Tag Archives: Chefs

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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New Chef at Central: Jason Maddens

Photo courtesy of
‘cheeseburger @ Central, Michel Richard’
courtesy of ‘PlantainsandKimchi.com’

A little while ago, Ashley brought you the news that Michel Richard is now offering buckets of fried chicken. And now the latest news from Central is the appointment of a new executive chef, Jason Maddens.

Not entirely new to the Michel Richard empire, Maddens was previously the sous chef at Michel in Tyson’s Corner. Prior to that he worked as the executive sous chef at 2941 in Falls Church, VA.

“Jason is a wonderful young chef, with good experience in high volume restaurants.  We have been working together for several months and I am glad to have him join us at Central,” says Richard. 

My guess is that the menu will remain mostly the same (don’t worry, that fried chicken isn’t going anywhere). According to Mel Davis, the executive assistant to Richard, Maddens will work with Richard on seasonal changes to the menu.

Capital Chefs, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Victor Albisu of BLT Steak (Part I)

PB140264

The first thing that you need to know about him is that Chef Victor Albisu has a calm, dry sarcasm that I find highly entertaining. Cathy and I recently stopped by his Farragut restaurant, BLT Steak,  to learn how to cook mushroom risotto.

We walk into his kitchen and Chef Albisu pulls out a pan of mushrooms and a big round of Idiazabal cheese from the Basque Country of Spain. “Spain is my favoritist place in the world,” Chef Albisu deadpans. “I’ve been incorporating elements of Basque cuisine into my cooking recently.”  And as he pours oil and rice into a pan, letting Cathy take the spoon, we launch into a conversation about Chef Albisu’s cooking styles and whether garlic is better than truffles. Continue reading →

Downtown, Food and Drink, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Features
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Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show: Paula Deen Brings the Butter

Paula Deen and Jon Ashton in LOL Theater

courtesy of The Tiny Kitchen

You thought I was kidding about the butter until you saw this picture…

Things have been a little crazy this fall, and I’ve been missing out on my usual weeknight and weekend HEAVY dosage of the Food Network. Alas, this weekend, I am excited to get some face time with my favorite stars, in addition to some DC super-chefs.

This Saturday and Sunday (November 7-8), the 2009 Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show is coming to the downtown convention center. For a $20 admission ticket, you can visit the showroom floor, a cooking demonstration or a knife skills class.

The show room floor will feature over 200 caterers, personal chefs, appliance manufacturers and party planners, but one of the true benefits of your General Admission ticket is access to the Tasting and Entertaining Workshops. Continue reading →