents and develop their skills,” according to co-founder Sara Abdel-Rahim.

Unfortunately, due to the many restrictions placed on restaurants, Abdel-Rahim says the organization had to cancel several of its internships and put the dinner events that mark the end of each internship on hold.

“Since the restaurant industry was hit so severely by the pandemic, we’ve been focused on meal donations and our partnership with Immigrant Food rather than the traditional internship. However, as restaurants begin to adjust to our ‘new normal’ we are relaunching the internship program with new precautions.”

Abdel-Rahim stresses that “the resettlement process has only become more strenuous for refugees and asylum-seekers,” so TWB’s mission is especially important to continue in these dire times.

“During this time, we want the public to know that it is more important than ever to support their new neighbors and help them rebuild their lives,” she adds. “We think we provide an easy – and delicious – way for people to do that.”

Support Tables Without Borders at www.tableswithoutborders.org.

Donate to The Power of 10 at www.powerof10initiative.com.

SECOND PAGE. (Clockwise from top left) Bammy's Chef Gerald Addison (L) with Tables Without Borders Chef Nejat Ahmadollah (R). Photo by Maya Oren.

Kimmie Harlow (L) + Chris Rabadi (R) of Bring It! Photo by Benjamin Burgess // @kstreetphotographydc on Instagram. Tables Without Borders Chef Taraneh Salehi. Photo by Tea Ivanovic.

DISTRICT FRAY | 45

A LOOK IN THE KITCHEN FOUR DISHES FROM OUR COVER CHEFS

RECIPES COMPILED BY MONICA ALFORD | PHOTOS COURTESY OF FEATURED CHEFS

THE CHEF: PAOLA COMPASS ROSE +

THE DISH: DULCEY DE LECHE DONA The Ingredients: Coconut, malt vinegar, Valrhona dulcey chocolate and nutmeg

THE CHEF: ANGEL BARRETO, ANJU THE DISH: SAENGSUN GUI The Ingredients: Pan-fried branzino filet, braised radish, yangnyeomjang “This is my take on a traditionally simplistic dish, combining elements from different Korean dishes into one dish. This sums up what Anju is: an amalgamation of many ideas into one. Saengsun gui is a branzino filet pan-fried and served on a bed of spicy, braised radish wheels in a pool of yangnyeom ganjang, which is an all-purpose, flavorful Korean soy sauce seasoned with garlic, ginger and scallion sugar. There is an herb salad consisting of shaved fennel, basil, mint and fresno peppers atop the branzino. When eaten all together, it is a symphony of flavors.”

Anju: 1805 18th St. NW, DC; www.anjurestaurant.com 46 | FALL 2020

“A play on words, this nontraditional dona (donut) is made by using my favorite toasted white chocolate from Valrhona (Dulcey), recreating the iconic dulce de leche flavors of my childhood, and kickstarting them with coconut and malt vinegar to add layers of depth and intrigue. The fluffy brioche is double proofed overnight to create a delicate honeycomb structure that perfectly carries umami bomb Dulcey de leche glaze. This dona is available at La Bodega Bakery located inside of Compass Rose, along with a long list of rotating weekend flavors.”

Compass Rose: 1346 T St. NW, DC; www.compassrosedc.com La Bodega Bakery: @labodegabakery on Instagram Maydan: 1346 Florida Ave. NW, DC; www.maydandc.com

THE CHEF: JOHANNA HELLRIGL, MERCY ME THE DISH: COLOMBIAN EGG AREPAS WITH HOGAO

VELEZ, MAYDAN

Arepas Ingredients: masa harina, warm water, kosher salt, ground annatto powder, eggs, salt and black pepper, lime wedges Hogao Ingredients: roma tomatoes, sunflower oil, garlic, chopped green onions, ground cumin, salt and pepper “When I was in Cartagena, Colombia doing [research and development] for Mercy Me, I fell in love with the flavors of Caribbean South America. From unique tropical fruits to seafood preparations, there was so much I was drawn to come back and explore after being their nine years before. One of those items happened to be the egg arepas that were the perfect way to start your morning. Arepas are commonly found in Venezuelan cuisine and cooked on a griddle rather than fried. These Colombian-style arepas are filled with a fresh egg before frying. At Mercy Me, we have them on our brunch menu. We make them fresh every morning for our guests and serve them with a tomato hogao sofrito, some crema and a lime wedge. Either come to brunch at Mercy Me or make these at home. The hogao is delicious and can be used outside of the arepas!”

Mercy Me: 1143 New Hampshire Ave. NW, DC; www.mercymedc.com

THE CHEF: JOHNNY SPERO, REVERIE THE DISH: CRAB, EGG YOLK, ROASTED PEAR The Ingredients: King crab, butter, egg yolk with white soy and shio koji, hollandaise made with clarified juice from reserved crab and crab fat butter, pear, breadcrumbs “This is the dish I think really speaks to how I view the food at Reverie. The ingredients sound simple and the dish is presented in a way that doesn’t seem over-the-top. But hidden under that simplicity is a dish full of complexity.

It all depends on the season and what is available, but for this picture, I was lucky enough to get a live king crab in. It’s steamed, not all the way through, and then finished by putting it in a pan with some butter to get some caramelization. It’s glazed in a sauce of gently cooked egg yolk with white soy and shio koji, with a hollandaise made from all the clarified juice from the reserved crab and crab fat butter. We roast pears and apples depending on what’s available, slowly cover them in butter and then blend them until smooth, which goes underneath the crab. It’s then topped with breadcrumbs left over from our focaccia that has been toasted in rendered Edwards Surryano ham and confit garlic.”

Reverie: 3201 Cherry Hill Ln. NW, DC; www.reveriedc.com DISTRICT FRAY | 47

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D.C. Restaurants Ask for a

Future in Industrial Composting WORDS BY ABI NEWHOUSE 48 | FALL 2020

As sit-down restaurants like Equinox and Oyster Oyster pivoted to takeout methods during the Covid era, D.C. has seen an uptick in compostable dishes and silverware, something fast-casual restaurants like TaKorean implemented early on given their business model. But as much as we want compostable dishes to solve our waste problem, we must still think about what happens after we’re done eating.

Equinox adopted biodegradable containers in the effort to sustain pledges of zero-waste. Co-owner Ellen Kassoff scoured the Internet for the best options but knew she could only do so much.

“I cannot help what consumers do with their boxes when they get home,” Kassoff says. “All I can do is provide the materials for them to compost or recycle.”

Oyster Oyster, a zerowaste restaurant in the city, uses compostable take out containers made of sugarcane. This type is superior in breaking down after use, but not great for holding hot items.

Chef Rob Rubba says, “There are sacrifices to using this kind of packaging. We try to tell our guests that we’ll gladly take back anything that they’ve eaten out of and put it in our compost.”

TaKorean's founder and CEO Mike Lenard felt that any extra cost for compostable containers was worth reducing unnecessary waste. But even with all these efforts, the city itself is not yet equipped with receptacles for compostable items; they go straight in the trash.

“These companies are all doing the best they can,” Lenard says, “but the infrastructure around composting needs to be much more vast.”

Photo courtesy of Pluvr Compost.

The ideal situation would be restaurants passing out compostable eatery and having compost bins that are then taken to an industrial composter, but we’re just not there yet. Though compostable materials do technically break down faster than plastics in the landfill, a larger industrial composter would create a cycle that creates no waste at all.

Composting is all about the closed loop process: food scraps go to compost bins where they break down to become nutritious soil, which then helps grow new food. But the compostable bowls and silverware are a different story – they’re not usually accepted at local farmer’s markets.

Pluvr Compost Cofounder Max van Praag says, “Those things are only compostable in certain types of composting.”

Which is where industrial composting – our missing link – comes in.

“The material that this compost ends up being is usable in your garden, but not to grow things that you’ll ingest,” he adds.

Phil Westcott, founder of Frederick, Maryland-based industrial composting plant Key City Compost, recommends restaurants start focusing on composting now as D.C. considers the necessary industrial closed-loop system.

“If there were to be an incentive on composting, then those restaurants that were keeping an eye on it – even if not fully implemented – are going to adjust quickly,” Westcott says. “Whereas if the market changed, and we were kind of forced to do this, the restaurants that have never looked into vendor relationships, or suppliers...it’s going to be more stressful for them.”

Setting D.C. up for a true closed loop cycle of composting – both industrial and organic – still feels far off. Like many issues in America, change rests on the people’s shoulders.

Almost every interviewee recommended the same thing going forward: Use your voice.

“Awareness needs to start with the consumer,” Kassoff says. “If they request compostable packaging from their restaurants, you can bet people will change.”

“Restaurants have to make these changes to make it inconvenient, to get the dining public to see it,” Rubba adds. “[We]have to be willing to change and evolve.”

Westcott believes education on composting should start early, in schools. He echoes Kassoff.

“We need to ask questions. Ask a barista if their cup is compostable. And then ask if there is a composter that will collect the cup.”

And after the word is out, and our voices are loud, van Praag suggests a government incentive.

“If the D.C. government incentivized it through either making it illegal to throw away organic materials or making places for compostable items, it would be huge. They’d be saying, ‘Look. This is the future. This has to happen.’”

Follow Pluvr Compost on Instagram @pluvrcompost and visit Key City Compost at www.keycompost.com or on Twitter at @keycompost. Learn more about Equinox, Oyster Oyster and TaKorean below.

Equinox: 818 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC; www.equinoxrestaurant.com; @equinoxdc on Instagram Oyster Oyster: 1440 8th St. NW, DC; www.oysteroysterdc.com; @oysteroysterdc on Instagram TaKorean: 1819 7th St. NW, DC; 1212 4th St. SE, DC; and 1309 5th St. NE, DC; www.takorean.com; @takorean on Instagram

N OV E M B E R 1 8

THANKSGIVING

Cocktail Class

LEARN TO MAKE FESTIVE FAVORITES FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

VISIT DCFRAY.COM/EVENTS TO SAVE YOUR DISTRICT FRAYSPOT | 49

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By now, the District has settled into a new normal, with limited indoor dining, innovative outdoor dining, and takeout and delivery staying strong. Many restaurateurs are now more confident about opening concepts that were underway before the pandemic and have been strategizing how to open under the new circumstances. They are finding new ways to operate, balancing hospitality with enforcement of safety measures and offering customers something fun and unique to leave their homes for. District Fray compiled a list of some new concepts that opened recently or are slated to open within the next few months.

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COLONY GRILL

Opens: October 2020 A pizza that is designed to be held in one hand, this one-ofa-kind thin crust version from a longstanding Irish tavern in Connecticut makes its debut at Arlington’s Colony Grill. The bar pie is drizzled with a signature “hot oil,” a spicy, pepper-infused oil topping that pairs perfectly with a cold drink. According to co-owner Ken Martin, comfort is what they are going for.

“Restaurants, at their best, make people feel welcome, exuberant, cared for [and] at home,” he says. “That is what we try to do at Colony. The pizza, of course, needs to taste good and the drinks have to be cold. But beyond that, we want guests to feel like the entire experience of visiting Colony equates to one big hug.”

2800 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA; www.colonygrill.com // @colonygrill on Instagram

DARU

Opens: Winter 2020 Named after a Hindi slang word for alcohol, Daru will be a new spot to enjoy fun takes on Indian-inspired dishes like bison cheddar kulcha, or bread, and paneer pesto korma. Ultimately, it’s a place for the neighborhood and the community to get together. “What makes Daru notable [is] our hospitality,” says owner Dante Datta. “It is our first focus. And then there’s the food and drink: India-inspired, but Indian-ish.” 1451 Maryland Ave. NE, DC; www.fb.com/daru.dc // @daru.dc on Instagram

GOOD EATS EMPORIUM

Opens: October 2020 This new fast-casual food hall from Great American Restaurants features four different concepts: Stupid Good BBQ for barbecue meats and sides, Best Buns Bakery and Café for pastries and cookies, Taqueria Loca for Mexican inspired tacos and tortas, and Good Eats Burgers & Wings. This spot is family-friendly with something for all tastes. 45990 Waterview Plaza, Sterling, VA; www.goodeatsemporium.com // @goodeatsemporium on Instagram

HI-LAWN

Open: September 2020 At this expansive open-air restaurant on the rooftop of Union Market, benches and designated areas on newly fitted AstroTurf provide a safe, fun and elevated alternative to a picnic at the park. Cocktails on draft, adult juice boxes and other drinks are doled out from an artsy shipping container bar, along with items from a grill and a picnic basket to share. Partner Paul Carlson says, “Hi-Lawn has some of the best views in D.C., and despite being a massive space that can accommodate a couple hundred guests, feels so open and airy – exactly what people want when dining out during Covid. It’s almost like your own picnic, but you’re guaranteed to be socially distanced from everyone and we serve you delicious food and drink.” 1509 5th St. NE, DC; www.hilawndc.com // @hilawndc on Instagram

JAM DOUNG STYLE

Opens: Winter 2020 This longstanding takeout-only spot is opening up a to fullservice dining room and an expanded menu of traditional Jamaican dishes. Expect to see favorites such as oxtail, goat curry and jerk chicken, as well as festive island drinks, at this dining escape to the Caribbean. 1726 North Capitol St. NW, DC; www.jamdoungstyle.com // @jamdoungstyle on Instagram

MAGDALENA AT IVY HOTEL

Opened: September 2020 Located at The Ivy Hotel in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, this is a stunning restaurant that just reopened with a new focus on the cuisine and ingredients of Maryland.

Executive Chef Mark Levy, who conceptualized and oversaw the new restaurant concept, puts it best: “Magdalena is the most beautiful restaurant in the city, and as the only Relais & Châteaux hotel in the state, we are dedicated to their ethos of immersing our guests in the terroir of where they are: Maryland.” He adds, “While the concept feels very ‘Maryland,’ the original Magdalena French techniques and British flair will be ever-present.” 205 E. Biddle St. Baltimore, MD; www.theivybaltimore.com // @magdalenabaltimore on Instagram

MARKET 7

Open: Winter 2020 This new food hall is the anchor tenant in a new multiuse development east of the river including several food stalls, a community grocery store and retail options. Food stalls will highlight Black-owned businesses representing cuisines from across the diaspora and spearheaded by lifelong Ward 7 resident Mary Blackford. 3451 Benning Road NE, Washington, DC; www.market7dc.com // @market7dc on Instagram

MOSAICO

Opens: October 2020 An exciting addition to Latin American market La Cosecha, Mosaico founder Gabriela Febres is “happy to be surrounded by likeminded entrepreneurs with similar backgrounds as us.”

She says, “Our neighbors share similar stories of immigration [as] minority business owners and [are] doing everything possible to succeed in a competitive market. At Mosaico, you can find favorites from our sister concept Arepa Zone and new items such as pepitos, (Venezuelan-style grilled chicken or steak sandwiches) and perros calientes (loaded hot dogs, an homage to Latin American street food.)” Additionally, Mosaico has a mercadito: a small market where you can purchase all kinds of items such as cookbooks focused on Latin cuisine, CBD chocolate by Flor de Maria Chocolates, and an assortment of candies, condiments and flours from Latin America. 1280 4th St. NE, DC; www.lacosechadc.com // @mosaico.dc on Instagram

FIRST PAGE. Taqueria Loca. Photo courtesy of Good Eats Emporium. THIRD PAGE. (Clockwise from top.) Homemade limoncello. Photo courtesy of Napoli.

Colony Grill. Photo courtesy of eatery. Magdalena. Photo by Julie Hove Anderson.

DISTRICT FRAY | 51

NAPOLI SALUMERIA

Opens: November 2020 Sister restaurant to neighborhood pasta join Napoli, this new salumeria will function as a gourmet Italian market with a deli, fresh pastas, and Neapolitan staples such as sandwiches, street food, wine and beer. They will offer fresh dishes as well as jarred sauces and pasta to take home. Owner Antonio Ferraro says, “We create an authentic experience that brings anyone in the D.C., Virginia and Maryland area as close as possible to the dining culture I was fortunate enough to grow up around in Naples, Italy.” 1301 South Joyce St. Arlington, VA; www.napolisalumeria.com // @napolipastabar on Instagram

SIDE DOOR PIZZA

Opens: October 2020 Fans of Detroit-style pies will be happy with this new addition: a pizza project from the folks at Scarlet Oak featuring the typical Wisconsin brick cheese and race stripe sauce display.

Fittingly named Side Door Pizza, customers can pick up the pies from the somewhat covert side door of the restaurant. There is a lot of love that goes into the pizzas. Doughs are made 48 hours in advance and require eight to nine hours to rise.

Only a limited quantity is available each night, so we highly recommend ordering in advance. It’s a fun experience to pick up, too. As owner Brian Schram puts it: “The pickup location is literally out of the side door of Scarlet Oak and has minimal signage, creating a sort of speakeasylike location.” 909 New Jersey Ave. SE, DC; www.sidedoorpizza.com // @sidedoor_pizza on Instagram 52 | FALL 2020

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FA N TA S Y

FOOTBALL CONTEST

Join our Weekly Fantasy Football Contest, presented by Modelo Especial. Register to win cool prizes with winners each week now through January 2021!

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No deposit required! When prompted, please disregard the account deposit page when registering in Draft Kings by clicking the Draft Kings logo in the top left corner of the page. • Create and submit your lineup • Watch your favorite players rack up points and win cool prizes Participants must be 21+. Participants must reside in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. Registered participants are only eligible to win one (1) weekly prize throughout the duration of the contest. Additional information regarding scoring, lineups, players, etc. can be found under the Rules & Scoring tab in the Draft Kings contest.

SANDWICH POP-UPS Are Becoming Some Restaurants’ Bread + Butter WORDS BY LANNA NGUYEN From ghost kitchens to pop-ups, sandwich-specific shops are cropping up all over town. Not only do they provide tasty, new options for diners, but some restaurants are able to hire back team members to meet the growing volume of sales – showing that sandwich popups might be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Explore some of the latest concepts to hit the District’s ever-evolving food scene.

BUTTER ME UP AT HALFSMOKE The breakfast sandwich destination launched inside Shaw’s HalfSmoke back in May and has continued offering the neighborhood additional breakfast options – something owner Michelle Andrade, who is also HalfSmoke’s general manager and chief operating officer, noticed Shaw was lacking.

“Butter Me Up was essentially born out of quarantine with a mission to provide quality breakfast sandwiches for our community while supporting local suppliers,” Andrade says of the pop-up’s inspiration.

Open daily, guests can order loaded breakfast sandwiches like The Bestie with hardwood smoked bacon, organic soft scrambled eggs, smoked cheddar cheese and chipotle ketchup on sweet butter bread in addition to a fried chicken breakfast sandwich, vegetarian options and more. The neighborhood has embraced Butter Me Up: the pop-up sees 2,000+ sandwich sales a week with lines out the door, allowing Andrade to hire back staff.

“We were able to provide job opportunities during a pandemic that’s closed the doors to a lot of our favorite restaurants.”

651 Florida Ave. NW, DC; www.halfsmoke.com; @halfsmokedc on Instagram 54 | FALL 2020

BUTTERFLY TACOS Y TORTAS AT BEEFSTEAK GW Mexican tortas have landed in Foggy Bottom in the form of ThinkFoodGroup’s latest concept, Butterfly Tacos y Tortas, popping up at the George Washington University Beefsteak location. Originally developed in ThinkFoodLab (the team’s incubator for experimental food concepts), Butterfly’s menu is inspired by Mexico City’s street food scene, sharing similar parallels with Jose Andres’ popular restaurant, Oyamel.

“Our full-service Mexican restaurant Oyamel has been incredibly popular for over a decade in Penn Quarter, and we heard from guests how they especially crave our tacos and tortas (Mexican sandwiches),” says ThinkFoodGroup Chief Operations Officer Eric Martino.

At the GW outpost, find sandwiches including the Torta Chilorio de Res with beef in a smoky chile sauce, onion, radish and cilantro in addition to a vegetarian option featuring grilled mushrooms, Oaxacan cheese, guacamole, salsa serrano and cilantro.

800 22nd St. NW, DC; www.butterflytacos.com; @beefsteakveggies on Instagram

FIRST PAGE. Ghostburger burgers. Photo by Leah Judson. SECOND PAGE. (Clockwise from top left) Butter Me Up's The Good Day. Photo courtesy of Always Evolving Media.

Butterfly Tacos y Tortas' Torta Pollo Milanesa. Photo by Rey Lopez. Fedwich sandwiches + pouched cocktails. Photo courtesy of Kramerbooks.

EAT

  DISTRICT FRAY | 55

EAT

FEDWICH AT KRAMERBOOKS

JIMMY’S PHILLY STEAKS AT I’M EDDIE CANO

What began as a way to test new sandwich concepts from popular BBQ joint Federalist Pig has continued as a pop-up at Dupont’s Kramerbooks in the form of Fedwich.

“We continue to come up with new sandwich combinations that are really good,” says Kramerbooks' owner Steve Salis. “We felt by introducing Fedwich we could lead with a sandwich lens and use it to test and push excellent and delicious products under the [Federalist Pig] banner.”

Guests can try sandwich combinations exclusive to the popup featuring new recipes from Federalist Pig’s pitmaster Rob Sonderman. Items include the FedBurger, Feddy Cheesesteak and a pulled pork melt sandwiched between Texas toast among other options available for delivery and curbside pickup.

With the change in seasons, this Chevy Chase restaurant recently swapped out its summer ghost concept Nantucket Clam Shack with a fall and football watching-friendly pop-up: Jimmy’s Philly Steaks.

Operating alongside I’m Eddie Cano, guests can order from a lineup of Philly cheesesteaks in addition to wings and loaded tater tots for takeout and delivery.

“We wanted to pivot into a winter concept,” co-owner Carolyn Papetti says. “With our chef and business partner James Gee being from the Philadelphia area coupled with professional sports [being] back, we thought it would be a fun and fluid winter concept filling a void that not many had yet ventured into in D.C. – Philly cheesesteaks.”

The pop-up is slated to run through April 2021.

1517 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC; www.kramers.com/order-fedwich; @kramerbooks on Instagram

5014 Connecticut Ave. NW, DC; www.jimmysphillysteaks.com; @jimmysphillysteaks on Instagram

FIGHT CLUB AT BEUCHERT’S SALOON

SATELLITE SANDWICHES AT ASTRO DOUGHNUTS & FRIED CHICKEN

Serving up comfort food sandwiches and effervescent cocktails, chef and co-owner Andrew Markert’s punchy sandwich pop-up Fight Club takes over Capitol Hill restaurant Beuchert’s Saloon indefinitely.

“They’re all twists and turns and as we say, they’re off center but on point,” Markert notes.

The sandwich lineup includes a vegetarian take on the classic Philly cheesesteak; a-not-so-typical tuna melt dubbed the Tonnato Melt with roasted pork, tonnato sauce, pickles, American cheese and bacon on sourdough; and the pop-up’s eponymous Fight Club, which takes a standard club steak sandwich to the next level with roasted steak, roasted tomato, bacon, shrettuce and an out-of-this-world brown butter mayo.

The team recently launched weekend bottomless mimosas to pair alongside brunch sandwiches like the Smoked Brisket Biscuit, Bodega Egg & Cheese and a breakfast burrito.

This new sandwich pop-up comes from the team behind popular doughnut and fried chicken purveyor: Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. The late October opening brings cheesesteaks and hearty sandwiches to downtown D.C. An idea that has been in the works for some time, Satellite Sandwiches will utilize the kitchen space from Astro Beer Hall next door to spin out Phillyinspired subs, wings and jumbo made-to-order cookies.

On the menu, find four different types of cheesesteaks including a pepper steak, pizza steak and a build-your-own option, along with other classics from Chef Chris Kujala including a gyro and chicken parmesan sandwich. One of the benefits of opening a ghost concept for co-owner Elliot Spaisman has been the ability to offer his staff more hours. “[It’s] comforting for all of us considering how the industry has been impacted by the pandemic,” he says.

623 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, DC; www.fightclubdc.com; @fightclubdc on Instagram

1308 G St. NW, DC; www.satellitesandwiches.com; @satellitesando on Instagram

GHOSTBURGER AT ESPITA

YOUR ONLY FRIEND AT COLUMBIA ROOM

Addictive burgers and Philly cheesesteaks can now be ordered at Espita’s ghost kitchen concept, aptly named Ghostburger.

As the team started brainstorming ideas for alternative revenue streams for the impending winter season, Espita and Ghostburger’s general manager and partner Josh Phillips says they landed on the menu because their team is obsessed with burgers and cheesesteaks.

“We wanted to make something that was both affordable and something people crave,” he says.

Turns out it’s not just the staff who is obsessed with those sandwiches. Phillips says Ghostburger is pulling in five times the expected volume of sales which has allowed the team to hire back several staff members. Menu items include the Ghostburger with American cheese, red onion, dill pickles and spooky sauce; La Hamburguesa with queso Oaxaca, salsa macha, smoked tomatillo relish and cilantro; and A Real Philly Cheesesteak with shaved ribeye, caramelized onion and white cheddar “whiz.”

1250 9th St. NW, DC; www.ghostburgerdc.com; @ghostburgerdc on Instagram

56 | FALL 2020

Chef and owner Paul Taylor’s menu of sandwiches is equal parts unexpected and nostalgic. The pop-up at Columbia Room combines Taylor’s love for sandwiches with his penchant for curating beverage lists (he’s also the beverage manager at the Blagden Alley cocktail bar). Here, you'll find his takes on fast food favorites in the Return of the Mack with its chicken nugget patty and American cheese as well as the Ribwich made with a fast food-style “rib” patty among a lineup of other creative subs.

Craft cocktails come bottled and include a twist on classics like the Nordic Old Fashioned, Salted Paloma and a rotating daiquiri.

The between bread and boozy couplings are perfect as picnic basket stuffers or as a meal enjoyed on Columbia Room’s Punch Garden where Taylor hopes to bring joy and comfort to those who try his offerings.

As he puts it, “What is more comforting than a hug between slices of bread (a.k.a. a sandwich)?”

1228 9th St. NW, DC; www.youronlyfrienddc.com; @youronlyfrienddc on Instagram

FOURTH PAGE. (Clockwise from top left) Fight Club burger. Photo by Maya Fiellin. Jimmy’s Philly Steaks. Photo courtesy of location.

Satellite Sandwiches option. Photo by Scott Suchman. Your Only Friend's Spicy Panes Con Pavo. Photo by Nole Gary.

  DISTRICT FRAY | 57

EAT

Mozzeria Brings Joy, Jobs + Authentic Neapolitan Pizza to the District WORDS BY M.K. KOSZYCKI | ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES COREAS Upon walking into H Street’s Mozzeria, you’re most likely to be drawn to their pizza oven. The larger-than-average oven clocks in at around 12,000 pounds and is emblazoned with the name of the District by way of the Bay Area spot. And while the oven is perhaps the most immediately striking visual element, there’s something else at play that sets Mozzeria apart from other restaurants – and even other Neapolitan pizza joints.

The open layout and bright, inviting lights, while surely aesthetically pleasing, serve an important purpose at the restaurant, which opened September 4. Mozzeria is the District’s first Deaf-owned and operated restaurant, and these and other design elements allow for an optimal communication environment for the Deaf staff members who make and serve authentic Neapolitan pizza.

“We were really excited by the opportunity to work with [Mozzeria] to create a space that really embraces DeafSpace design principles,” says Allison Cooke, principal and director of hospitality design at CORE architecture + design, the firm Mozzeria partnered with to design the pizzeria’s D.C. location and lay the framework for future expansions of the restaurant.

DeafSpace refers to a set of design principles established over 58 | FALL 2020

the course of five years by architect Hansel Bauman of HBHM Architecture and the ASL Deaf Studies department at D.C.’s own Gallaudet University. The guidelines include five major elements essential to Deaf communication that allow those who sign to do so with more ease and accessibility, including space and proximity, sensory reach, mobility and proximity, light and color, and acoustics.

“It really opened our eyes to different ways to communicate design in general,” says Cooke of working with the Mozzeria team on the project. “Of course, we read through the DeafSpace design principles, but there are things that are really specific to restaurants, such as the exchange between seating guests at tables and what that looks like with the visual openness of a restaurant. From a staffing perspective, it’s looking at how the employees, chefs and bartenders communicate with one another.

The Mozzeria team really played a strong role in saying, ‘Here are the challenges with our San Francisco space, and here’s what we need going forward.’”

Mozzeria’s CEO Ryan Maliszewski notes that Cooke and her team did a great job of modernizing what the original spot had on the West Coast and bringing the new location to life through

"It’s exciting to see that Mozzeria is branded

as a Deaf restaurant, and we’re having

more of a presence in the food scene."

the colors, openness and overall design of the space. He also notes the double oven’s eye-catching size and impressive ability to cook their pizzas in 90 seconds. Mozzeria was able to expand their restaurant and share their authentic pizza with the District thanks to a partnership with the CSD Social Venture Fund, the first Deafled social venture fund in the country.

“D.C. is a thriving foodie city, and we knew we’d have a lot more foot traffic here in comparison to San Francisco,” he says. “We wanted to make a significant investment with the double oven. It’s the focal point, spotlight and nerve center of our restaurant.”

Maliszewski, who joined the Mozzeria team as CEO earlier this year, has lived in D.C. since 2002 and notes several important elements that made the nation’s capital a great place for Mozzeria to set up shop for its second location. The District, he explains, is home to one of the largest Deaf populations in the U.S. due to the presence of Gallaudet University, and the federal government is one of the largest employers of Deaf people in general. Maliszewski himself used to work for the FBI. Mozzeria’s founders, Melody and Russ Stein, also attended Gallaudet, adding another layer of connection to the new restaurant, which is located just blocks away from the school.

However, unemployment within the Deaf community is a challenge, with about a 70 percent unemployment or underemployment rate. Mozzeria hopes to change that not only in the District, but throughout the country. They already have their sights set on new locations (Austin, another city with a large Deaf population and burgeoning culinary scene, is in talks to be home for a third location) and aim to open two new restaurants a year.

“I really see our team becoming excited about viewing Mozzeria as a springboard to help improve their soft skills: conflict resolution, negotiation skills, teamwork, team building [and] collaboration, and leadership skills, because often they’re not afforded those opportunities,” Maliszewski adds.

“There’s always been talent there. They just haven’t had the opportunities. It’s exciting to see that Mozzeria is branded as a Deaf restaurant, and we’re having more of a presence in the food scene. There are opportunities being created for them by way of being a part of Mozzeria.”

Maliszewski and the whole team are also excited about their H Street location and hope to collaborate with other local businesses and become a friendly neighborhood spot for great pizza for all: Deaf, hard of hearing and hearing alike. Their San Francisco location has a signature duck pizza, and the D.C. team is hard at work in the kitchen crafting a signature pizza that represents the city paired with their authentic Neapolitan style.

In the meantime, their pies are available for pickup and delivery and include classics like Margherita and Italian sausage.

“We hope to continue [as] a source of inspiration for our customers from the minute they walk into our door,” Maliszewski says, looking toward the future. “There’s the misconception of having broken ears or broken hearing, [but] I think we’re the most intuitive, visual people because we have lost a major sensory input. Because we can’t hear, there’s a huge gain. All of our other senses are amplified and heightened.”

He continues of his team, present and future, “We bring a lot of value to a lot of things in life, as far as employment opportunities go. I’m hoping this restaurant can represent that, not just for our customers but also for our employees, in knowing they can actually take these skills they learned and put them to good use after their experience working with Mozzeria.”

To check out the full menu or place an order for pickup or delivery, visit www.mozzeria.com/washington-dc. Mozzeria is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4- 9 p.m., Friday from 4-10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. For the latest, follow Mozzeria @eatmozzeria on Twitter and Instagram.

1300 H St. NE, DC; www.mozzeria.com/washington-dc DISTRICT FRAY | 59

DRINK SHERRY

BABY HOW TO CELEBRATE

INTERNATIONAL SHERRY WEEK WORDS BY JEAN SCHINDLER 60 | FALL 2020

DRINK Did your mom have a bottle of “cooking sherry” at hand for special meals? Yes, mine too. Edgier and slightly boozier than just wine – since it is a wine “fortified” with a little grape brandy – but not as daring as brandy or other hard liquors, sherry seemed like the perfect, Goldilocks’ choice when cooking for company. It took her years to work through that bottle; I tasted it once, as a teen, and decided I would never have a college drinking problem.

But just like rosé – another victim of ‘80s and ‘90s moms and their questionable habits – there is a world of sherry beyond what our parents drank. And with International Sherry Week landing on November 2-8 in 35 cities around the world (including Washington, D.C.), there is no excuse not to explore the vast range of this fabulous Spanish fortified wine.

In fairness, once I realized there are nearly a dozen different sherry styles – all of which (by law) must originate in the Jerez de la Frontera region of Spain – I felt a little overwhelmed. So I turned to Chantal Tseng, a Consejo Regulador-certified sherry educator, Washington cocktail bar legend and U.S. Sherry Week Ambassador, and Julio Robledo, co-founder of specialty wine shop Grand Cata.

“The first time I tasted dry sherry, I didn’t like it,” Tseng confesses. “But think about how you came to like the things you do. In my early days, for example, I loved super fruity pinots. Now, I like my wines lighter and more mineral-driven.”

Robledo adds, “Fino and manzanilla are the driest wines on earth. There are no drier wines that you’ll find on the market.”

Here are few other things I learned from speaking with Robledo and Tseng: • Drink sherry like you do wine. Skip the funny little “sherry glass,” give yourself a proper pour, and have it with dinner.

With a little knowledge in hand, I think I’m ready to tackle International Sherry Week, which will be online this year but with lots of opportunities to engage locally. Tseng will host a virtual sherry cocktail master class on November 7, and participants can preorder all the necessary ingredients as a package from Grand Cata.

Check out her Agatha Christie + Sherry Club on November 8 in partnership with Silver Spring’s Loyalty Bookstore. Estadio will host a livestreamed, hourlong sherry pairing dinner. The three-course meal and paired sherries will be available for preorder to take away. And each day of Sherry Week will feature a virtual happy hour, so anyone can log on and raise a toast.

The upside to pandemic events is that you can join seminars and festivities hosted around the world: visit the International Sherry Week website to learn how you can party online to your heart’s content.

Now that you know what sherry can do, are you ready to make cocktails? Be inspired by summer partiers in Spain and drink rebujitos (one part fino sherry and two parts lemon-lime soda, garnished with a sprig of mint). Or recreate one of the earliest recorded cocktails, the Sherry Cobbler, immortalized by Charles Dickens in “The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit.”

Sherry Week runs from November 2-8. For a full list of events, go to www.sherry.wine/sherryweek and follow @sherrywinesjerez on Instagram. Learn more about Tseng’s Agatha Christe + Sherry Club event on November 8 at www.loyaltybookstores.com/christie17 and follow her on Instagram @shinobipaws.

Check out Grand Cata at www.grandcata.com and @grandcata on Instagram.

SHERRY COBBLER Ingredients

Instructions

3 1/2 ounces amontillado sherry

Mix the orange juice + syrup in a cocktail shaker.

1/2 ounce simple syrup

Add sherry + ice cubes, shake vigorously.

1/4 ounce fresh orange juice

Strain into a tall glass filled with crushed ice.

Ice cubes (for shaker)

Garnish with lemon slices, berries + mint.

Crushed ice (for serving)

Serve with a biodegradable straw.

Lemon slices, berries + mint

• Use it in cocktails. Don’t give up on a sherry you don’t enjoy straight – those sometimes make the best cocktails.

• Fino is the driest of the sherries: crisp, bright and savory. Serve it chilled and try pairing it with fattier dishes – tapas, Spanish ham or anything fried.

• Manzanilla is similar to fino, but with a touch of the sea and a slightly bitter finish. Try pairing it with sushi or any other seafood.

• Amontillado is aged longer than a fino. While still dry, this range of darker sherries will have flavor notes of nuts and caramel. Pair with chicken, or earthier flavors like mushrooms.

• Oloroso sherry undergoes a different aging process (Google “sherry flor” if you want to get technical), which results in just a touch of fragrant sweetness and a fuller-bodied beverage. Pour this with any kind of red meat, as well as pungent cheeses.

• Cream sherry has no dairy. It supposedly got its name after a taster compared it with dry sherry and declared, “If that is milk, then this is cream.” Dark, sweet and rich, this is the perfect dessert beverage.

Pair with a cheese tray or pour over ice cream.

FIRST PAGE. Sherry wines. Photo courtesy of International Sherry Week. SECOND PAGE. Chantal Tseng. Photo courtesy of subject.

DISTRICT FRAY | 61

MUSIC

WORDS BY M.K. KOSZYCKI

MUSIC Loading up your car with a suitcase, guitar, your albums and merchandise may sound like a familiar journey to musicians at the start of their careers. Relying on innovation, dedication and of course, their talent as they traverse the country or perhaps the world is certainly not uncommon. But for a musician of 20 years to embark on a tour like that is unique, to say the least.

Still, that’s been the reality of Norwegian singersongwriter Sondre Lerche. With an almost prophetic sense of what was to come, he left his home in Los Angeles for his native Norway mere days before statewide lockdowns swept the majority of the states, preventing most travel and entertainment from taking place stateside even today.

“I had an intuition that it might be good to go to Norway for a while, but of course I couldn’t have predicted just how intense and sort of f--ked up it would be,” he says.

A small stroke of luck in a year almost completely devoid of such a thing has afforded Lerche the opportunity to embark on the aforementioned edited tour across the country. His latest record “Patience” came out in early June, and an expanded edition, “Patience Deluxe,” followed in late October. By the time “Patience” hit streaming and shelves, every plan Lerche and his team had for it had been changed or cancelled entirely.

But as Norway was able to get their cases of the novel coronavirus relatively under control, Lerche was able to embark on a new kind of tour. Though he faced limitations due to restrictions aimed to keep cases from surging that made it hard to turn a profit on some shows with lower capacity, he says he felt fortunate to carry on in this way – and most importantly, to bring music to people in a time it’s needed most.

“It was quite the adventure. There’s something special about meeting the audience under such strange circumstances. For a lot of people, this was the first show they saw in months. Some people were probably afraid to go out and go to a show, so it was really important to me that we found a way to make it really safe. At the same time, you want people to be able to forget everything that’s been going on and to escape for once. It’s a challenging situation for me and for them, so it creates this extra special bond.”

Lerche recalls how one night, he did four shows in the same evening to an audience of 25 each time. The venue would typically be able to host 100 patrons, but due to restrictions was at a fourth of its regular capacity. Instead of only allowing such a small fraction of fans to attend, he scheduled four shows to meet the demand, share music with fans and engage in mutual moments of forgetting the world around them.

“When I was a kid, I played solo all the time,” he says of bringing back the simplified nature of touring to the road this summer. “I’ve done a lot of solo shows and tours here and there. It was sort of where I come from. So, I felt in a way that this is what I’ve been training for all my life. I really enjoy doing solo shows and [that part] doesn’t feel like a compromise to me. It’s a full, rewarding experience for me and hopefully it is for the audience too.”

In a similar sense, “Patience” also felt like something Sondre Lerche. Photo by Jen Steele.

I’ve always wanted to make a soothing record.

I had no idea that I would be unleashing that into a world where that was one of the main things that audiences needed. the musician worked toward for a long while. Its inception began seven years ago, and the title came to be four years ago. Lerche considers it to be a summation of his life’s work. Throughout the record, he embraced what he calls “radical sincerity.” That, paired with the title, seem to have foreshadowed a world he could never imagine needing his record more.

“It feels almost eerie, in a way,” Lerche says of the timing. “I’ve been sort of surprised and almost baffled by how it’s become this record that is needed. I haven’t felt that way before. I felt really good about putting this out even as things were escalating. I feel that this record actually makes more sense now. I’ve always wanted to make a soothing record, a record that felt like a safe space for you to unload. I had no idea that I would be unleashing that into a world where that was one of the main things that audiences needed.”

And soothing it is. Lerche’s calm but captivating vocals anchor the record, dealing with themes of love and connection – a back to basics approach, thematically, that matches well with what many have come to find important in times of international crisis such as what was collectively experienced throughout 2020. Now, Lerche hopes to build on the ethos of the original release with “Patience Deluxe,” while providing listeners with more to engage with and be soothed by.

“It’s definitely more challenging to keep a record alive when you can’t tour the world,” he adds. “I think one of the advantages of the streaming era is that you can be a bit more spontaneous, expand on things and continue to tell the story of the record here and now. I’m always looking for ways to share it. This is a special record for me, I want to keep expanding on it, and to share anything that can soothe or help people in this strange point in time that we all find ourselves in.”

“Patience” and “Patience Deluxe” are both available now on streaming platforms worldwide. Learn more about Sondre Lerche and the latest record at www.sondrelerche.com. Keep up with him on social media @sondrelerche on Twitter and Instagram.

DISTRICT FRAY | 63

MUSIC

The Age of Aquarius + Covid FRENCH ELECTROPOP BAND YELLE R E L E A S E S “ L’ È R E D U V E R S E AU ”

WORDS BY MICHAEL LORIA

The last show Julie Budet and Jean-Francois Perrier attended before lockdown was in France in early March. Held in a former church in Budet’s hometown of Brittany, she remembers scrolling her newsfeed while in the front row and reading that French President Emmanuel Macron was in the middle of addressing the virus for the first time. The following Monday, Macron announced a nationwide lockdown.

Budet and Perrier, better known as Yelle and Grand Marnier, are the duo behind bright and irreverent electropop band Yelle.

The two started making music together in 2001 and chose the name “YEL” for “you enjoy life,” bringing an ethos of joy and pleasure to early songs that brought them international attention like “Ba$$in” and “A cause des garçons.”

Their latest record, “L’Ère du Verseau,” means “age of Aquarius” in their native French. Released in early September, their fourth album is a couple beats away from that early music. It’s more emotive and melodic than their previous work, with singles like “Je t’aime encore,” “Je veux un chien” and “Karate,” that have a maturity born from experience. Despite the lockdown, the band stuck to their planned release precisely because of how hard the the situation at hand has been.

“The first week, it’s funny,” says Budet of quarantine, “because you’re home all the time. You’re calling your friends. The second week is weird, and the third week you’re depressed because you know it’s going to last.”

But that night in Brittany, their thoughts weren’t on the upcoming record. They had already recorded the music in 2019, and this past spring they finished filming the videos and released them as planned. Touring was no longer an option, however, and Budet says the implications of the pandemic for the music industry hit her when she heard about a club they played in Boston closing for good through Twitter.

A fan had tweeted that the last show they saw at the Boston venue was a Yelle show. It was over a year ago, but Budet remembers that night.

“I totally remember the place,” Budet says. “It was really fun and I was really sad because [I thought] maybe it’s the start of something really complicated in the U.S.” Budet is alluding to the fact that venues in the U.S. depend on ticket and bar sales, whereas in France they receive government support, and the same holds true for artists. Although the band hasn’t been able to tour, they receive aid via a government program for artists and Budet considers herself lucky to recieve such benefits.

That doesn’t detract from her hopes that they’ll soon be able to play live. Yelle recently performed a virtual set, and the response was positive. She enjoyed the casual setup, but didn’t love the overall experience.

“Sometimes, we’re like, ‘Okay, not a problem.’ We’re going to have to change how we reach our fans, and that’s okay.

Sometimes, we’re really depressed because we were planning something and then everything was scrambled. It’s still the same mood. We’re in the middle of a storm and have to adapt to everything.”

Yelle’s Julie Budet. Photo by Jerome Lobato.

The artwork for the album features Budet’s face peering out of what looks a wetsuit against a murky background. It’s darker than Yelle’s earlier work, which draws musically on the ‘90s French electronic scene, but draws visually on lighter ‘80s French pop like Étienne Daho, Lio and Richard Gotainer.

“All the colors, the dance, the craziness,” she says of her influences.

The artists wanted to put out the message that crises can give way to something better. “[Regardless of] the pandemic, it is a really complicated moment in France,” Budet says.

“Je t’aime encore” tells that story of a fresh beginnings on an intimate level. The song builds around a piano ballad motif, and Perrier’s synths mount as the words “Je t’aime encore” become insistent. It’s addressed to their French fans, Budet says. Early on, many listeners misunderstood their work because it wasn’t strictly pop or indie.

“Je veux un chien,” or “I want a dog,” is beat-focused like their past work and overtly sexual, but the meaning is complex. Budet’s wish for a dog became a song about the type of sadomasochistic connection you can find in a romantic relationship. The video has an outstanding, almost pornographic, quality. It’s hard to tell how much is tongue-in-cheek.

“WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM AND HAVE TO ADAPT TO EVERYTHING.” “As a woman, I can say, ‘Okay, I want to be someone’s dog,’ and I can have someone be my dog.”

Like everyone, Budet is unsure of what the coming months will bring. Any and all plans feel contingent, aside from a music video they have slated for a mid-November release. Budet can’t say what song they’ll use, but it will focus on her dancing. The band has their first live shows since the start of the pandemic booked for the end of October in France and Germany, but she has her doubts that it will go according to plan. A U.S. tour looks impossible for the foreseeable future, and the band can only hope that will change going into the new year. Until then, we have “L’Ère du Verseau.”

Visit www.yelle.fr to learn more about Yelle’s work and music, and follow @yellestagram on Instagram and @yelle on Twitter. Listen to “L’Ère du Verseau” on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your music.

DISTRICT FRAY | 65

Coalition Seeks Much-Needed Support

for The District’s Venues WORDS BY M.K. KOSZYCKI

66 | FALL 2020

It’s been well over seven months since venues across the country were forced to a screeching halt since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In light of this standstill, the National Independent Venue Association(NIVA) was formed, linking venues and stakeholders across the country together to lobby the federal government for adequate support to aid in the almost impossible spot these once bustling places were facing.

Some steps in the right direction have been taken.

NIVA’s #SOSFest, a virtual threeday music festival presented in part with YouTube Music, raised over $1.8 million for NIVA’s Emergency Relief Fund, providing some aid to venues most in need. According to www.liveforlivemusic.com, the Save Our Stages Act was included in an amended version of the HEROES Act, a $2.2 trillion relief package that passed in the House of Representatives in early October.

The future of the bill, which was first introduced in the Senate in July, is not guaranteed.

It still requires Senate approval, and the likelihood of new relief packages passing in the short days ahead of the 2020 election proves slim. Something more immediate – and local – is clearly needed in addition to what NIVA continues to advocate for.

In the District, that proposed aid looks like the Music Venue Relief Act (MVRA), which aims to provide relief at a local level for dozens of beloved D.C. venues. The MVRA is being advocated for by the DC Music Stakeholders Coalition, a group of venue owners, musicians and other stakeholders to encourage aid to pass locally.

Per the legislation: “The pandemic has forced the closure of five longstanding D.C. music institutions, four of them cornerstones of the local music economy who presented the jazz, R&B and soul musicians bearing the torch of D.C.’s legacy of Black music. One of the most recent casualties was the beloved Twins Jazz, which supported Pie Shop’s Sandra Basanti. Photo by Louis Tinsley.

MUSIC D.C.’s vibrant jazz scene for 33 years and announced its closure on August 27. Most recently, U Street Music Hall has permanently closed its doors.”

In looking at those closures, it’s clear that the loss goes far beyond the economic or entertainment benefits that such venues bring to the city. They signify a loss of D.C. culture and Black culture, and the effects of such losses will ultimately be felt throughout the U.S. “We’re losing the spaces that support our tremendous Black music community,” says Chris Naoum of Listen Local First (LLF), who is spearheading the campaign along with musician and board chairman of the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation, Aaron Myers. “That’s what is even more troubling to me. It’s not the rock clubs that are going to be the first ones to go. It’s these smaller jazz clubs.”

Logistically speaking, Naoum explains, the current and impending closures will shake up an ecosystem that requires venues of all sizes and genres to grow a band’s touring abilities and allow them to progress from more intimate clubs to thousand-capacity arenas.

This domino effect spells trouble for bands within the District going through the local circuit, as well as those from around the country and world who play the city.

“When different bands come through the city for the first time, they’re going to play at DC9. Then maybe next time, they play the Black Cat, and then maybe next time, they play the 9:30 Club. They serve as a [stepping] stone and give bands the ability to grow within their music community. If a venue dies, especially a smaller venue, that breaks apart the whole ecosystem.”

The MVRA proposes direct financial support to businesses that primarily operate as music venues from October 2020 through May 2021 commensurate with the venue’s size, with monthly funds not to exceed $15,000. Spaces categorized as “music presenters,” defined by the legislation as a spot whose “food and beverage sales account for over 50 percent of its gross annual receipts in accordance with a restaurant license” and that “hosts fairly paid live performances by musicians for a minimum of 48 hours per month,” are eligible for funds on the same scale, not to exceed $7,500.

For many of the venue owners and stakeholders involved in the coalition including Joe Lapan, co-owner of Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe and Union Market’s new Byrdland Records, financial assistance is the only way to guarantee spaces like his and so many others can weather the pandemic. For now, Lapan and his team have been getting by on things like record sales and food orders.

“The two sides of the coin are either some type of financial assistance and relief, or some version of us getting back to our businesses,” he says. “But getting back to our businesses just doesn’t seem like something we’re ready to do in a safe way. D.C. did announce this pilot for six venues, but that’s very limited capacity and very limited dates. I think it’s a step forward, but it’s not a full return to what our businesses were. In lieu of being able to conduct our business, it feels to me like we have to be looking at some type of support from somewhere.”

At H Street’s Pie Shop, Sandra Basanti and team are trying to survive by selling the pies from which the venue takes its name. In the meantime, she looks to recent closures as something that could turn into a reality for venues throughout the city if action isn’t taken soon.

“I think what’s already happening is pretty clear,” she says. “We’ve already lost five of our venues due to Covid. It’s kind of a waiting game, like who’s next? That’s really scary and daunting. You have a couple articles out showing that [people have been] moving out of D.C. during this year, and D.C. dropped on the list of best places to live. I think that venues have a lot to do with that kind of stuff. I would hate for this to end up changing the entire landscape of D.C.” SECOND PAGE. Songbyrd’s Joe Lapan. Photo by Foster K. White. THIRD PAGE. (Top to bottom) Tank and the Bangas at Songbyrd. Photo by Lindsay Hogan. The Free Nationals at Songbyrd. Photo by Mauricio Castro.

At the time of writing, over 1,200 people have signed a petition in support of the MVRA. Their site also provides an email template that individuals can use to reach out to the council and administration about the proposed legislation. Among other direct actions, LLF created a music community platform checklist that included responses from 21 of the 2020 DC Council candidates to aid D.C. voters to make informed decisions when casting their ballot.

And while Basanti and Lapan are supporting themselves and their business in different ways that are by no means sustainable in the long term, even that has not been the case for many more venues in the city. Every day, small venues are faced with uncertainty when it comes to not only just reopening, but simply surviving long enough to get to that point. U Street Music Hall shuttered at the beginning of October after 10 years of hosting multi-genre shows in the U Street Corridor.

Naoum, Basanti, Lapan and the entire stakeholders group remain hard at work advocating to those who can pass such legislation to create the sorts of far-reaching relief that venues need and have not seen. Recently, members of the coalition asked the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities to allot funds from their $5 million budget to support such venues as a start to meet the financial needs created by the coronavirus crisis. And while locals can support with their votes, emails and signing petitions, Naoum notes that people can show support as individuals in addition to all of the above.

DISTRICT FRAY | 67

MUSIC

“Contact your local venue, tweet at them, email them, and ask about GoFundMes and funds for staff,” says Naoum. “If you have a favorite space, the best thing to do, no matter when, is contact the spaces that you really love and care about and see how you can help. If you have a favorite musician, contact them, too. They may be doing live streams and taking Venmo donations on their live streams. Make sure to support the folks that you are fans of whether they’re venues or musicians themselves.”

The MVRA can be read in its entirety through the last link on https://linktr.ee/savedcvenues. On this site, you’ll also find the email template to sign and send to local lawmakers, a signable digital petition and more. Learn more about the coalition and sign 68 | FALL 2020

up for email updates on www.listenlocalfirst.com. Follow them on Twitter @listenlocaldc. Learn more about the venues and ways you can support Songbyrd, Byrdland Records and Pie Shop at www.songbyrddc. com, www.byrdlandrecords.com and www.pieshopdc.com.

Byrdland Records: 1264 5th St. NE, DC; www.byrdlandrecords. com // @byrdlandrecords on Instagram Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe: 2475 18th St. NW, DC; www.songbyrddc.com // @songbyrddc on Instagram Pie Shop: 1339 H St. NE, DC; www.pieshopdc.com // @pieshopdc on Instagram

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CULTURE

WORDS BY TRENT JOHNSON | ILLUSTRATIONS BY E$

CULTURE “Whoever did that is on some shit.”

Prolific hip-hop producer, musician and evil food critic (we’ll get back to this) Daniel Alan Maman, better known as The Alchemist, says this as he leans toward his webcam, tilting forward in his chair.

He’s describing the first project he’d seen by Eric Dolgas, a DMV area artist known as E$.

The two first crossed paths via a connection with Viceland’s “The Untitled Action Bronson Show.” Dolgas was commissioned to create a poster for the program after he successfully, and on a whim, sent artwork to the Viceland offices in New York City.

Dolgas says a few days later, a person called him saying, “We usually throw these directly into the garbage.” Instead, the artwork he sent was hanging in the office of movie director and the channel’s creative director, Spike Jonze. Shortly after, The Alchemist noticed Dolgas’ first piece for the channel, which prompted the two to connect.

“We stayed in touch,” The Alchemist continues. “I remember he drew me in a way I thought was funny. It was really simple. I really liked his style and the way he put them together. That kind of mural thing he does reminded me of how we do beats.”

The pair’s “The Food Villain” project, which includes an album, coloring book, prints, posters and all other kinds of merch, was released on October 25.

The moniker is from The Alchemist’s persona developed on another of Viceland’s Action Bronson shows: “F*ck, That’s Delicious.” The 30-minute episodes operate as a more millennial, hipsterfriendly Food Channel program where Bronson and friends eat dishes domestically and internationally at restaurants both big and small.

“Chris Grosso, the producer of ‘F*ck, That’s Delicious,’ dubbed me ‘the food villain.’

I’m on a show with three big monsters who eat everything and I’m this smaller guy who gets pushed out of the frame by the monsters sometimes. I like things, but I’m pretty picky as you can see by my size. Chris was like, ‘Yo, you’re the first villain on a food show. You don’t like things, but you’re on a goddamn food show.’”

Grosso’s nickname stuck and The Alchemist figured he’d run with it as a creative concept, which was an opportunity to further entrench himself as The Food Villain.

FIRST PAGE. The Alchemist. THIRD PAGE. E$. Photos courtesy of subjects.

One thing that kept coming up when researching “The Food Villain” project was the fan theory percolating on social media that this was a collaboration between The Alchemist and British rapper MF Doom.

“It’s actually ridiculous,” The Alchemist says. “When I came up with the idea, I had no thoughts about Doom. [But] once I started working on the project, I did think about it, and there is a track on the project that’s an homage to him. So no, this is not a collaboration with Doom. I love Doom. I hate that people got misled, but I also didn’t want to start mentioning it via social media because then you’re talking about it and it becomes even more of a thing.”

To figure out his alter ego’s look, he shot Dolgas a text: “Yo, I’m thinking about…” From there, Dolgas sent drawing after drawing, illustration after illustration.

Each work in the final project screams Dolgas’ unique style, which is a combination of cartoonish characters, hip-hop style and irreverent pop culture references all bleeding together on black-and-white pages that could be awaiting color from pens, pencils and markers, if you’re uncivilized.

“I remember I was like, ‘Alright man, I got this idea and it’s you in a chef’s hat,” Dolgas begins. “Then I just started drawing the whole image. As we kept working with the core concept, we just kept going down different paths of villainy.

One day, I’d be like, ‘I wonder what kind of cartoons we can throw Al’s face on that’d be funny.’ At one point, I just started inserting a bunch of naked ladies into it, too.” “[The Hamburglar is] an inspiration,” The Alchemist says. “When I first envisioned it, it was like that cat burglar guy, a Frenchlooking villainous character.”

With a limitless supply of inspirational jumping off points, the duo went back and forth, pondering caricatures of characters like KFC’s mustached colonel, Chigurh from “No Country for Old Men” and Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee, resulting in more than 40 illustrations for the book, posters and promo art.

“That’s one thing that [The Alchemist] and I collaborate well on, because I’m fine with seeking perfection,” Dolgas says.

“I want this to be the exact right image.”

DISTRICT FRAY | 71

CULTURE The release not only marks the culmination of “The Food Villain” concept, but also two years of collaboration between the duo. Though each is wickedly creative within their mediums, Dolgas and The Alchemist found solace in each other’s contributions, using them as fuel for their own offerings.

“It was crazy to me, because I only see ‘The Food Villain’ from the drawing side. What can I make an image out of? And when [he] sent me the sample of the songs I was like, ‘Whoa! This is how he sees it through music.’ I can’t express that. I don’t have any musical ability.

But when you hear it, you’re like, ‘That’s it.’”

Because Dolgas provided a large portion of drawings before The Alchemist began crafting beats and songs with the character in mind, he credits the images with assisting heavily toward the record’s composition.

“Everything I do, at the end of the day, I want to have a musical element to it,” The Alchemist says. “And I was going off the drawings, of course. The inspiration I was drawing from was what [Dolgas] did, and then I watched all the episodes of ‘F*ck, That’s Delicious.’ I sat up one day and watched every single episode, and I had the drum machine on record and I was grabbing certain sound bites.”

The Alchemist describes the sound of the record as lighthearted jazz meets evil beats. Like all of the producer’s other solo works, a majority of the tracks are instrumental (though “F*ck, That’s Delicious” co-stars Action Bronson and Big Body Bes contributed verses), which makes his choice of sound bites and the music’s narrative structure imperative to giving the concept further context.

“Because there’s no vocalist on it, I spice it up and make it really fun to listen to. It’ll go from a smooth one to a ‘Oh, what’s going on here?’” The Alchemist says. “When I work with rappers, you’ve got to play things and let them see what they like. A lot of times, I have beats that I really love, but the artist doesn’t see the light.”

Both Dolgas and The Alchemist agree on the importance of the project’s presentation, which is why “The Food Villain” kept evolving. From a one-off to a potential art show, the duo now believes they’ve found the perfect combination of mediums to deliver this grandiose collection.

“I’m kind of sad it’s finished,” Dolgas says, “because it’s so fun to draw a fire drawing and send it to The Alchemist and just wait for the reaction. It never gets old sending The Alchemist a picture and having him respond with, ‘That’s fire.’ I’m sad this project is coming to an end, but I’m super excited for people to see this.”

The Alchemist adds, “You’re like, ‘Damn, this thing is done.’ But that’s why we’re artists. We can start another project. We can always do more.”

For more information about “The Food Villain,” visit www.alcrecords.com. Follow Alchemist on Twitter @alchemist and check out Dolgas’ artwork on Instagram @theedollarsign.

72 | FALL 2020

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LIFE

WORDS BY MONICA ALFORD

  DISTRICT FRAY | 75

LIFE Have you ever wondered what language elves speak or how computers learn to tell jokes? Or what about how forensic linguistics are used to solve crimes or the importance of media literacy in today’s political and social climate?

Whether the topic is light and playful or more serious in nature, the District’s brand-new language arts museum is filled to the brim with immersive experiences focused on the power of words. The world’s first voice-activated museum, Planet Word, opened to the public on October 22 following a virtual ribbon-cutting event that featured prerecorded performances and experiences bringing the museum to life.

Located downtown inside D.C.’s historic Franklin School, the museum will only be open on Thursday through Saturday at first as Planet Word’s leadership gauges how comfortable their staff and visitors are. The museum’s executive director, Patty Isacson Sabee, says the two most important factors she and her team have put in place during Covid are controlling the amount of time the space is open and the number of people inside at any given time through timed tickets and advanced registration.

From making styluses available for touching screens to installing extra audio jacks so visitors can bring their own headphones from home, her team has been meticulous in planning ways to create safe experiences within the museum’s many interactive exhibits.

This impressive level of detail comes as no surprise, as founder and CEO Ann Friedman has been working to make her vision for the museum come to fruition since 2013, with Isacson Sabee joining in 2017. The nation’s capital was always meant to be the museum’s home, even in the early planning stages.

76 | FALL 2020

“D.C. was the goal because it is a city not only of museums and monuments, but that celebrates the great words that built our democracy and our country,” Isacson Sabee says. “It is a city of museums about things we value, and a seat of those powerful words that got us started is absolutely the right place for this museum to be.”

The executive director says she and Friedman were always in complete alignment about the importance of creating tangible experiences for the public to understand and appreciate the power, beauty and fun of words and language. “[We shared] the desire to make reading cool again, and to connect people with the agency and power to enjoy and be thoughtful with their words and their language,” Isacson Sabee says, “and everything that comes with that: empathy for others, and the ability to create joyful experiences, have civil dialogue and support a democratic society.”

Planet Word has 10 galleries featuring immersive experiences, as well as digital interactives called beacons that give visitors the chance to delve deeper into a particular topic like media literacy or hate speech. The museum’s DIVERCITIES program hosts moderated conversations with artists, journalists, poets, activists and more on a monthly basis, connecting locals with peers in a range of cities from Milwaukee to Mexico City.

Isacson Sabee says it’s completely up to each visitor how much they want to engage and interact with individual exhibits.

“Every one of the galleries features a social, emotionally driven experience with words and language,” she says. “There is a lot to explore in a fun, engaging manner. When you want to understand

FIRST + THIRD PAGE. Planet Word. Photos by DuHon Photography. SECOND PAGE. Charity Blackwell. Photo courtesy of subject.

what makes a song great, you can come to the [karaoke] exhibit and explore end rhyme and slant rhyme, but all while singing your favorite songs. It’s about how we create humor with wordplay while you’re telling jokes, [or] understanding the fun and pleasure of idioms and puns while you’re looking at someone with a prop and trying to guess, ‘Now, you’re holding a dagger and you’re plunging it into a bowl of what looks like Fruit Loops – are you a serial killer?’”

The museum is also curating hands-on experiences and partnerships with local talent, kickstarted by performances at their virtual opening from opera singer Renée Fleming, hiphop artist Christylez Bacon and spoken word artist Charity Blackwell, among others.

When the museum asked Blackwell, who works as the director of creative arts and education for nonprofit DC SCORES, to write a poem about the power of words for the opening, she jumped at the opportunity.

“Of course, I was like, ‘Yes!’ I live, eat and breathe the power of words as a professional spoken word artist – seeing how the power of words impacts the people I perform for and how powerful words are in providing me with healing, as well as the kids I work with [at DC SCORES] seeing the power of words.

That has given them a safe, healthy and supportive outlet to express their emotions in a very meaningful way.”

Blackwell says she’s looking forward to collaborating with Planet Word again in the near future and is hopeful the museum will showcase some of her students’ poetry in different activations. She views the space as the perfect outlet for her budding spoken word poets to learn about different types of writing.

“I’m looking forward to giving [my students] writing prompts, and also seeing other people who look like them to be inspired by and draw different types of inspiration from in their writing.”

While the museum is certainly advantageous for developing minds, Blackwell views its content as relevant to all ages – especially during such a divisive time for our country.

“We are in sensitive times so what you say, how you say it, what you agree to and where you stand is extremely important.

Everyone is writing, posting and expressing themselves. We have to be extremely conscientious of the energy we’re putting out there with our words [and] understand the power of what we say. Whether that’s a tweet you put up, something you repost, something you say to your friends – it should matter, and it definitely matters a lot during this time.”

Isacson Sabee mirrors this sentiment, citing millennials as intense word nerds interested in things like “linguistic bias, which is one of the few really unaddressed biases we still have facing us in our country, and media literacy, which is so important now with the [upcoming] election.”

She adds, “There’s such a hunger for people to connect with this aspect of the humanities. It’s an exciting time to really be thinking about ways to communicate more nationally, and globally.”

Planet Word is open Thursday through Saturday and free to the public.

Visitors are required to register in advance for timed tickets. Masks are mandatory and social distancing measures will be in place. For more information and safety guidelines, visit www.planetwordmuseum.org and follow @planetworddc on all social media platforms. Learn about Blackwell at www.charityblackwell.com and @charityjoyceblackwell on Instagram, and check out DC SCORES at www.dcscores.org.

925 13th St. NW, DC; 202-931-3139; www.planetwordmuseum.org DISTRICT FRAY | 77

NEW PUP-FRIENDLY LOCALES IN THE DMV WORDS BY KELSEY COCHRAN

What’s better than spending your quarantine hanging out with your dog at home? Easy: hanging out with your dog at the bar. One of the silver linings of 2020 is new dog bars opening in the DMV dedicated to bringing you and your pooch out on the town.

Brewski’s Barkhaus, located in Alexandria, claims to be the first dog bar to open in the region. Alex Benbassat and Justin LeGore, cofounders of Barkhaus, originally met when they were roommates at Virginia Tech. The pair ended up staying together after college 78 | FALL 2020

when they both had opportunities in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Benbassat and LeGore loved to take the former’s dog, Rex, to the local dog park and bar to unwind after a long day of work and get to know people in their new city.

“We were in a new city where we didn’t really know people and taking our dog to the dog bar was the easiest way to just to meet people,” Benbassat says. “That’s something that we just loved to do.”

LIFE When the pair found themselves back in the metro area, they were surprised to find that there were no dog bars in the area they could visit. Benbassat was especially crushed as he was missing his own pup.

“I couldn’t bring Rex to Alexandria because it was too expensive, and I was still doing my studies,” Benbassat recalls. “One thing I didn’t like about that was, there wasn’t really anything or anywhere to go where I could go and hang out with other people’s dogs.”

Benbassat and LeGore saw this hole in the local market and took the opportunity to create their own dog bar. After much research, planning and adjusting due to Covid, Barkhaus was finally ready to open. Opening weekend took place on October 17-18 and went off without a hitch. Customers were masked, dogs were friendly and the drinks were flowing. With plenty of indoor and outdoor space available, customers are easily 6 feet apart at all times during their visit. And those who are continuing to work remotely are invited to use Barkhaus as their office away from home.

“We provide free Wi-Fi for anyone that wants to come here work from Barkhaus and have their dog run around in the play area while they’re working,” Benbassat states. “Both the human and their dog can have a break from being home.”

Moving into the colder months, Barkhaus will continue to be a safe place to visit. The bar has already acquired multiple heat lamps for the outdoor spaces and will set up canopies as well to protect from the weather.

By December, another dog bar will be joining the scene in the District. Bark Social, founded by Luke Silverman and Jeff Kurtzman, is a private off-leash dog park with an indoor and outdoor bar and café set to open mid-December at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda.

Bark Social boasts about an acre of outdoor space, as well as a covered patio and indoor seating options. Grab a seat next to one of the heaters, order an Irish coffee and enjoy a beautiful winter day as you watch your pup pal run around to its heart’s content. Bark Social is sure to become one of the best spots to safely escape quarantine once it opens, and Silverman can’t wait to welcome his two and fourlegged guests alike.

“We’re excited to be able to get back together with people in a safe way,” Silverman says. “It’s a great opportunity to get people back outside in a Covid world.”

Because of its unique setup, Bark Social has not had to pivot much as it’s meant to be enjoyed almost entirely outside – no matter the season. CDC guidelines will of course be followed by the dog park and bar, but customers can breathe easier knowing there is so much dedicated outdoor space for them and their pooches.

“It’s a great place to feel safe, and hopefully you’ll want to come back after Covid.”

Members of Bark Social can enjoy unlimited access to the park, online store, private events and more. Dogs are expected to be up to date on all of their shots to stop the spread of disease, and “Bark Rangers” will be monitoring play time to make sure everyone gets along. You can play with your dog as much as you want, but if you want to take a break with your friends you don’t have to worry about leashing your dogs while you enjoy a selection of local beer or coffee at the bar as the Bark Rangers will watch your pets.

In addition to just being a fun place to bring your pooch, Bark Social is dedicated to uplifting other local businesses. About 50 percent of their beer on tap is from Montgomery County, and another 40 percent is regional. Before even opening their doors, Bark Social has donated over $600 to local dog rescue societies from the sales of their Give Back T-shirt. Silverman and his team hope to partner with local animal welfare nonprofits for fundraising and

adoption events almost every weekend after they open.

“We’re dedicated to being hyperlocal, and we believe our customers care about where their products come from and want to help the local economy,” Silverman states. “For us, it’s really important to maintain a healthy micro business economy.”

So whether you’re itching to socialize for the first time in months, or you just want a fun and safe space to visit once in a while, consider bringing your dog along to these great new bars.

Bark Local: Guests without dogs are not required to purchase a membership and are free to visit anytime. Dogs must be up to date on all shots in order to visit. Monthly memberships cost $39.99 per month and yearly memberships are $365. Members can bring non-member guests with dogs if they purchase a guest pass for $9.99. Learn more about at www.barksocial.com, or call them at 240-253-6060 with any questions. Follow them on Instagram and Twitter @bark_social and on Facebook @barksocialbar. Open daily 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. 935 Prose St. North Bethesda, MD. Brewski’s Barhaus: Guests without dogs are not required to purchase a membership and are free to visit anytime. Dogs must be up to date on all shots in order to visit. Daily passes for pets are $10, monthly memberships are $30 per month and yearly memberships are $250 annually. Learn more at www.brewskisbarkhaus.com. Follow them on Instagram and Twitter @barkhaus_ or on Facebook @breskisbarkhaus.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. 529 East Howell Ave. Alexandria, VA.

OTHER DOG-FRIENDLY PLACES AROUND D.C. BAKED & WIRED Baked & Wired bakes dog treats in flavors like Peanut Butter Krunch in addition to their fresh bread, pastries, muffins and cookies.

Currently, the spot is carryout and delivery-only, but their outdoor seating is dog-friendly. Open 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily. 1052 Thomas Jefferson St. NW, DC; www.bakedandwired.com LOST DOG CAFÉ The Lost Dog Café is a dog-friendly spot with great food and beer. The owners of this local chain started rescuing dogs when the café was still in its infancy and now work to home strays in the region. Multiple locations and hours. www.lostdogcafe.com WET DOG TAVERN This pet-friendly beer garden was founded in honor of the owner’s dog Lilly. Attend events hosted by Wet Dog that support the Humane Rescue Alliance and other animal welfare nonprofits.

Open Wednesdays and Thursdays 4-10 p.m., Fridays 4-11 p.m., Saturdays 2-11 p.m. and Sundays 2-9 p.m. 2100 Vermont Ave. NW, DC; www.wetdogdc.com WUNDER GARTEN NoMa’s German biergarten offers year-round outdoor seating with seasonal fire pits to warm you on extra blustery winter nights. In addition to board games, cornhole and live entertainment, your dog is also welcome at Wunder Garten. Just take a peek at their Instagram to spy all the cute pups who know where to go for a good time. Open Monday to Wednesday, 4-11 p.m., Thursday 4 p.m. - 12 a.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 12 a.m., Saturday 12 p.m. - 12 a.m. and Sunday 12-11 p.m. 1101 First St. NE, DC; www.wundergartendc.com

FIRST PAGE. (Top to bottom) Opening weekend at Brewski’s Barkhaus. Barkhaus founders Alex Benbassat (L) + Justin LeGore (R). Photos courtesy of Barkhaus.

DISTRICT FRAY | 79

PLAY

WORDS BY KELSEY COCHRAN

80 | FALL 2020

For the better part of the year, Washingtonians have been sitting in front of their laptops with sweats on. We all need a vacation to destress and unwind from the chaos that is 2020, but the pandemic brings any plans of getting out to a halt. Luckily, you don’t have to stray far from the city for a luxurious getaway.

Local couple turned business partners Theresa Converse and Brian Schram recently launched their new glamping business, Outdoor Eventures, giving D.C. residents the perfect escape in the era of Covid-19.

“I’m looking forward to providing an outlet for people to hopefully relieve some stress from everything that has been going on,” Schram says. “One of our biggest goals with this business is to provide a really fun unique experience for people, and I think a lot of people really need that right now.”

Outdoor Eventures offers luxury tent accommodations for parties, corporate events, weddings, intimate gatherings or whatever you desire. Converse and Schram take care of everything for you, allowing you to just enjoy your time wherever you may want to set up camp. Get the full camping experience by reserving a traditional campsite in the woods or just enjoy a romantic night under the stars in your own backyard. And don’t worry if you’re not an avid camper – the Outdoor Eventures experience was made with both city slickers and outdoor enthusiasts in mind.

“It’s a funny little blend,” Schram explains with a laugh.

“Theresa grew up camping, and I am definitely more of a snob and not a huge camper, so this kind of meets in the middle.

We both really liked the concept of allowing people to have a little luxury during their camping trip, but also get those traditional experiences.”

Outdoor Eventures was initially born out of necessity. Last year, Converse and Schram began planning their dream glamping wedding. The couple reserved their wedding venue for the whole weekend, hoping to enjoy the space with their friends and family as they celebrated their big day. While looking into local vendors to supply tents and services for the weekend, Converse and Schram found that pickings were slim and expensive.

They wanted to be able to host their wedding at a reasonable price, and saw the lack of vendors in the glamping market as an opportunity.

“We threw some numbers together and decided to do it on our own,” Converse says of their venture into the glamping world.

“It was our own need that we were trying to fill, and then we thought some other people might benefit from it in the area.”

The couple’s former careers made them perfect candidates to start such a business. Converse ran festivals for an events company while Schram was in the hospitality business, two industries that have been left reeling from the effects of Covid.

DISTRICT FRAY | 81

PLAY Though the realities of the pandemic hit the couple hard, it also offered an opportunity to go all in on their idea for a glamping business.

“Covid definitely played a part in escalating our timeline because both of our worlds were pretty rocked as a result of the virus,” Schram says. “We were scrambling a little to put together a game plan and figured now is as good of timing as ever to start our business.”

While launching a business may seem like the last thing to do in a pandemic, Converse and Schram are making it work. Though bigger events like weddings or retreats are still on hold, small groups have been able to reserve glamping gear for fun and unique social distancing-approved get togethers. The couple hopes to build up their business and host invite-only glamping events with local businesses such as wineries and breweries when it is safer to do so, but are happy offering smaller escapes for now.

“I’m looking forward to connecting with more venues and potential clients for next year this winter, and planning our own wedding finally,” Converse says. “[But] it’s nice to be able to bring something positive to people’s weekends.”

For more information about how to book your own glamping adventure, visit www.outdooreventures.com. Follow Outdoor Eventures on Facebook and Instagram @outdooreventures.

FIRST + SECOND PAGE. Photos courtesy of Outdoor Eventures.

THIRD PAGE. Outdoor Eventures’ Brian Schram + Theresa Converse. Photo courtesy of Converse.

SEEN

CENTREVILLE DRIVE-IN. Old Centreville Crossing in Centreville, Virginia hosted a sunset drive-in movie experience on Friday, October 2 where guests practiced family-friendly social distancing with “How To Train Your Dragon” playing on the big screen. Photos by Joe Jasper.

BEGINNER’S GUIDE: MEDITATION | PLAY

Release Stress + Open Your Mind WORDS BY AMANDA WEISBROD

Breathe in, and out. Take a moment to clear your mind and settle. Feel your anxieties leave your body with each exhale, and breathe in positivity.

You’ve just practiced a little bit of mindfulness, and according to experts, keeping this up as a daily habit will do wonders for your mental and physical health.

Multiple academic studies have revealed a positive correlation between mindfulness meditation and beneficial health effects like reduced stress, lower blood pressure, improved sleep and more.

So what exactly is mindfulness?

And how are you supposed to turn off your brain when there’s so much going on around you? Two D.C.-based wellness professionals chime in with advice for beginners and their takes on why being present and open with yourself is important for the health of your mind, body and soul.

WOO WOO COMPANY Through Woo Woo Company, founder Alice Hu connects with the spiritual side of meditation and mindfulness as she includes “tarot, crystals and everything woo” in her practice. She praises a variety of meditation supplements on her website, but reveals her favorite is to play sound baths, which involves playing a variety of musical instruments to create a sound that is said to cleanse one’s mind.

“All you do is lay down and listen to me play crystal bowls.

People come out of it saying they feel like a different person,” Hu says. “Think of these sounds as a massage for the mind and the body.”

Hu founded Woo Woo Company nearly two years ago with the vision of sharing her talents as a sound healer with others around her. Now, she’s able to do just that through online events, meditations and healing sessions.

DISTRICT FRAY | 83

The transition to everything online wasn’t difficult, Hu says, because she had the foresight to move her business to a virtual format months before stay-athome orders and a nationwide lockdown went into place. She also says she doesn’t mind keeping her business online because that means she can reach more people, and during a time of immense stress and uncertainty, she is able to do a lot of good.

For the Woo Woo founder, sticking with a daily meditation practice has helped her feel more resilient during the pandemic, and encourages others to try it too. Even if you haven’t practiced mindfulness before, Hu says it’s as easy as leaving your phone at home and taking a walk or sitting on a park bench.

From there, being with yourself without distractions will become easier and soon you won’t feel so anxious about sitting in silence with your eyes closed.

“It’s an amazing tool that’s free and the only thing that’s limiting you is discipline and consistency,” Hu says.

“Meditation and mindfulness have helped me step out of who I am and step into who I want to be.”

You can check out Woo Woo Company at @woowooco on Instagram and sign up for online sessions at www.woowoocompany.com.

CANIS Camille Wolff founded CANIS in 2014 to help people with high-stress jobs benefit from the effects of meditation and mindfulness. She realized its effects herself when she felt like she had the perfect diet and exercise routine, but felt her thoughts were “ruminating.”

“Often we will attach to different thoughts as a coping mechanism to soothe ourselves from whatever emotion we’re experiencing,” she says. “I began to soothe my nervous system in a way that was a lot healthier than constantly thinking. I see meditation as a means to heal and soothe the nervous system so we can live in the present moment.”

While Hu’s approach is a spiritual one, Wolff comes at meditation from a health and wellness angle. The CANIS founder says stress and overthinking can wreak havoc on the nervous system, and believes mindfulness is a way to bring a “myriad of aspects” together to create optimized health.

To her, this is especially important for the passionate change-makers in D.C. 84 | FALL 2020

and is a large reason why she moved from New York City to the District to launch CANIS. “My goal is to help people who are creating a large impact in D.C. to stay healthy so they can continue to impact at the level that they are,” she says. “People in D.C. are really passionate and they’ll do whatever it takes to execute that passion, so they need to stay healthy to make those big decisions.”

Wolff agrees with Hu in that the easiest way to get started with meditation is to reduce outside distractions while doing a simple task like walking or relaxing on the couch.

“The first step to meditation is removing excess stimuli so you can be with just your mind and connect to what you actually feel,” she says.

Follow CANIS at @canis.with.camille on Instagram and schedule an online session at www.caniswithcamille.com.

FIRST PAGE. Alice Hu. Photo by Birch Thomas. SECOND PAGE. Cami Wolff. Photo by Reema Desai.

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IN OTHER WORDS

THE R MURAL

PROJECT AN ART INSTALLATION

INSPIRED BY RESILIENCE

IN THE TIME OF COVID WORDS BY NATALIA KOLENKO

Resilience is all around us in the time of Covid-19. Every day, people continue to go to work, go to school and take care of their families despite numerous challenges. It is this strength that inspired D.C.-based Creative Theory Agency (CTA) to establish the R Mural Project, an interactive art installation designed to inspire the community while also offering resources to those hit hardest by the pandemic. District Fray spoke with CTA’s co-founder and chief creative officer Gary Williams Jr. and art director Greg Fisk about what went into creating the mural, which can be seen at Union Market through 2021.

District Fray: How did you and fellow CTA co-founder Tamon George meet and decide to establish this culturefocused marketing agency?

Williams: He and I started out as photographers in the D.C. area. We started to run into each other, and we realized we had a lot of similar experiences within the creative world as Black men.

A lot of those experiences were being the last ones to be called to the table. We realized that we had more to offer.

What was the inspiration behind the R Mural Project?

Williams: The R Mural Project [stemmed from] understanding how underrepresented communities were disproportionately affected by this pandemic. We have a mural wall that we’ve used for several projects in the Union Market area and we wanted to do something that would light up the community and be a spot where people could come and would want to interact with it. We extended that art on the sidewalk to almost encompass you and feel like you’re immersed. The storytelling part was to foster empathy and knowing that when people hear each other’s stories, it opens the door for inspiration. [We want] people to see themselves in someone else and understand, “Hey, I’m not going through this alone.” The third part of the project is the helpfulness directory, where we are populating a directory with links to funding, food banks, small businesses that you can support, childcare – whatever you need during this time.

How did you all decide to use the word “resilience?”

Williams: [“Resilience”] came from a tweet that Barack Obama posted [during the Covid period] and had to do with underrepresented communities often being called to be the most resilient during these times.

86 | FALL 2020

FROM TOP. Gary Williams + Greg Fisk. Photos courtesy of subject. SECOND PAGE. R Mural Project. Photo courtesy of CTA.

How do you explain the artistic direction behind this project? What aspects of it are interactive?

Fisk: The time in which this was going up was very dark and kind of ominous, so I wanted to create an immersive space that was the opposite of that. With the design, whatever the vantage point, I wanted you to be able to see the word “resilience.” On top of that, I used an AR component, so when you’re on Instagram you can access filters on Creative Theory’s account, and if you can’t go to the physical mural you can access a face filter which is good for sharing your own story of resilience. If you tag Creative Theory, we might post it on our curated list of stories. [There is also] a plaque with a QR code and when you click the code it will jump to a Linktree where there are links to several interactions with the mural.

Whose local stories can be seen on the website?

Williams: We’ve been doing Zoom interviews with folks and getting stories of resilience from people most affected by Covid right now: service industry workers, grocery store workers, frontline workers, educators [to name a few].

Who are some of the other parties that helped make this mural happen?

Williams: [I want] to mention our main partner on this which is Capital One. They’ve allowed us to take this project to the next level and make of it what we want.

Fisk: And a shoutout to our muralist Manuela Montano. She’s the one that painted the mural.

What is your favorite art medium? Fisk: Letterpress printing. Williams: Photography. Who is your favorite artist? Williams: My favorite artist of the moment is Joshua Kissi. What is your favorite thing about D.C.? Fisk: There’s a very strong focus on community in D.C., and a strong emphasis on culture. Do you have a go-to podcast or artist you listen to while working?

Fisk: Smithsonian’s Sidedoor, which is a podcast I actually work on. Williams: I’m often listening to Kaytranada while I work. Which D.C. restaurant has your favorite take-out? Fisk: Busboys and Poets. Williams: Cane. Have you taken up any new hobbies in quarantine? Fisk: Not new, but my two major hobbies are breakdancing and rock-climbing. Williams: I got a motorcycle license and a Can-Am Ryker bike. What’s one thing you can’t live without? Fisk: Nature.

Williams: My wife. Do you have any goals for 2021? Fisk: Be resilient as a family and don’t let the weight of the world take me down, but grow because of it. Williams: Continue to grow as a person and as a business.

To access the stories and resources provided by the R Mural project, visit www.rmuralproject.com. To keep up with CTA and their work, go to www.creativetheory.agency and follow them on Instagram @creativetheoryagency.

DISTRICT FRAY | 87

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