Chocolate Festival
Saturday, Feb. 9, and Sunday, Feb. 10; 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian holds its annual Chocolate Festival in February. From the blossoms of the cacao tree which grows in Mesoamerica, the Maya culture developed chocolate. This program will introduce visitors to indigenous symbols and images representing cacao throughout pre-Columbian history and invite participants to make an art-inspired piece. Participants will enjoy the music of Guatemalan Marimba with Marimba AWAL and join Grupo Los Tecuanes (Mixtec) as they share the process of turning cacao into chocolate. Executive Chef, Mitsitam Native Foods Café, Freddie Bitsoie (Diné), will demonstrate various recipes inspired by chocolate. Limited tastings will be available during the demonstrations. Families and children can participate in different activities in the imagiNATIONS Activity Center, including make-and-take a cacao pendant using the Mayan glyph for cacao (chocolate).
Crêpe Day: Celebrate La Chandeleur!
Saturday, February 9, 2019, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Enjoy crêpes, storytelling, art projects, and more amidst Hillwood’s spectacular gardens, magnificent mansion, and exquisite French treasures.
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Chocolate Festival
Saturday, Feb. 9, and Sunday, Feb. 10; 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian holds its annual Chocolate Festival in February. From the blossoms of the cacao tree which grows in Mesoamerica, the Maya culture developed chocolate. This program will introduce visitors to indigenous symbols and images representing cacao throughout pre-Columbian history and invite participants to make an art-inspired piece. Participants will enjoy the music of Guatemalan Marimba with Marimba AWAL and join Grupo Los Tecuanes (Mixtec) as they share the process of turning cacao into chocolate. Executive Chef, Mitsitam Native Foods Café, Freddie Bitsoie (Diné), will demonstrate various recipes inspired by chocolate. Limited tastings will be available during the demonstrations. Families and children can participate in different activities in the imagiNATIONS Activity Center, including make-and-take a cacao pendant using the Mayan glyph for cacao (chocolate).
On February 18 at 7 pm, Chef Todd Gray will host the first annual Not Wasted Dinner, a tribute to the organizer’s collective mission to eradicate food waste in the hospitality industry. The dinner is a collaboration of diverse yet like-minded chefs who will create a four-course dinner made from “trash ingredients” like roots, stems and cuttings.
“As we celebrate our 20th year in business, we’re more committed than ever to taking dramatic steps to decrease the restaurant’s carbon footprint. The dinner will be both educational and delicious–showcasing how you can utilize otherwise wasted ingredients and have a sumptuous dining experience at the same time,” said Ellen Kassoff, co-owner of Equinox Restaurant.
The evening will also feature an interactive discussion with an enlightened group of esteemed panelists to discuss and guide us all in ways we can reduce, reuse, and recycle for a brighter, more promising environmental future.
Confirmed panelists include:
- Amanda Stone, World Wildlife Fund
- Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Together We Bake
- Hilary Landa, Ad Council
- Laura Monto, Sodexo
Panel moderator: Lesly Baesens, DC Food Recovery Working Group
Guest Chefs
- Todd Gray, Equinox Restaurant
- Michelle Brown, Teaism
- Gregory Payne, Sodexo
- Robert Wood, SuperFd Catering
Special “Trashed” cocktails — using forgotten bits of bar fruit in syrups, garnishes, and mixers — will be crafted by Peter Grimm, Equinox Restaurant’s Bar Manager and Mixologist.
Tickets are $65 and may be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Mardi Gras Extravaganza DC will be coming to The Showroom [March 5, 2019] on Fat Tuesday from 6PM-10PM. Join the co-chairs – N’awlins native chef David Guas and chef Spike Mendelsohn, along with Gina Chersevani, one of the most beloved mixologists in the DC area, and Bruce Pike of Pike Productions known for elaborate event productions. The all-you-can-
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Colleen Murphy of Blue Duck Tavern
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Tracy O’Grady of 1789 Restaurant
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Lauren Matthews of Urbana
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Kelsey Burack of DBGB Kitchen & Bar by Daniel Boulud
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Chef Ruth Gresser of Pizzeria Paradiso
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Georgetown Cupcake
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Hank’s Oyster Bar
Women chefs, authors, culinarians, innovators and entrepreneurs will have a Shark Tank opportunity to present their ideas to a panel of professional experts as Les Dames d/Escoffier’s DC Chapter presents Pitch Fest, Saturday, March 9.
Local food entrepreneurs in retail, marketing and public relations will form the panel and will judge the pitches. The entrepreneurial winner will receive three hours of consulting services from the panelists plus a gift certificate to Michelin-starred restaurant Bresca.
Aviva Goldfarb, marketing executive and founder of “The Six o’ Clock Scramble” will moderate the panel that will include Stacey Adams, president and founder of Annapolis’ Tastings Gourmet Market; Susan Callaghan, chef and lecturer at University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Jill Collins, founder of hospitality PR firm Jill Collins Public Relations Group.
The brunch and presentation experience will be held at Mission Navy Yard from noon until 3 pm. Tickets, at $35 including brunch, may be obtained at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-pitch-fest-march-9-2019-noon-3-pm-tickets-55413950618
Food innovators wishing to make their pitch may sign up at https://tambrastevenson.typeform.com/to/N9TqWL
Les Dames d ’Escoffier Pitch Fest
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Noon – 3 pm
Mission Navy Yard – 1221 Van Street SE (corner Van & N Streets, across from Nats Stadium)
$35 includes brunch and presentations
In celebration of Women’s History Month, City Tap Dupont invites guests to a Bad & Boozy Brunch on Sunday, March 31, from 11am to 3pm. Brunchers are invited to raise a glass in honor of the phenomenal women of the world with bottles of bubbly and mixers for build-your-own mimosas ($20), as well as the usual $18 bottomless mimosas, beermosas, and build-your-own bloody marys. From 11:30am – 2:30pm DJ Ducky Dynamo will have powerful female artists playing throughout the restaurant for guests to dance and sing along with while enjoying brunch favorites such as strawberry sundae pancakes, shrimp & grits, and woodfired pizzas. To make a reservation at City Tap Dupont, visit https://www.citytap.com/location/dupont/.
Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign invites Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia residents to sip and sample creations from area’s most celebrated restaurants to help kids in need at this year’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry on Monday, April 8, 2019. Hosted at the National Building Museum, the annual tasting event will feature gourmet cuisine and libations crafted by the city’s hottest chefs, sommeliers and mixologists, uniting to raise funds to ensure all children in America have access to the healthy food they need, every day. One-hundred-percent of proceeds from the event benefit No Kid Hungry’s work to end childhood hunger in America.
Led by Chef Chair Mike Friedman (The Red Hen, All-Purpose), Pastry Chair Tiffany MacIsaac (Buttercream Bakeshop), Mixology Chair Gina Chersevani (Buffalo and Bergen, Suburbia), and Sommelier Chair Nadine Brown (Society Fair), D.C.’s culinary tastemakers will provide guests with scrumptious bite-size fare, craft cocktails and delectable desserts. Guests will also have a chance to participate in an intimate tasting with Chef Kwame Onwuachi (Kith and Kin, Philly Wing Fry) and Chef Tae Strain (Momofuku CCDC), and score hot items at the silent auction and “Giving Tree”.
Notable participating Washington, D.C. area culinary talent and eateries include:
All-Purpose | Al Dente | Art & Soul | Barrel | Beuchert’s Saloon | Buffalo and Bergen | Bombay Street Food | Buttercream Bakeshop | Captain Cookie and the Milkman | Cava Mezze | Coconut Club | Colada Shop | Compass Rose | Espita Mezcaleria | Estadio | Farmers & Distillers | Firefly | Georgetown Cupcake | The Green Zone | Hank’s Oyster Bar | I’m Eddie Cano | Jack Rose Dining Saloon | Junction Bakery & Bistro | Kith and Kin | Kuya Ja’s | McClellan’s Retreat | Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro | Mi Vida | Milkbar | Momo Yakitori | Momofuku CCDC| Nama Sushi | Osteria Morini | Ottoman Taverna | Oyamel | Pisco y Nasca Ceviche Gastrobar | Radiator | Rappahannock Oyster Bar | RARE Steakhouse | RASA | Royal | Shake Shack | Society Fair Spoken English | Stellina Pizzeria | Succotash Penn Quarter | Sweet Lobby | The Delegate | The Pub and the People | The Source | Tico | Truxton Inn
One in six children in America struggles with hunger, including nearly 27,000 kids in the District of Columbia. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger nationwide by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. Since the campaign’s launch, No Kid Hungry and its partners have connected kids struggling with hunger to more than one billion meals.
In 2018, D.C.’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry raised enough to connect hungry kids in need with up to 2.5 million healthy meals. Local beneficiaries include Capital Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions, and Mary’s Center.
D.C.’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry is supported by national co-presenting sponsors Citi and Sysco®, national media sponsor Food Network, and national sponsor OpenTable. Whole Foods Market is the Official Grocer Sponsor of D.C.’s 2019 Taste of the Nation and will be providing samples alongside their local vendors. This event is also made possible by the following local sponsors: Caledonia Spirits, Catoctin Creek, Chrysler Pacifica, Ecolab, Flying Dog Brewery, MacRostie Winery and Vineyards, Rémy Cointreau and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry tickets start at $100, with prices increasing a month prior to the event on March 8, 2019. For additional information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.nokidhungry.org/tastedc.
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace’s Annual Crawfish Boil is right around the corner!
The venue will be offering up a feast of Crawfish, Corn on the Cob, House Made Andouille Sausage, Coleslaw, Cornbread Muffins, Roasted Potatoes, Wood Grilled Oysters, Pulled Pork Sliders, Hush Puppies, Abita Beer, House Wine Pours, and Hurricane Punch!
All you can eat and drink!