Photo by Bobby Bruderle

James Alefantis is the chef and owner of two famed local eateries—Comet Ping Pong and Buck’s Fishing & Camping—and a Washington, DC, native. He is also a designer, chef, artist and producer who serves as the board president of Transformer, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to new artists and new ideas. Alefantis serves food in its time and is committed to authenticity in food and design and the playful interactions of people. He was recently named one of the most powerful people in Washington by GQ magazine. He and his work have been featured in Food & Wine, the New York Times, Washington Interior Design, Southern Living, New York Magazine and on the Food Network.

Illustration by Luke Atkinson

QUESTIONS

edibleDC: What is your all-time favorite food?

PIZZA!!!

eDC: What is the perfect food for ping pong

Any food that reminds you of your childhood. And that you can eat with one hand.

eDC: What is your favorite childhood meal?

As a child, my dream was to be a baker and wear a baker’s hat, so as a kid my favorite was sitting on the counter eating the cookie dough out of my mother’s mixing bowl. Sometimes dreams DO come true. You should see my hat! Oh, and now my mixer holds 60 gallons!

eDC: What ingredient/food would we find in your kitchen that would surprise people?

Pure flavor is the only way to go for me so I cook with no strange ingredients. I love to eat raw foods in season: raw green beans, corn kernels, apples, tomatoes, chard, even beets (barely cooked).

My other favorite foods are German Rieslings and white Burgundy—preferably while playing ping pong at Dr. Pong in Berlin, Germany. Check it out!

eDC: What is your funniest dining moment?

My friends used to say that every one of my stories starts at the dining table (and should end in bed). Every good story should include what and where you ate.

eDC: If you could invite any three people, alive or dead, to dinner, who would it be? Why? And what do you think each would order.

Architect David Adjaye because he is brilliant. I met [him] once. He loves pizza and wants to come to Comet [Ping Pong]. (He is brilliant!) Artist David Wojnarowicz, because he would tell me how wrong I am about everything… and be right. I would try to feed him but he would be smoking and talking. Alice Waters, who I actually did make dinner with. She is so much more calm than I am— and more talented. She would make herself something and then let me have some. Hopefully the same as last time— linguine and garlic with tons of tiny clams from Hog Island Oyster Farm in Marin County.

eDC: Who is your favorite celebrity to dine with?

A recent one—I was sitting with awesome people at Comet, when I said “Excuse me. I have to say hi to Susan Sarandon.” She was walking in the front door with her ping pong aficionado boyfriend Jonathan Bricklin. They, of course, own a ping pong bar in NYC called Spin and were in DC to check out Comet. A lot of my great artists and builders happened to be there that night. We ALL ended up playing ping pong, drinking whiskey, having lots of chicken wings and jalapeño pizzas, eating with our mouths full and group singing “Do You Realize” by the Flaming Lips! Susan is a blast!

eDC: OK, favorite guilty pleasure?

One of the best parts of owning the restaurant is the after-hours hanging with all the staff, then raiding the kitchen and the reserve wine cabinet! Soft-shell crab sandwiches and Buck’s cheeseburgers go GREAT with a rare, single-vineyard, vintage Champagne with a name you can’t pronounce at 3 a.m.!

eDC: You were voted 49th out of 50 of the most powerful people in D.C. in GQ … what discerning quality kept you from 50th place? I.e., was it your use of a sieve?

As they said, they needed a “bon vivant.”

eDC: In 50 years, when friends are sitting around their own kitchen tables talking about you, how will they describe you?

“Wait, he was the guy cooking while playing ping pong and dancing and eating, right? That was fun.”

Visit them often to see the wonderful products, services and events they offer. Tell them how much you appreciate their role in bringing you this free magazine!

BLESSED COFFEE

Blessed Coffee is based on the philosophy “from the farmer to your cup” and is established as a socially responsible business and trade geared towards development in coffee-growing regions as well as in communities in the United States where coffee is sold.

www.BlessedCoffee.us

BREAD AND BREW

Fresh, natural ingredients from local purveyors are used to create delicious sandwiches, wood-fired pizzas, homemade soups and small plates at this bustling eco-friendly café and caterer. The bar serves house-infused cocktails, local craft brews, and specialty coffee drinks. Their commitment to sustainability is reflected in their use of biodegradable and recyclable materials and their Green Restaurant certification.
www.BreadandBrew.com | 202-466-2676

DRY FLY DISTILLING

Dry Fly Distilling is Washington’s first craft distillery. We make all our products from scratch. Only locally grown resources are used. Dry Fly has won more awards than any other distillery of its caliber and size. Featured in such publications as Playboy, GQ, Forbes and USA Today.

www.DryFlyDistilling.com

FRESHFARM MARKETS

FRESHFARM Markets is the leading voice for farmers markets in the Washington, DC, metropolitan region and a national leader in the local food movement. The mission of FRESHFARM markets is to educate the public about food and environmental issues, and to provide vital economic opportunities for local farmers. As a nonprofit organization building a vibrant local food community in the Washington, DC, area, the 11 FRESHFARM farmers markets represent more than 110 farmers from five states, more than 9,000 acres of land being actively farmed and more than 360,000 demographically diverse shoppers annually. All of the FRESHFARM farmers markets are producer-only, which means that farmers/producers must grow, raise, catch, produce or hand-craft what they bring to market.

www.FreshFarmMarkets.org

GREEN FESTIVAL – September 29 & 30, 2012

The eighth annual premier green living event, Green Festival, rolls into the nation’s capital this fall. The event hosts eco-innovators, speakers, artists, community leaders and green businesses addressing environmental and social justice issues. It is the largest marketplace of conscious, fair-trade businesses and the place to get a head start on holiday shopping.

www.GreenFestivals.org
Walter E. White Convention Center
801 Mt. Vernon Pl. NW,
Washington, DC.

METROPOLITAN COOKING & ENTERTAINING SHOW – November 3 & 4, 2012

The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show is a foodie’s dream event: chef’s cooking demos, tastings, entertaining workshops and a fabulous marketplace of exhibitors. You don’t want to miss it!

www.MetroCookingDC.com

PUREE ARTISAN JUICE BAR

Drink Your Veggies. The only 100% organic, fresh-pressed raw juice bar. Proudly serving Capital Kombucha on tap.

www.PureeJuiceBar.com
4903 Elm St., Bethesda, MD
www.Facebook.com/PureeJuiceBar
www.Twitter.com/PureeJuiceBar
Phone: 301-654-PURE

RIGHTEOUS CHEESE

Righteous Cheese is a cheese shop & bar located in Union Market, DC’s revitalized historic farmers market. It will feature uncommon & absolutely delicious cheese, plus a tiny bar with cheese & wine/beer pairings. Opening September 8.

www.RighteousCheese.com
www.Facebook.com/RighteousCheese
www.Twitter.com/RighteousCheese

SHENANDOAH GROWERS

Foods to believe in. We at Shenandoah Growers are actively committed to being part of America’s healthy food movement, and it is our passionate belief that fresh herbs are the simplest, freshest and healthiest way to transform the taste of food naturally.

www.FreshHerbs.com

THE BIG BAD WOOF

The Big Bad Woof is a community resource for companion animals and their guardians. We provide access to organic, holistic and premium raw diets, and a wide range of alternatives including holistic supplements for companion animals.

5501 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville, MD and 117 Carroll St. NW, Washington, DC.
301-403-8957 or 202-291-2404
www.TheBigBadWoof.com

TRICKLING SPRINGS CREAMERY

Trickling Springs Creamery opened in 2001 to provide fresh, wholesome dairy products to consumers. We accomplish this today by using milk from local, family farms that take the best care of their animals and land. These happy cows get all the sunshine and grass they want during growing season and are not pushed in growth or production by synthetic hormones. We maintain a personal relationship with our farmers and offer organic and all-natural products that are created in small batches to allow us to focus on quality and freshness.

www.TricklingSpringsCreamery.com
www.Facebook.com/TSCreamery
www.Twitter.com/TSCreamery

UNION MARKET

The historic Union Market is being revitalized by EDENS in order to create an authentic artisanal marketplace. A year-round indoor food market featuring 40 local vendors will open September 8. Union Market will once again be the culinary epicenter of the Capital City. Surrounding the market will be a vibrant mix of retail, restaurants, hotel, entertainment, incubator space for new food concepts as well as retail and wholesale space.

www.UnionMarketDC.com
www.Facebook.com/UnionMarketDC
www.Twitter.com/UnionMarketDC

These restaurants and caterers prioritize ingredients sourced from our region. They are proud of their links to farmers, fishers, brewers and vintners. Inclusion in this guide is by invitation only.

RESTAURANTS

BIRCH & BARLEY

Birch & Barley is a groundbreaking Washington, DC, restaurant dedicated to an unparalleled collection of 555 artisanal beers. Committed to the region’s finest ingredients and guided by the seasons, Chef Kyle Bailey and Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac cook deceptively simple, market-driven dishes that draw flavor inspiration from the beers of Birch & Barley.

1337 14th St. NW, Washington, DC
202-567-2576 | www.BirchAndBarley.com

BLUE DUCK TAVERN

The Blue Duck Tavern welcomes you with wholesome American fare prepared with simple, time-honored cooking methods such as roasting, braising, preserving and smoking. This contemporary neighborhood tavern evokes the warmth and convivial setting of a residential kitchen and gathering place.

24 & M Sts. NW, Washington, DC
202-419-6755 | www.BlueDuckTavern.com

BREAD AND BREW

Fresh, natural ingredients from local purveyors are used to create delicious sandwiches, wood-fired pizzas, homemade soups and small plates at this bustling eco-friendly café and caterer. The bar serves house-infused cocktails, local craft brews, and specialty coffee drinks. Their commitment to sustainability is reflected in their use of biodegradable and recyclable materials and their Green Restaurant certification.

1247 20th St. NW, Washington, DC | 202-466-2676

BUSBOYS AND POETS

Busboys and Poets is a community gathering place. Established in 2005, Busboys and Poets was created by owner Anas “Andy” Shallal, an Iraqi-American artist, activist and restaurateur. Busboys and Poets is now located in four distinctive neighborhoods in the Washington Metropolitan area and is a community resource for artists, activists, writers, thinkers and dreamers. They primarily serve sustainable seafood; grass-fed, free-range beef from a local farm; and local, organically grown field greens from the Engaged Community Offshoots farm network. For a list of locations, see www.BusboysAndPoets.com.

CLYDE’S RESTAURANT

Long ago Clyde’s Restaurant Group made the decision to bypass traditional commercial produce routes and buy instead from local farms. From spring through autumn, their fruits and vegetables are always fresh and of the highest quality. Likewise, they source many meats, fish, poultry and seafood direct from their native regions. Today their menus are created around these fresh, natural ingredients, using classic American recipes that showcase their flavor and texture. There are seven Clyde’s Restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area. For specific locations see www.Clydes.com.

CORK RESTAURANT & WINE BAR

Cork Restaurant & Wine Bar is the creation of Logan Circle residents Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts. Their dream in creating Cork was to open a welcoming space in their neighborhood for people to come with their friends and family to try outstanding wines, often from unexplored regions of the world, paired with good, simple, local food. Chef Rob Weland is dedicated to sourcing the best local ingredients.

1720 14th St. NW, Washington, DC
202-265-CORK (2675) | www.CorkDC.com

DINO

An Italian restaurant/enoteca in Cleveland Park, specializing in local ingredients along with reasonably priced and really good wines.
3435 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC
202-686-2966 | www.Dino-DC.com

RESTAURANT EVE

Both the Bistro and the Tasting Room at Restaurant Eve offer thoughtful preparations that showcase the best hand-fed, farm-raised, organically grown bounty Virginia and the surrounding countryside have to offer. Everything on their menus has a story; every ingredient is special. From the various offerings of house-made products—which include seven to nine varieties of bread baked daily and artisanal cheese—to the roster of craft cocktails, by cocktail authority Todd Thrasher, their carefully chosen ingredients signal a seriousness that extends throughout the operation.

110 S. Pitt St., Alexandria, VA
703-706-0450 | www.RestaurantEve.com

Photo by Carole Topalian

RESTAURANT NORA

In April 1999, Restaurant Nora became America’s first certified organic restaurant. This means that 95% or more of everything that you eat at the restaurant has been produced by certified organic growers and farmers, all of whom share in Nora’s commitment to sustainable agriculture. Nora always offers seasonal, fresh organic food, prepared in a healthy, balanced way and enjoys a following of environmentalists and politicians, who can eat here with a clear conscience knowing that what’s on their plate hasn’t polluted the environment, is healthy for them and tastes good too.

2132 Florida Ave. NW, Washington, DC
202-462-5143 | www.Noras.com

RIPPLE

They’re a neighborhood restaurant in the heart of Washington, DC, with a focus on good food, good drink and a good time. In a comfortable setting, Ripple offers a complete dining experience, with a focus on sustainability, organic and locally acquired produce. They are proud to support local farmers and co-ops in their mission to bring the best products to the table.

3417 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC
202-244-7995 | www.RippleDC.com

RIS

Ris Lacoste is one of the most dedicated chefs in Washington, DC, today. Her reputation has been built upon high-quality ingredients, bold innovative technique and food that is both familiar and delicious. Beyond the kitchen, Lacoste’s favorite place to be is in the middle of a local farmers market, hunting down the freshest fruits and vegetables and chatting and getting to know the farmers who grow the food she serves. These markets, where she frequently presents chef’s demonstrations, are not only a source of inspiration for her cuisine but a meeting point to talk about the importance of investment in the local community and dedication to the ideals of local and sustainable farming.

2275 L St. NW, Washington, DC
202-730-2500 | www.RisDC.com

SONOMA RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR

Sonoma’s mission is to highlight the Mid-Atlantic’s best naturally raised and local ingredients and pair the creations with the best American and Italian wines.

223 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC
202-544-8088 | www.SonomaDC.com

SWEETGREEN

sweetgreen is a place where you can get fun, fashionable food that’s both healthy for you and aligned with your values. They believe in sourcing organic and local food from farmers that they know. All their proteins are hormone free, antibiotic free and all-natural. They use 100% plant-based compostable packaging for their bowls, cutlery and cups. There are 11 locations throughout the city, Northern Virginia and Maryland. For locations, see www.sweetgreen.com

Tallula Restaurant

For years, Tallula has been recognized as the archetype for modern American cooking, stellar wine and informed service in Arlington, VA. Each night, the kitchen at Tallula creates a seamless culinary adventure based on the finest seasonal, farm-driven ingredients against a backdrop of nearly 400 unique wines. Comfortable, smart, unpretentious and fun, Tallula is a neighborhood gem to come back to time and time again.

2761 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA
703-778-5051 | www.TallulaRestaurant.com

THE PIG

The Pig serves handcrafted food and drink, pork-centric and respectful of the whole animal. They are local and seasonal and feature vegetables from their farm in La Plata, MD. Their plates are designed for sharing and are inspired by rustic dishes from around the world. They create unique cocktails and offer American craft beers and eco-friendly wines.

1320 14th St. NW, Washington, DC
202-290-2821 | www.ThePigDC.com

VERMILION

Vermilion offers deceptively simple modern American cooking. From Chef Tony Chittum’s regional cuisine using local, farm-raised products whenever possible to the warmth of its ambiance and the gracious hospitality its staff brings to the table, Vermilion serves as an ideal location for a casual weekday dinner, a special occasion destination or simply a great gathering place for drinks.

1120 King St., Alexandria, VA
703-684-9669 | www.VermilionRestaurant.com

CATERERS

FRESH START CATERING

Fresh Start Catering is DC Central Kitchen’s revenue-generating social enterprise employing Culinary Job Training program graduates. Fresh Start caters events such as breakfasts, luncheons and weddings, and features high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. When doing business with Fresh Start Catering, you are directly supporting DC Central Kitchen’s programs and culinary graduates.

202-400-2815 | www.DCCentralKitchen.org/FreshStartCatering

OCCASIONS CATERERS

Occasions Caterers is committed to environmental and social responsibility in their day-to-day operations. As part of their ongoing commitment, Occasions has collaborated with the Green Restaurant Association, a national environmental organization, to implement eco-friendly practices. In 2008, they became a Certified Green Restaurant Caterer—the nation’s first catering company to achieve this certification. Occasions partners with purveyors to use locally sourced, organic and sustainable products.

202-546-7400 | www.OccasionsCaterers.com

ROOT AND STEM

They believe in sourcing from vendors that care about their products and service first and foremost. All their seasonal menus begin with the best possible ingredients. Much of what they provide comes from the Mid-Atlantic farms and fisheries that go the extra mile to ensure their product is fresh and wholesome.

703-289-1281 | www.RootAndStemDC.com

SPILLED MILK CATERERS

There are no fancy gimmicks or tricks, just honest, well-prepared and good-tasting food that uses fresh, seasonal and local ingredients whenever possible. They wouldn’t serve anything that they don’t love to cook or eat themselves. They’re different from other Washington, DC, caterers because of their diverse and international approach to catering and cooking, which in turn enables the creation of a wider variety of menu items, both sweet and savory.

202-525-6455 | www.SpilledMilkCatering.com

Photo by Carole Topalian

Artifact Coffee
1500 Union Ave., Baltimore, MD
Mon – Fri 7am – 5pm
Sat – Sun 9am – 5pm
Tel: 410-235-1881
Web: ArtifactCoffee.com
Accessible by MTA light rail
Friday morning coffee cuppings at 10am

Artifact Coffee is a burst of coziness and vintage style settled amidst industrial mill buildings and local dives. Opened in August by Spike & Amy Gjerde and Allie Caran, the team behind the lauded Woodberry Kitchen, Artifact became the best coffee and lunch spot in Northern Baltimore overnight. Try the made-from-scratch stroopwaffle served over a hand-poured Counter Culture coffee, a perfect chocolate chip cookie paired with the crisp Lavender Ricky or Basil Mint Creamy, or the fresh Various Tomatoes sandwich, a collection of heirlooms over herbed spelt toast. Ingredients are local and seasonal so the menu changes daily.

Jewish Museum of Maryland Chosen Food Exhibit
15 Lloyd St., Baltimore, MD
Sun, Tues, Wed, Thurs 12pm – 4pm
Runs through December 30, 2012
Admission: $8 adult, $4 student
Tel: 410-732-6400
Web: ChosenFood.org
Accessible by the free Charm City Circulator

The “Chosen Food” exhibit at the Jewish Museum of Maryland explores the ways that Jewish food has been a celebration of heritage as well as an expression of modernity and innovation. As the curators point out, Jewish food is world food, tracing a diaspora from the Middle East to Europe to New York’s Lower East Side and Baltimore’s “Corned Beef Row.” Both serious and playful, the exhibit sheds light on many traditions and foods that we take for granted. The circular shape of bagels, for example, has historically made them a fertility symbol and especially important to have at life cycle events. After the exhibit, you may be ready for a corned beef sandwich in the Kibbutz Room of the historic Attman’s Deli a few doors down.

Creative Alliance at the Patterson
3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD
Galleries open Tues – Sat 11am – 7pm
Clementine restaurant open Thurs 5pm – 10pm, Fri & Sat 5pm – 11pm, Sun 10am – 3pm
Gallery admission: Free
Tel: 410-276-1651
Web: CreativeAlliance.org
Accessible by MTA bus 10 or 11

Host to offbeat national acts and an incubator for local artists, the Creative Alliance’s calendar of events is an array of dance, music, film, and folk and fine art that might otherwise go unheard or unseen in this region. Of particular note this fall is the Creative Alliance’s “Art to Dine For” series, intimate dinners centered around cultural experiences such as a Japanese moon viewing on the roof of the Knights of Columbus Hall or “outsider art” in a four-story Mt. Vernon townhouse. Complementing the art is Clementine, a favorite neighborhood restaurant. Headed up by Jill Snyder, former chef de cuisine at Woodberry Kitchen, Clementine serves fresh, worldly food with a hint of southern charm.

Annabel Lee Tavern
601 S. Clinton St., Baltimore, MD
Mon – Sat 4pm – 1am
Tel: 410-522-2929
Web: AnnabelLeeTavern.com
Accessible by MTA bus 10 or 11

For a hint of Baltimore’s notorious darker side, head to the unassuming corner bar in upper Canton with ravens haunting the tromp-l’oeil upper window. Annabel Lee Tavern, named for the unfortunate heroine of Edgar Allen Poe’s last poem, is a cozy place to end the day sipping on a Baltimore-brewed Raven Lager or Resurrection, enjoying a crab cake, and contemplating the poet’s macabre genius. The owner, Kurt Bragunier, has created an obsessively perfect tribute by hand-painting Poe’s portrait above the antique mantel, scrawling the poem’s six stanzas across the walls, and serving up evocative cocktails like the William Wilson and Descent Into the Maelstrom.

Seth Goldman and Julie Farkas in their garden

Photos by Bobby Bruderle

Seth Goldman is committed to honest, sustainable ingredients. They’re what he used to build the reputation of his organic, low-sugar beverage company, Honest Tea, and they’re what he used to build his home.

The eco-friendly ethos that he espouses at Honest Tea is woven in a natural and subtle way throughout the Bethesda home he shares with wife, Julie Farkas, and three sons. Green details are in the kitchen, on the roof, in the basement and even inside the walls: The insulation is made from recycled paper and blue jeans.

You would never realize that the light in the hallway isn’t electric, but a type of skylight called a Solatube that illuminates the space naturally, or that the wallpaper in the basement bathroom is in fact pages clipped from Julie’s old Sierra Club day planners. That the slate roof tiles are actually made from recycled tires and the Icestone kitchen countertop from recycled glass and concrete. That what appears to simply be an elegant dining table was handcrafted by a local artisan from one large tree, using only 19th century tools and techniques and coated with all-natural milk paint.

The kitchen is both sustainable and sustaining. It’s where friends and family gather each Friday for Shabbat dinner and Julie’s homemade challah; where Honest Tea was first brewed and built; and where the couple sip their homegrown tea to wind down and relax at the end of the day.

Sipping tea around their kitchen table

Freshly brewed tea from their garden

Family dinner is the priority. It’s what Seth grew up with. As the child of two revered professors growing up in Massachusetts, vibrant dinner table conversation and family time were valued (although by all admissions, his parents were terrible cooks who cared very little about the food itself). Seth and Julie care very much about their food and where it’s coming from. When oldest son Jonah committed to vegetarianism, as a show of support the whole family made the dietary shift as well and has maintained it even after he left for college.

“Seth makes a superhuman effort,” Julie explains, noting that he regularly rises and starts his work day at 4 or 5am to ensure that he makes it home for dinner (usually via bike) four or five nights a week.

Although Honest Tea has since been sold to Coca-Cola (based out of Atlanta) it is still led by Seth, headquartered in Bethesda and deeply rooted in the local community. The company is a major supporter for Bethesda Green—a nonprofit founded in part by Seth with the mission of connecting local business, government and community to initiate, educate and incubate green programs. Bethesda Green has made great strides in energizing the vibrant local economy and promoting the suburb as a model of sustainability.

It was the strong sense of community that drew the family to Bethesda in the first place, and their home adjacent to Norwood Park in particular. The house itself wasn’t what grabbed their attention but rather its proximity to the park and river immediately behind their backyard. “I came down one weekend and looked at 35 houses in two days,” Julie explains. “Seth saw that park and he was just like ‘There’s no question.’ You don’t get that kind of community that exists because of the park. The kids could walk to elementary school, which is so uncommon these days. It’s a real neighborhood.”

RECIPES

Ada’s Tea

Photos by Kate Headley

Honey is an essential ingredient in my kitchen. I know many chefs often reach for a pinch of sugar to finish a savory dish, but more often than not I go for a drop of raw honey. In desserts I often choose honey over sugar.

My choice is based primarily on taste—I like the rich full taste that honey adds to foods both sweet and savory. Another bonus is the numerous nutritional benefits.

My colleague Davina Sandground, certified health counselor of Nutrition Groove, says:

“Raw honey has a plethora of health benefits. It is touted as the number one longevity food in the world by the raw food community! This is largely due to its powerful antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. It also contains beneficial minerals, vitamins and enzymes (the latter being a great aid for the digestion process). However, all of these nutrients are destroyed if the honey is heated over 115° F. Local honey can also help with seasonal allergies because it will contain the specific pollens that are causing the allergy.

Raw honey is also a natural energy booster due to its unique blend of glucose and fructose. Glucose absorbs quickly in the body, giving an immediate energy boost, while fructose is slower and provides more sustained energy.”

Local raw honey is available at most farmers markets. Each has a unique taste, viscosity and sweetness. I keep honeys from different sources in my cupboard and choose which one to use depending on what I am cooking.

I am eager to get my hands on honey that I know my neighbors are producing on their roof, less than 100 yards from my backyard. I am also thinking seriously about a hive of my own in the back corner of my garden or on my roof.

davina-sandground.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com

SUBSTITUTING HONEY FOR SUGAR

Although the sweetness of honey depends on the individual batch and the variety, it is usually about twice as sweet as sugar. I find that it is possible to substitute honey for sugar in many baking recipes as long as I follow a few rules:

• For every 1 cup of sugar, use 2/3 cup honey.
• For each cup of sugar replaced in the recipe, reduce the liquid by ¼ cup.
• Reduce the cooking temperature by 25° and watch cooking times carefully as baked goods may brown more easily when using honey.

Favorite Sources For Local Honey

• The Farm at Walker Jones, a farm on the grounds of a DC public school only about a half mile from my house that has been producing honey for nearly a year.
• Path Valley Cooperative, a cooperative of Amish farmers in Pennsylvania, about 75 miles from my house.

RECIPES

Honey Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds

Raw Kale Salad with Roasted Garlic and a Drop of Honey

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom and Samantha Cameron, talk with guests during the State Dinner on the South Lawn of the White House, March 14, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

On December 12, 1874, President Ulysses Grant hosted a formal meal and reception for King David Kalakaua of the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii, in what is now recognized as America’s first state dinner. Thirty-six guests attended, 30 courses were served and none of the dishes featured pineapple or ahi tuna.

Today, 138 years and countless state dinners later, the menu is no longer a second-tier diplomatic tool.

Hosted by the President and First Lady in honor of visiting monarchs and heads of state, the state dinner is a meticulously planned affair. The decor, entertainment and carefully observed protocol have always carried political undertones; thanks to an evolving American foodscape, the same can now be said of the menu.

Like the other elements of a state dinner, the food must strike a deft balance between the need to respect and acknowledge the traditions and rituals of the visiting dignitary’s homeland and the importance of showing what America has to offer by providing an experience seasoned with our own cultural symbols.

The execution can be complicated, but the idea is straightforward: Combine one country’s traditional ingredients and flavors with the other’s classic preparations, and you have a dish that pays homage to both. Think “Bison Wellington” (one of the dishes on the menu for this spring’s UK state dinner), which combined a quintessential British dish with an indigenous American ingredient; or a salad served at the South Korea state dinner in 2011 that featured the union of Korean and American flavors with local lettuces wrapped in sheets of daikon radish and drizzled with a sesame vinaigrette.

The Obama White House has raised the practice of dinner plate diplomacy to a new level of prominence. In an effort to demonstrate its hipness, to appeal to the growing number of food-conscious Americans and to advertise the First Lady’s healthy-eating initiatives, the White House actively trumpets its state dinner menus, holding press conferences and distributing highly produced video segments dedicated to the menus’ contents and conceptual process.

A rendering of the 1931 State Dinner with King David Kalakaua of the Sandwich Islands.
Image courtesy of the White House Historical Association. WhiteHouseHistory.org

In addition to featuring symbolic national ingredients and dishes, the chefs increasingly strive to incorporate local ingredients in their menus wherever possible especially from the White House garden. The process for developing state dinner menus now requires planners to acknowledge a range of political constituencies, both international and domestic. Is it fresh and local enough? Did we work in the Maine lobster and Idaho potatoes? Will Chancellor Merkel appreciate the German strudel?

And the people asking these questions aren’t just the chefs. They’re high-level officials with the nation’s diplomatic (and the President’s political) interests in mind—stops along a bureaucratic approval process normally reserved for policy memos and budget documents.

Of course, the Obamas aren’t solely responsible for this trend. And the politics of state dinner menus extend beyond just marrying culinary traditions and using certain ingredients.

While the Obama menus are characterized by nuance, pragmatism, and an internationalist bent, most of the George W. Bush-era menus—like the President himself-—were simple, straightforward, and unmistakably American. The only Bush menu with a clear bilateral flair was for 2001’s Mexico state dinner, which was as much Tex as it was Mex.

Comparable to other political initiatives, the menus are a highly visible reflection of the President himself, both politically and personally.

 
President Barack Obama listens as Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom offers a toast during the State Dinner on the South Lawn of the White House, March 14, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

By Catherine Down and Justin Kennedy

The famed Iron Gate.

Chef Tony Chittum and his “muse”, wife Dominique

Photos by Kristen Finn

“I was blown away,” Chef Tony Chittum says of the first time he stepped foot inside the Iron Gate Inn. It’d been vacant for roughly two years at that point, and you could stroll right past the ornate eponymous gate without ever knowing that the city’s oldest continuously operating restaurant had, for 82 years, existed on the other side.

To walk through the elegant iron gate, however—under the whitewashed covered archway and into the leafy courtyard shaded with grape vines and wisteria—is to hear the sounds of the city fade away and be transported to another time and place.

Its quirky location, a former stable in a Dupont Circle townhouse’s courtyard, is a large part of the historic charm that drew Chittum and partner Michael Babin of Neighborhood Restaurant Group to the space. If all goes as planned with construction, the duo will have the Iron Gate Inn up and running once again in early winter of 2013.

They spent years developing the chef’s artisan Italian restaurant concept and searching for the right site, with Chittum explaining that “we had in our mind that we wanted a new space.” Yet, somehow, they ended up with one of the oldest and most idiosyncratic spaces in the city: the Iron Gate Inn.

From 1928 to 2010, the Victorian mansion at 1734 N St. NW housed the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the district. Built in 1875 as a residence for retired Rear Admiral William Radford, the home was purchased by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) in1922 to house their headquarters. After a renovation in the spring of 1924, the Admiral’s Spanish-style horse stables were transformed into the Federation Tea House, which featured a state-of-the-art food preparation area, a demonstration kitchen with modern Westinghouse electric appliances, and a fine-dining room that used the old horse stalls as booths.

Early advertisements for the restaurant noted, “You may dine in the original horse stalls if you choose.” It’s hard to imagine who would choose, given the impracticality of long, skinny tables that sandwich 10 people together in a booth, but it’s hard to deny the charm and novelty of fine dining next to a horse trough.

By 1928 the teahouse was known as the Iron Gate Inn—a reference to the iron gates that served as the entrance to the restaurant—where visitors could be “served in the pleasant garden or indoors.” The 65-seat indoor area featured dark leather booths, dark wood paneling and a stone fireplace, while the garden featured a purple wisteria and grapevine-shaded brick courtyard.

The former interior of the Iron Gate Inn, courtesy of The General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

Ownership of the restaurant changed hands only three times during its 82-year run ending with Nabeel David, who closed the restaurant in 2010 to open a garlic farm when faced with imminent rent increases.

Regardless of who the owner was at the time, the Iron Gate was more notable for its outdoor garden dining than for its food. Old pamphlets state that the restaurant was known for “just real good food,” and early menus show that it featured continental fare, like shrimp cocktail, broiled lobster, chicken baked in cream and “famous butterscotch rolls.”

In a 1991 review filed soon after David took over, then-Washington Post restaurant critic Phyllis Richman wrote that the space was as gorgeous as ever and that the service had been upgraded, but concluded, “Most of the entrees aren’t likely to tempt you to scrape the plate.”

The new ones will. With the well-respected chef of Vermilion leading the kitchen, the city’s oldest restaurant is finally getting food worthy of the spectacular setting. Long considered one of the most romantic places to dine in the city because of the wisteria canopy outside and dark, intimate spaces indoors, the new menu is inspired in part by the real-life romance of Tony Chittum and his wife, Dominique. It is a result of her Greek upbringing and time spent in the company of her family of the isle of Syros that Chittum has added a Grecian twist to his original Italian concept.

The two just returned from a month in Greece, where they spent time cooking and eating with her 92-year-old grandmother. “Every summer we go to her grandmother’s house—every day she has a pot of something cooking. Every day I learn just by eating,” the chef explains.

Her whole village has even gotten involved. The Chittums returned home with recipes for loukaniko (a traditional sausage flavored with orange zest and fennel seeds from the island’s mountains) from the village’s retired butcher, techniques for authentic gyro and ideas from each of their destinations.
“We went to Santorini and they had feta coated with sesame seeds, pan-fried and served with honey and their version of balsamic vinegar. I get inspiration and then I try it myself.” And you can try it too; see the recipe on pg. 54 for sesame-coated fried feta paired with sweet honey- roasted carrots.

Although his restaurant will feature the simple, seasonal preparations of his wife’s family, ultimately the chef will use local ingredients to produce as much in-house as possible including Greek yogurt, fresh and dried pastas and some cheeses. There are grand plans for rooftop pots to supply all the necessary herbs, and the fig tree that overlooks the courtyard will not be overlooked itself as a potential source. Even the picturesque grapes in the canopy may make their way into a sorbet at some point.

The legendary courtyard, which will be weatherized to extend the outdoor dining season, naturally evokes the Mediterranean. Chittum explains, “It reminds me of so many Greek tavernas and Italian trattorias, just the beautiful outdoor setting. It doesn’t feel like you’re in the city.

To have the space that has this look and feel—you just can’t build that into a new space.”

RECIPE

Honey-Roasted Baby Carrots with Greek Yogurt

The state of the art, modern kitchen space of the GFWC’s test kitchen in the 1920’s. Photo courtesy of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

The lush canopy that overlooks the outdoor dining courtyard.

Photos By John Robinson

Joel Salatin is spinning his wheels.

A steady drizzle has been falling over Swoope since dawn, and by mid-morning the lush green grass blanketing Salatin’s 550-acre Polyface Farms was as slick as wet soap. Regardless, there were chores to be done, so two farmhands were rounded up to help retrieve a mobile cattle-watering tank with a busted hitch from the middle of a rolling pasture. The young farmers, both recent products of the Polyface apprentice program, lent opinions and muscle, but quickly deferred to 55-year-old Salatin when the final strategy required driving a tractor to push the huge, sloshing tank up a slippery ramp onto an equally wet flatbed trailer. To an observer, this plan looked about as feasible as playing Jenga in the shower, but a few minutes later, Salatin, wide-brim hat dripping, accomplished the feat and climbed behind the wheel of the farm truck towing the trailer. That’s when tires start spinning in a struggle for traction on the rain-soaked hillside.

“Hmm, I already switched into four-wheel drive, right?” he wonders aloud, unfazed. He checks the gear, then presses the gas pedal more gently. The tires find their grip and he’s underway again—on to the next chore of selecting a fresh spot for one of his grass-fed herds to graze.

For decades Salatin has tackled routine tasks on this one family farm in the Shenandoah Valley while also tackling the biggest issues of sustainable agriculture on behalf of thousands of small farms everywhere. As a charismatic critic of industrial farming and government regulation, the self-described “Christian-libertarian-environmentalist-capitalist lunatic” has spoken before audiences all over the planet. He has authored eight books with provocative titles such as Folks, This Ain’t Normal and Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal. And starting with Michael Pollan’s prominent exploration of the eco-friendly farming methods at Polyface in his bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma, Salatin also has become a media darling, racking up appearances in documentaries Food Inc. and Fresh and profiles in Time and The Atlantic. If you can think of a more famous farmer in the country, get his autograph.

So…what now? Polyface could no doubt capitalize on its fame to sell its pasture-based, “beyond organic” beef, pork, poultry, and rabbit nationwide or lend its good name to all sorts of brand-extending products—and indeed has been approached by eager marketers with similar proposals. Salatin guffaws at the very notion.

“Goodness, we haven’t even trademarked Polyface or other terms we’ve coined like salad bar beef or eggmobile,” he says. “Instead, wouldn’t it be great if those words just became the normal vocabulary of the American food system?”

Salatin also has declared frequently and publicly that Polyface will never ship food anywhere, therefore limiting his customer base to a four-hour-drive delivery zone that stretches only as far as southern Maryland. Which raises the question: Has Joel Salatin stranded himself after all? Not according to him. If Polyface is at a crossroads, it’s a crossroads that Salatin believes he has scouted well, and mapped how to explore in several directions at once.
Still, there are significant changes afoot at Polyface. Most surprising is when Salatin freely admits that he’s no longer running day-to-day operations on the farm with which he is essentially synonymous.

“I’m gone on speaking tours about a third of the time,” he says, “which has changed my role. I never want to lose my calluses, but it does mean that I don’t have my hand on the daily pulse here anymore.” In fact, Salatin recently hired an agent to book his speaking schedule, and even when he’s not touching down at a Montessori school in New Mexico or an agriculture conference in Australia, he’s writing or giving radio interviews. So it has fallen to son Daniel, 31, to run day-to-day operations. “And when I get home, Daniel tells me what I’m supposed to do,” Salatin says with a grin.

“I’ve been working on the farm for a long time, really since I was born, so taking more responsibility feels pretty natural,” Daniel says as he looks over the greens, beans, and other vegetables growing in two tidy greenhouses that represent Polyface’s first foray into raising produce for market. “Our growth has been pretty consistent over the past five years, so my main responsibility is to make sure we’re ready to walk through doors as they open to us.”

Considering that Polyface now annually processes 25,000 broiler hens, 3,000 turkeys, 200 cattle, 700 hogs, 800 rabbits, and 350,000 dozen eggs, that adds up to a lot of responsibility. On an average day, it might mean constructing an open-sided shade shelter that provides up to 300 turkeys with more elevated spots to satisfy their instinct to roost at night. And it also means making sure that every adjustment Polyface makes as it grows still meets the Salatins’ pledge of farming transparency.

Joel Salatin’s famous mobile chicken coop at Polyface Farm

“Eating local is in vogue, but more important, it’s a way to verify truth,” Daniel says. “You can’t visit a farm in California to find out if it’s really doing what it says. Farms like ours provide true-blue, no-bull solutions for people who feel they are being misled by false labeling and slick marketing.” Perhaps Daniel hasn’t stepped into the public arena with the same gusto as his old man, but it’s obvious that they share a worldview.

Generational change also informs another area of increasing importance to father and son—farm mentorship. Reacting to a dramatic rise in applications, Polyface recently increased its number of internships from five to nine, and hired a former apprentice to supervise the summer-intern and one-year apprentice programs so that the farmers-in-training and Polyface reap the most out of the arrangement.

“We see it as the most efficient way of educating people about this style of farming, and therefore spreading the word,” Daniel says. “And through apprenticeships, we’ve often been able to find the perfect person for the perfect job at Polyface.”

In fact, in another significant development, four former apprentices now manage eight nearby satellite properties totaling an additional 1,200 acres under the Polyface umbrella, working as subcontractors or independent entrepreneurs to whom the Salatins guarantee a market for what they produce.
Joel is even making farm apprenticeship the subject of his next book (out of the eight or nine book ideas swimming around in his head, including a novel). “As the local food system grows, it’s going to require more warm bodies,” he says. “My concern is that the desire is way greater than the number of mentors who want to invest in young people. I want to encourage potential mentors to realize what a legacy this could be to empower the next generation.”

Standing atop another mist-shrouded hill ankle-deep with red and white clover, Joel surveys the grazing patterns of a small herd nearby. Just by the shade of green, he can discern how recently cows have feasted on a particular spot. Eric Barth, a former apprentice who now manages this leased land down the road from Polyface, points out where he’s moving the portable electric fencing next. Joel nods along, butting in only to suggest pushing a border wider to achieve the desired per-head acreage.

Despite turning day-to-day duties over to Daniel, Joel is firmly in command of the big picture at Polyface. He can effortlessly reel off a detailed breakdown of operations, including that 40 percent of sales is derived from 21 buying clubs in towns from Charlottesville to Annapolis, keeping the farm’s delivery truck on the road three days a week. Another day is devoted to restaurant and retail deliveries, and the remainder of sales occurs at the farm or through innovative regional middlemen such as Relay Foods.

“It was a big deal when the Chipotle in Charlottesville started serving our pork,” Joel says. “Just to supply that one restaurant takes eight hogs a week, and then we started supplying the Harrisonburg location too.” He reports that DC-area Chipotles are also working on a plan to use Polyface pastured pork. That would be a significant boost for Polyface and the broader mission to make local food readily available to varied consumers.

But Joel has his sights on an even larger breakthrough. “Our next big thing is to get on a Sysco or Aramark truck,” he says. Given the idyllic countryside, it’s hard to make the connection between Polyface and those massive food-service companies that deliver everything from plastic forks to frozen pizza to everywhere from delis to stadiums. For Joel, however, they are just another monolithic entity, like the USDA or Monsanto, that must be bent to his way of doing things, and thus put in the service of sustainable agriculture.

“Customers are asking big suppliers for more local food, but there is too much red tape,” he says. “Their internal protocols for small providers are horrendous—$5 million in product-liability insurance, mock recalls, animal ID requirements. And this is not government imposed. This is industry imposed, which is why I think there’s more of an opportunity. The industry is way more malleable to market forces. The day one of them does it first, it’s going to be huge. Once we get on one Sysco truck, we’re in.”

And Joel insists that Polyface would remain Polyface, even loaded onto that corporate truck next to the microwavable burritos. “We would continue to do things our way,” he says. “If a Sysco customer outside our delivery-distance protocols wanted us, we still wouldn’t sell to them.”

Even without the likes of Sysco, Joel contends that there is plenty of room for Polyface to grow. “To be honest, we shouldn’t have to go beyond Staunton,” he says. “If everybody in Augusta County ate local, we wouldn’t have to send any beef anywhere.”When Joel talks about everybody eating local, he means everybody. “Look, Burger King just announced that by 2017 they are going to stop buying pigs that have been gestated in crates, and eggs from caged layers,” he says. “C’mon, we’re 15 minutes away from a Burger King right now! Pick up the phone—we got eggs, we got pork, we got beef, we got chicken. Do you know how many struggling small farmers around the country are 15 minutes from a Burger King?”

Though ordering a Polyface Egg McMuffin at McDonald’s may be difficult for even the most starry-eyed locavore to imagine, Joel can envision a world in which multinational fast-food chains source from local farms. He sees it as clearly as he can see over the next ridge, now that the midday sun is finally breaking through the rain clouds over Swoope. It is a certainty born of religious faith, of plain old stubbornness, and of confidence gained from all he’s accomplished so far.

“Part of the Polyface ministry, if you will, has always been breaking new ground for others,” Joel says. “Now here we are—we woke up one morning and we’re sort of a big gorilla in the eat-local movement. We’re not going to waste that. We’re going to punch through the barriers for everyone else.”