Josh Gibson, 36, is the executive director of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington Education Foundation, a nonprofit formed in 2004 that helps train people for the food and restaurant industry. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Are you a chef?
No, but I play one on TV. Seriously, no, I’m not. But Frans Hagen, the RAMW-EF founder, is a chef and a 40-year member of the Restaurant Association. I only cook twice a year, for my wife, on Valentine’s Day and six months later. But when I do cook, it’s a big deal. Although, once I caught a rubber spatula on fire.
What is the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington Education Foundation?
Every state has a restaurant association, and most state restaurant associations have an education foundation. Our goal is to promote the restaurant industry as a career of unlimited opportunity, and to create a pipeline of qualified employees for area restaurants.
Why is it important in D.C.?
Approximately one of 15 jobs in Washington is in restaurants and food service. Yet restaurants sometimes have trouble finding and keeping good employees. We partner with local school districts, charter schools, nonprofits and other organizations and provide them with everything they need to be quality culinary educators. We’re doing all we can to expand and perfect culinary education in the area.
Have any of the students gone on to become renowned chefs?
Our organization is still young, so it’s early to have turned out chefs just yet. But we’ve sent students to some of the best culinary schools in the country, including the Culinary Institute of America. And we’ve had students go on to work in places as diverse as the Ritz-Carlton, Paolo’s, Kinkead’s, Georgia Brown’s and even in Bermuda.
Where are the best three places to eat in the D.C. metro area?
My top choice: my apartment (when my wife is cooking). As a longtime neighborhood resident, I’m partial to Adams Morgan restaurants. But honestly, I have very flexible tastes — from greasy spoons to molecular gastronomy, I love it all.
