As you walk up to the Gray’s house, the first thing you’ll notice may be the trellis covered with climbing roses, or possibly the hanging planters filled with cascading fuschia. Or maybe it will be the barking dogs — that would be Zeus and Augustus. And as you push through the gate onto the front porch, you’ll likely hear Todd or his wife Ellen quieting the dogs and assuring the visitor that both German shepherds are going out to the backyard.
Once inside, first impressions: a row house filled with nostalgia, family memorabilia and fabulously eclectic furniture. And lounging on a large living room couch by the fireplace, chef Todd Gray, owner and executive chef of D.C.’s Equinox restaurant, talks about his life in the competitive culinary world of Washington, adding, “It’s been a long road to this.”
Working as a husband andwife team, the Grays have propelled the downtown eatery located just a few blocks from the White House onto center stage. They have set up a chic yet nonthreatening dining room where patrons can not only enjoy quality seasonal — and for the most part organic — produce and quality meats and sustainable seafood, but also relax in casual-dressy style and not break the bank.
For a chef whose cooking is always in demand — reservations recommended — Gray attributes the major key to his success to his passion for seasonally appropriate and fresh ingredients. “It’s about cooking in season,” he says, remembering his introduction to area farmers on a field trip organized by chef Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora in 1995.
“That is when I started buying regional goods,” he says.
But, he adds, his passion for farm-fresh ingredients was also stoked by such chef colleagues as Roberto Donna (for whom Gray once worked as sous chef at Galileo) and Jean-Louis Palladin. “They taught me a lot about farm-raised meats, vegetables and eggs, and about local cheeses. That’s where it all started,” he says. That, plus his wife’s zeal for “conscientious consumption,” has turned his passion into a vision of eco-understanding and quality dining.
As he shows off his kitchen — small, by restaurant standards, and also 100 years old — and points out back from his breakfast nook to the bricked terrace edged with herb, tomato and corn plants, he notes proudly that the restaurant’s pesto derives from the basil grown in this very garden. And, say the Grays, the mint for their son, 7-year-old Harrison’s weekly batch of homemade chocolate-mint ice cream gets picked fresh from their yard.
In Gray’s own words
Why did you become a chef? Because I loved what I was learning once I was in a restaurant kitchen, and that passion came about when I was a freshman in college in Richmond, Va. In those early days,I had to decide whether to go to the front or the back of the house. But I ended up going to culinary school at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America).
Who does the cooking at home? Ellen does 99 percent of the cooking.
What does your son think of your career? I think he likes it, though it is tough for a child to understand the hours. But he accepts that it is part of the family; he’s down there often and loves the energy. My job is to carve out quality time for him.
What is your favorite dish? Soft-shell crabs with lemon butter and local roasted corn on the cob.
What is your “must-have” ingredient? Salt, and then olive oil. Without salt, nothing tastes good. Oh, and a good bottle of vinegar.
What is your comfort food? I think pasta is probably it. If I want something warm and comforting, it would be a good baked pasta such as pappardelle noodles with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese, or homemade macaroni and cheese. … At my restaurant, it would depend on the season. Probably Scottish pheasant in the winter and local asparagus in the spring. And sweet corn and heirloom tomatoes in July.
What’s in your fridge right now? Hummus, avocados, haloumi cheese, pita bread, good white wine, local beer, veggie dogs and veggie burgers, and Ellen’s homemade chocolate chip ice cream.
What things inspire your cooking? The seasons and my previous years’ work, but I move beyond what I’ve been doing. My cooking is product- and season-driven.
Butternut Squash Soup with Homemade Croutons
Serves 4
For the Soup:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 butternut squash, peeled, sliced
2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the croutons:
1 cup cubed baguette
2 tbsp. oil
Salt and black pepper
For the garnish:
1 tsp. oil
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
2 shallots, sliced
1 tbsp. butter
3 spring onions, sliced
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the Soup:
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until medium-hot. Add the onion, garlic and butternut squash, and cook for 4 minutes; add the stock, and cook for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add cream and salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes. Purée mixture in a blender, and pass through a mesh strainer. Transfer mixture into a clean pot and keep warm.
For the croutons:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss diced breadcrumbs in oil and seasoning; bake until toasted, about 5 to 7 minutes.
For the Garnish:
Heat a 10-inch sauté pan until medium-hot. Add oil, mushrooms and shallots, and cook 1 minute. Add butter, spring onions and salt and pepper.
To Serve:
Ladle warm soup into 4 bowls and top with the mushroom mixture and croutons.
