Alexandra Greeley

Prepared with love, prepared for life

Founder of Through The Kitchen Door teaches thousands about the career of cooking Contact Through The Kitchen Door International Inc. Marisa L. Stubbs, catering manager 201 Allison St. NW 202-481-3683 marisa@kitchendoor.org As you look around, you see do-gooders everywhere. But then you meet someone like Liesel Flashenberg, founding executive chef and chief executive officer of a community food-related group, Through The Kitchen Door, which has gained not only nationwide recognition, but also has helped hundreds of people achieve a career by walking through the kitchen door. Flashenberg exemplifies what doing good for others can mean: teaching life skills for...

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Rooted in delicious

Eatonville chef's Southern home training means delicious food for visitors If you go Eatonville 2121 14th St. NW 202-332-9672 Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 11:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 11:30 p.m. Sunday When you size up the quiet, composed executive chef Russell "Rusty" Holman in the flamboyant, jazzy setting of D.C.'s Eatonville Restaurant, you may wonder why this modest young man isn't serving up vegan fare in a library's dining room. How does he keep up with the very flashy and demanding crowds who want more, more, more of his solid Southern cooking? At least, you realize, he is Southern, so knowing how to whip up...

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Unique path, unique food: Chef goes from baseball to fashion to food

If you go Bibiana Osteria & Enoteca 1100 New York Ave. 202-216-9550 Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday With its high-profile buzz and hungry throngs at mealtimes, it's no wonder that newcomer Bibiana has become the go-to place in D.C.'s downtown corridor, just at the edge of fashionable Penn Quarter. And it's no wonder executive chef Nicholas Stefanelli exudes a certain air of slightly rumpled yet edgy excitement: His kitchen and his food have hit a D.C. home run. That's good news for a native son: Turns out Stefanelli was born and raised in Prince George's County, and despite...

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Soprano returns to Washington National Opera for two roles

If you go Washington National Opera presents "Ariadne auf Naxos" by Richard Strauss Where: Kennedy Center Opera House When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5, 10 and 13, 2 p.m. Nov. 8 Info: $25 to $300; 202-295-2400; dc-opera.org Richard Wagner's "Gotterdamerung" Where: Kennedy Center Opera House When: 5 p.m. Nov. 7, 2 p.m. Nov. 15 Info: $40 to $210; 202-295-2400; dc-opera.org Fresh from her parallel U.S. debuts this past season with Washington National Opera and The Metropolitan Opera as Brunnhilde in Wagner's "Siegfried," Swedish soprano Irene Theorin returns. This time she will perform two contrasting roles, the sprightly Ariadne in "Ariadne...

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Family tradition

La Strada chef Stephen Scott comes from strong Italian roots If you want to get an idea of how industrious executive chef Stephen Scott is, drop by Alexandria's La Strada restaurant some mid-afternoon. During those quiet between-meal hours, Scott and staff will be in the kitchen out back, and it's likely you'll find them unloading and repackaging box loads of chicken parts before refrigerating them or preparing vegetables for the night's dinner rush. If you can get him to sit down long enough to chat, you'll find out he heads the kitchen for this all-family destination. If you go La Strada Osteria and Enoteca 1905 Mount Vernon Ave.,...

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A trial by fire

Ex-chemist concocts delicious flavors at Moroccan-influenced Evo Bistro in McLean Andrew Harnik/Examiner Driss Zahidi is the executive chef at EVO Bistro in Mclean.As an amazing success story, consider how this young Moroccan chef who started out his adult life with a master's in physics has ended up cooking for one of Northern Virginia's hottest, hippest wine bar and tapas place. That is the tale of Driss Zahaidi, who never attended culinary school and arrived in the United States about 10 years ago. If y've crowded into EVO Bistro in McLean, you quickly grasp that his culinary formula is a winning one. Take, for example, the fact that this 2-year-old place has expanded to almost...

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One cool customer

The queen of ice cream came to be after finding out sweet treats were here ambition If you go Moorenko's Ice Cream Cafe 8030B Georgia Ave., Silver Spring 301-565-7804 Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday It may seem like something of a stretch, but Susan Soorenko -- the Silver Spring ice cream impresario who has created the chilled confections known as Moorenko's Ice Cream -- is a bit like Willy Wonka. True, she doesn't operate a fantasy chocolate factory and she is not yielding up her trade secrets to an honest little boy. But Soorenko does manufacture an extravagantly luscious product that causes young and old alike to swoon....

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Chef is a cut above the rest

Neighborhood Restaurant Group butcher-chef Nathan Anda is perfecting the art of dressing animals If you go Planet Wine 2004 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria 703-549-3444 Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday If you have read the engaging book by Bill Buford entitled "Heat, An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany," you will find in its later pages a description of butchering, a fine art that many believe should be learned by all chefs in training. So coming across Nathan Anda, the butcher and executive...

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Art and Soul chef grew up in the business

Travis Timberlake comes from a family of D.C. restaurateurs If you go Art and Soul The Liaison Capitol Hill 415 New Jersey Ave. NW 202-303-7777 Hours: Breakfast -- 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday-Friday; brunch -- 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily; dinner -- 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday When you think about it, Travis Timberlake, the new executive chef at Art Smith's trendy Art and Soul restaurant on Capitol Hill, is one lucky guy. Not only did he end up following a lifelong passion, he grew up in a family of restaurateurs. Until recently, his parents owned the Dupont...

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Chef brings the taste of her native Mexico to D.C.

If you go Mexican Cultural Institute 2829 16th St. NW 202-728-1628 Petite, energetic and possibly the most exuberant female chef in town, Mexican-born Patricia Jinich runs the culinary programs for the Mexican Cultural Institute, and with her contagious enthusiasm for Mexican culture and food, has attracted countless visitors to the landmark building on upper 16th Street. An architectural delight and somewhat of a minimuseum with its collections of furniture, artwork and artifacts, the mansion was built in the early 1900s for a member of President Taft's administration and in the interim also functioned as the Embassy of Mexico. Today, it attracts visitors who come for...

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The new kid in town

Trummer's on Main's chef brings a lot of ambition to the new venture If you go Trummer's on Main 7134 Main St. Clifton, Va. 703-266-1623 Hours: Dinner -- 5 to 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday; lounge/bar area --Ê5 p.m. to midnight Monday-Saturday; Sunday brunch and bar breakfast -- 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. With his fresh-scrubbed looks, executive chef Clayton Miller appears just like the eager freshman who has landed at the university for his first day of classes. He's eager, all right, because he has just started on the culinary journey of a lifetime: He has taken over the newly refurbished kitchen of the venerable -- and now defunct -- Hermitage Inn in Clifton. Renamed and...

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It's all about the diversity

Reston Vinifera's Bo Palker draws on many influences to create his fare If you go Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro 11750 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Va. 703-234-3550 Hours: Breakfast -- 6:30 to 10 a.m. daily; Lunch -- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; Dinner -- 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday Unlike many of his contemporaries, Boyd "Chef Bo" Palker, executive chef at Reston's Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro, freely concedes that any cooking or any interest in fine food was not important to his family. "Food was not a big deal," he says, "and that surprises everyone. My brothers are contractors. I just started doing this. But I...

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Not your typical pastry chef

Arlington native Scot Harlan has traveled the world to perfect his craft If you go Inox Restaurant 1800 Tysons Blvd., Suite 70, McLean 703-790-4669 Hours: Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner -- 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday (Will reopen for Sundays after mid-Sept.) If you were to typecast the ideal pastry chef, you might describe someone who has a poetic demeanor, someone who dreams of spun sugar and delicate chocolate pastries. You probably would not figure on Scot Harlan, pastry chef at Virginia's Inox in Tysons Galleria: He more closely resembles a ruddy, robust athlete who'd rather play rugby than create divine...

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Classically French, deliciously fresh

ici Urban Bistro chef Olivier Perret embraces his heritage, fresh ingredients to create dishes If you go ici Urban Bistro (Sofitel Lafayette Square Hotel) 806 15th St. NW 202-730-8700 Hours: Breakfast -- 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday-Friday, 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday; Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner -- 4 to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Slightly built, but with an air of commanding authority, smiling French executive chef Olivier Perret now commands the kitchens of D.C.'s very upwardly looking ici Urban Bistro. Chic as it is, this restaurant-as-bistro needs food and atmosphere that is very French, and Perret is on hand to...

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Thinking globally, cooking locally

Maryland-raised chef hopes to make his mark on ultra-hip, California-chic Sonoma If you go Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar 223 Pennsylvania Ave. SE 202-544-8088 Hours: Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner -- 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Lounge -- 5 p.m. to close Tuesday-Saturday, by reservation only Monday A native Marylander who grew up in Frederick -- "I know this whole Maryland thing," he says -- Nicholas Sharpe ("my last name has an 'e,' " he says) is the recently named chef de cuisine of Capitol Hill's uber-trendy and ultra-laid-back Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar....

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Spicy and alive with flavor

Chef Javier Angeles Beron brings Peruvian fusion to his Olney restaurant If you go AromaÊ 182000-F Georgia Ave., Olney 301-774-6779 Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday; noon to midnight Saturday; noon to 10 p.m. Sunday Full of enthusiasm and what the Italians would call "brio," or "alive and vigorous," young, macho executive chef Javier Angeles Beron captures what is best in Latino cooking at his Olney, Md. restaurant, Aroma: captivating flavors and seductive aromas É hence, the name, Aroma. Peruvian by birth and proud of his family's food heritage, Angeles Beron keeps faith with his Peruvian roots, noting...

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Seasonal, fresh and fun

Redwood's chef Blake Schumpert has a deep connection to finding the best ingredients If you go Redwood Restaurant 7121 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda 301-656-5515 Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday Lean, angular Blake Schumpert -- who has the air of a man who has weathered his share of culinary duties -- has taken over the kitchen at the handsome, woodsy Redwood Restaurant in Bethesda Row. Considering that he was most recently at the helm of Richmond's Millie's Diner -- one of the mid-Atlantic's funkiest food destinations -- Schumpert can...

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Classically trained, simply delicious

Cafe Oggi's Pasquale Esposito does things in the old tradition If you go Café Oggi 6671 Old Dominion Drive, McLean 703-442-7360 Hours: Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday; Dinner --Ê5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday There's no doubt about it: Pasquale Esposito, executive chef and owner of McLean's long-time favorite, Café Oggi, is an old-school kind of cook. Reared in the classic, work-hard tradition of Naples, Italy, and the son and the grandson of two chefs, Esposito comes to this field by dint of hard work and an ingrained and enduring passion for cooking. "I tell my son," he says of his becoming a chef,...

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Cultural Cooking

Tuscarora Mill chef Patrick Dinh takes global inspiration to create his delicious dishes If you go Tuscarora Mill 203 Harrison St. SE Leesburg, Va. 703-771-9300 Hours: Lunch -- From 11 a.m.; Dinner --ÊUntil 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, until 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, until 9 p.m. Sunday. The café remains open until later. Wearing his baseball cap pulled down over his forehead, Patrick Dinh looks like any guy on his way to a ball game. Truth is, however, Dinh is only his way to the kitchen, where he works as the executive chef of Leesburg's long-time and well-favored watering hole/dining spot, Tuscarora Mill restaurant. And, of course, the baseball cap is just part of...

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Chef ropes in great taste

Cowboy Cafe's Zac Culbertson draws on his family tradition of cooking for his Southern-inspired menu If you go Cowboy Café 4792 Lee Highway Arlington 703-243-8010 Hours: 11 a.m. to a.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday Zac Culbertson will be the very first to tell you that he is not a trained cook. Yet this young, ambitious guy, who is the chef at Arlington's funky Cowboy Café -- a neighborhood landmark that has undergone a family-friendly transition from hangout to casual destination -- is no slouch in the kitchen. Anyone who has eaten one of his pork quesadillas and smoked pork burritos stuffed with poblano chiles and grilled onions...

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The unusual path to the kitchen

Moroccan chef studied engineering, but found himself far more at home creating delicious fresh dishes Info Headline Café Promenade The Renaissance Mayflower Hotel 1127 Connecticut Ave. NW 202-347-2233 Hours: Breakfast -- 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. daily; Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; Dinner -- 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday-Saturday,5:30 to 11 p.m. Sunday; Afternoon tea -- 3 to 5 p.m. daily. Just like many of his colleagues, Abdellah Aguenaou, executive chef at Washington's The Renaissance Mayflower hotel, started cooking as a youngster. But unlike most, he actually started working with his father in the family restaurant in Rabat, Morocco, his native city. "I...

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Chef's a veteran on the cooking field

Leaning forward with his elbows propped on the dining table, chef de cuisine Vatche Benguian exudes good cheer and the sense he’s seen it all in the kitchen. A veteran of several local high-profile kitchens — including La Colline, Gerard’s Place and the opening of Blue Duck Tavern, as well as working along with D.C.’s legendary Jean-Louis Palladin, who taught him about making his own vinegars and about using lemon oil — Benguian now takes on the job of cooking for the hugely popular Roof Terrace Restaurant. Think Sunday brunch, when about 300 people line up for the buffet line in its vast kitchen, and you understand the challenge. An Armenian who fled...

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Chef Massimo De Francesca: Sky-high Italian cuisine

Sizing up Massimo De Francesca, you might think he’s spent his life cooking in Florence, Naples or Tuscany, steeped in the culinary traditions of his native land. Instead, De Francesca — now the executive chef of Arlington’s sky-high Domaso Trattoria Moderna on the fourth floor of the Hotel Palomar — is a Canadian native, born and raised in Toronto. But don’t let that fool you: This young chef may be Canadian, but he grew up in an all-Italian, all-foodie household and is passionate about Italian cooking. Raised by parents who had emigrated from southern Italy, De Francesca learned at a very early age to prepare and appreciate the authentic cuisine of his...

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No bones about it — he’s a BBQ king

Although Nelson Head looks at home on horseback and once sold real estate in the Washington area, his calling — as a true Southern gentleman — is to cook barbecue. That’s just what he does, as those who drive the Interstate 95 South corridor know. At the Woodbridge exit, keep an eye out for the highway sign for Dixie Bones, because Head is the chief honcho behind this all-out, all-Southern eatery famed for its smoky ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket, not to mention its decadent Southern pecan pie. Best of all, this tall, lanky gent exudes Southern charm with his drawl. Hailing from Alabama and from a family that has revered the Southern barbecue tradition for more...

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Chef: Down home, from Texas to D.C.

With his boyish grin and crew cut, executive chef Russel Cunningham at Agraria talks animatedly about his Texas childhood, his grandfather’s barbecue restaurant and his love for motorcycles. But his enthusiasm ramps up when talk turns to cooking, especially to handling farm-fresh food. That’s his express mission at this farm-to-table restaurant, the first farmer-owned restaurant in Washington. (Its sister restaurant is the recently opened Founding Farmers in the IMF Building.) Assessing his childhood, Cunningham says he supposes his love for cooking and his interest in using farm-fresh products stem back to the days when his mother taught cooking classes at a shelter for...

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