Edible Stories
EAT. READ. DRINK. THINK
Harvesting Knowledge
Harvesting Knowledge
Connecting kids to how food grows
The FoodPrints school program, run by the local nonprofit FRESHFARM is now celebrating its 20th anniversary of working with DC public schools (DCPS) providing hands-on gardening and culinary programs as part of the core curriculum. Students participate in fun, practical learning experiences in the garden, kitchen, and classroom, and at summer camps. FoodPrints serves more than a quarter of DC’s public elementary schools. Beth Bacon, FRESHFARM’s Director of Education told us, “We have 30 trained educators working across 21 schools, creating joyful learning opportunities throughout the year. We also manage edible garden spaces at our partner schools.” She explained how the program also contributes to the resilience of the regional food system. This year alone, FRESHFARM will source around 18,000 pounds of local produce from Mid-Atlantic farmers, which will be used for cooking, eating, and learning in classrooms! Extending their impact beyond the school-year, FoodPrints runs a six-week, no-cost summer camp. Courtney Matson’s daughter, Quinn, participated last summer, after second grade. “I’ve never seen Quinn so excited about learning,” says Matson. “She loved the camp more than any of her other summer activities. She learned healthy eating habits, all about where food comes from, and how to prepare food that’s in season. Quinn came home with a recipe book, and we made dishes like dressings, sauces, guacamole, and pickled okra together.” Quinn herself shares, “My absolute favorite was picode gallo—and I still love making it now!”
“We’re a pretty big food family, however, this provided a cool way to connect the dots in the food system.”
—Courtney Matson
The FoodPrints program turns the classroom, garden and kitchen into vibrant, educational spaces for students to learn how to grow and prepare
nourishing food—and to savor delicious meals together. For the students who’ve participated in them, the lessons learned become part of their home life. Matson reflects, “We’re a big food-loving family, but this program helped us engage with food together in a more meaningful way.”
Visit: freshfarm.org
Mazzaroth Vineyards
Mazzaroth Vineyard
Wine with a sense of place
Notables by Anna El-Eini
Disappear into the countryside and enjoy some world-class local wine by visiting Mazzaroth Vineyard, outside of Middletown, Maryland. It’s a beautiful family-owned, small-scale production perched on a hillside, overlooking wide-open fields and mountains.
One of just a handful of vineyards and wineries in the Catoctin American Viticultural Area, co-owners Garry and Micki Cohen produce award-winning Tannat, Petit Verdot, Vidal Blanc, and a seasonal rotation of select varietals ready for drinking or to put down for aging.
They’ve earned a dedicated fan base who snap up their well-priced cases by placing a reservation sticky note with their name on the tanks of wine still in production. Despite the demand, Garry and Micki want to stay small. “We could double or triple our production, but we like it like this. We got into this work to be hands-on with every aspect of production, and get to know the people who love our wines.”
Bottles are available at select local stores, farmers’ markets, or at the vineyard.
Insider Tip: Reservations for their small tasting counter sell out quickly, but Garry loves sharing his wine with others, so ask nicely, and he’ll do his best to accommodate you.
Available at Bethesda Central Farmers’ Market and at Mazzaroth Vineyard, Middletown, Maryland, 301-639-0303
Anna El-Eini is a novelist and the former director of a network of NGOs, government officials, and citizens working together to protect and improve the urban and natural environment of DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Chateaux Cocoa
Chateaux Cocoa
Building Community in Eastern Market
Notables by Anna El-Eini
Fans know they need to show up early to secure a dozen of Chateaux Cocoa’s impeccably beautiful eggs, available in an eclectic array of colors and sizes, at her weekly stand at Eastern Market. The delicately hued pink, brown, and blue eggs are produced by Darrelynne Strother, the passionate beekeeper and farmer from Upper Marlboro, who offers her goods.
Alongside the eggs, Darrelynne also brings honey and honeycomb from her micro-farm, perfect to enjoy on its own or spread on a slice of freshly baked bread.
A serious health scare led Darrelynne to reconnect with her lifelong passion for gardening, seeking out farmers’ markets for more homegrown produce. Gardening and beekeeping have since become a central part of her life, and every weekend she can be found at Eastern Market. At the corner of 7th & C, a line forms as customers eagerly await the chance to taste honey straight from her hives.
Darrelynne is part of a community of beekeepers who mentor each other, sharing knowledge and fostering a connected, energetic spirit. She is committed to making these ingredients—honey, eggs, and more—accessible while promoting wellness, sustainability, and joy. Her deep-rooted love for nature shines through in every jar of honey and every egg, bringing a sense of harmony to all who experience her offerings.
Chateaux Cocoa, Eastern Market on Saturdays, corner of 7th & C
Emma’s Torch Cafe
Emma's Torch Café
A Welcoming spot
Notables by Anna El-Eini
Step into Emma’s Torch and you’ll feel like you’re coming home. It’s the perfect spot for a delicious meal and great conversation with friends, and with your neighbors at the next table over. This sunlit, cheerful breakfast and lunch spot in the Woodridge neighborhood, on Rhode Island Avenue, is already known for its egg and cheese biscuits, which are somehow deliciously flaky and creamy at the same time, and for its unforgettably airy chai spiced doughnuts. We highly recommend cutting the doughnuts into chunks and dunking them in the delicious Zeke’s coffee that is served here!
The café is bustling with cooks and servers, who are learning the ropes of the restaurant business as part of a refugee skills training mission, but they make no mistakes under the guiding hand of their manager as they happily fill their customers’ requests. Emma’s Torch has an 88% success rate in sending their trainees on to jobs elsewhere, and you can see why with the hearty food and great customer service.
Bring friends and family, try out the shakshuka on a bed of rice, the spicy steak and eggs, the oversize cookies or vegan banana bread, and come join in the widening circle of customers who call Emma’s Torch home.
Emma’s Torch Café
2212 Rhode Island Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20018
Photo Credit: Emma’s Torch
Gone but not Forgotten – Requiem for a Meal
Gone but not Forgotten
Requiem for a Meal
Proto-Fast Casual
A piece of wax paper, a few fries, and the memory of the taste of tahini were all that was left as we finished a final meal on closing day for Amsterdam Falafel. Tucked along the Adams Morgan 18th Street strip for nearly 20 years, Amsterdam served fast-casual decades before the term was invented.
Lunchtime and late-night diners were transported to the ’Dam with the place’s authentically gritty vibe and racy photos on the walls. Fluffy white and wheat pitas filled with perfectly made falafel, placed in a wax paper cone, were made to order in the tiny upstairs space. Amazingly, the delicious array of toppings was self-serve. Double-dipping was aggressively policed, but you could load up your pita with as much as you could fit.
Grabbing a falafel on the walk home from work or as a post-Little League game treat with my son, I loved to pack pickled beets, roasted cauliflower, hummus, and chili flakes in the pita and sneak some extra salads in the cone to eat with a tiny wooden fork.
Amsterdam Falafel closed in 2023, leaving all of us hungry for more.
We invite readers to submit their own nostalgic remembrances of meals with loved ones or places gone-by to info@edibledc.com. Selected pieces will be edited for length and style. Writers will receive a complimentary annual subscription to Edible DC
Invitations to
Our next issue will be out in early June to get the summer underway. Look for our definitive guide to Farmers’ Markets in the DMV. We’ll travel to coastal Italy and back to feast on clean elegantly prepared cuisine with the team at Ama, share what we’re learning about Food as Medicine, scream about ice cream, give you the run-down on some high-tech home composters and share the perfect backyard barbecue menu.
Wicked Simple Bagels
WICKED SIMPLE BAGELS
Two to three ingredients… no rise… no knead… no boil. It’s almost magical how easily you can turn the fresh eggs and goat cheese you just brought home from the farmers’ market into BRUNCH!
Impress your friends with your next trick:
Combine:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon baking powder
That’s it. (plus an egg wash and spices)
Instructions:
Mix until it’s slightly crumbly, then tip out onto a floured surface with floured hands. Squish it together just enough for it to gather into a ball, turning it over once or twice to get it to come together.
Slice in 4 and form into balls.
Push your thumb through the middle of each to expand the center to create a bagel shape.
Place on a tray with parchment paper.
Brush the tops and sprinkle your toppings—add what’s left of egg wash (and spices) into your scrambled eggs.
Go wild on the toppings. Some ideas:
Kosher salt, brown sugar, poppy, chili flakes, sesame, cumin, za’atar, niger, paprika, sumac….
Bake for 20 minutes at 375° or until tops are golden brown.
Cool down for a couple of minutes, if you can resist, before slicing.
Ta-da! BAGELS!
Eat them fresh….
Our tasting panel preferred Greek yogurt, but blended smooth cottage cheese also works in this recipe.
