So I have a few chef crushes in this city. DC is full of adorable, smart, funny and talented chefs – how can a girl not wind up with favorites? I’m not going to show you my whole hand, but I will let you in on one chef crush of mine – this guy. Chef Alain Roussel of La Ferme. After Cathy and I took a trip out to Chevy Chase to learn how to make souffle, we walked out of the restaurant and I gushed “AH! If only he were younger, I’d totally be smitten!” “I know!” agreed Julie Feldman, his PR person, “He’s great!”

Each of these Capital Chef articles is different – some chefs are business-like, some chefs are delightfully casual to the point of throwing eggs at me, and some chefs, my favorite chefs, feed us nonstop. Chef Roussel is the latter – everything about him is warm and old-school. Chef is oh-so-French (fraunchhhh, if you will), and spending a morning learning how to whip up the classic French souffle was such a fun experience. You can’t help but feel comfortable in his kitchen, surrounded by his favorite foods. He brought us (excellent, crave-worthy) coffee, (excellent, crave-worthy) croissants, lemon and sugar crepes, and of course, two souffles. Continue reading →