Listening to Kate Jansen and Tracy O’Grady talk, they might as well be sisters — except that they don’t look anything alike. But whatever they don’t share in genes, they do share in kitchen craft and culinary passions.
And that makes their partnership as co-chefs and co-owners of Arlington’s very successful Willow restaurant run smoothly, despite those days when it looks like everything around them is steaming over.
“Kate is the nicest person in the world,” says O’Grady. To this, Jansen notes, “We have been friends a long time. We are both driven. Even our voices sound alike,” adding that when they answer the phone, the caller often can’t tell who is who.
How this joint venture came into being is one of those heartwarming success stories of friends whose personalities are complementary and whose skills mesh. Jansen’s focus has always been on baking. “I was the first pastry chef at Galileo,” Jansen says, at the same time as O’Grady was a line cook.
From there, Jansen partnered with a fellow baker to start the wildly successful Firehook Bakery in Alexandria, which from its first shop branched out into nine different locations. O’Grady, on the other hand, moved over to Kinkead’s, where she went from sous chef to chef de cuisine. Eleven years had passed, and still close friends, the pair considered opening their own restaurant.
“Tracy wanted her own restaurant,” Jansen says. “I wasn’t so sure.” But Jansen decided the plan seemed more realistic because her friend had already run a restaurant for years, and had decided it was time to open her own place.
“I always wanted a neighborhood place,” O’Grady says, but added it would be one without pretensions where the chef says, “I’m cooking this and you’ll love it.”
Now that the first rough year has passed, both note that they are still learning and still spending time finding out what the customers want.
At both lunch and dinner, patrons vote the grilled flatbreads — one of O’Grady’s creations — as possibly the best items on the menu. Fortunately for the pair, as they move into their fourth menu change — they tweak dishes in between — they share the same palate and are equally willing to hear what staff and customers have to say about Willow and its menu.
O’Grady says theirs has been a good partnership. “I do the cooking and Kate does the baking.”
Adds Jansen: “We each know our own responsibilities.”
And in the end, it must help that O’Grady’s husband acts as business manager and runs the front of the house.
in Jansen and O’Grady’s own words
What is your favorite dish?
Jansen — I have no answer. I can’t narrow it down. The monotony of having only one favorite would drive me crazy.
O’Grady — The flatbreads. They are so simple, so accessible. And probably bacon, and some kind of soup. We love pork; it’s on the menu too much.
Why did you become a chef?
Jansen — I had no plans until I came to Washington and was working at HHS. Then the idea came to me. I took some Sicilian cooking classes and I got hooked, so I decided to make a career change. … Roberto Donna was an instructor, and I apprenticed at Galileo. … Working with pastry can be so challenging; I learn new things all the time.
O’Grady — I have always loved to cook, and I am good at it. I love to make people happy. … It is such a great profession. You really can make people happy. Lawyers can’t do that. … When I came to Washington after college … I picked up the phone and called Janet Cam. … I worked for free with Yannick Cam for six months, and then moved to Galileo.
What is your cooking philosophy?
Jansen — I take a simple approach. I use high-quality ingredients and prepare them in a straightforward presentation.
O’Grady — I take the best ingredients and try to keep them unmanipulated. I don’t enjoy over-manipulated food. I keep it accessible but not dumbed down. The Alice Waters style …
What ingredients are essential in your kitchen?
Jansen — Condiments, champagne, chocolate, heavy cream, butter and good olive oil.
O’Grady — Bacon, olive oil, butter, cheese, seafood, and lots of fresh vegetables and herbs. Anything citrusy like preserved lemons.
What is in your refrigerator?
Jansen — Condiments, skim milk, grapefruit juice, yogurt.
O’Grady — Ginger Ale, Virgil’s Root Beer, beer, champagne and condiments.
Where do you go out to eat?
Jansen — Peking Gourmet for carryout. I haven’t had much of an opportunity. So many places are closed on Sunday.
O’Grady — Sometimes I am here 28 days in a row. The only place I go regularly is to Pho 75.
Fennel, Prosciutto and Orange Salad
6 oz. very thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma ham
2 large fennel bulbs, fawns removed, shaved finely
20 good-quality small green olives
2 oranges, juiced with the pulp remaining
1/8 cup extra virgin oliveoil
Fresh lemon juice to taste, optional
20 roasted and spicy almonds
Place prosciutto evenly on four plates. Toss the shaved fennel with orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, olives, salt and pepper to taste and place in the center of each plate. Garnish with spiced almonds.
