Cooking with Chef Gray and St. Albans Boys

Living in the Nation’s Capital has its perks.  Among them, the springtime.   A variegated season whose spectrum of color is highlighted for a few weeks by cherry blossoms that sprout across reaching branches and then blanket entire neighborhoods in cupcake pink as the blossoms flutter to the ground.  There is also the magnificence of the historic monuments scattered around the city.  Especially notable at night is the Washington Monument, a chalky-white obelisk rising to the heavens to pierce a midnight-blue sky.

But, as the seat of American government, Washington can be a formidable place to live and work.  Lobbyists work lengthy hours when Congress is in session and working parents remain “plugged in” while they read nighttime stories to their kids.  During rush hour the collective mood on the Metro can be dour, as worker bees make their way to windowless offices in numerous and vast government buildings.

Yet, lying beneath Washington D.C.’s austerity is a bedrock of magnanimity.  Tireless advocates routinely descend on the various branches of government, steadfast in their quest to effect change for the greater good.  Countless non-profit organizations are headquartered here and serve citizens in need of clothing, shelter, food and much more.  If there are any per capita statistics, I’d like to know, but it seems there is also an abundance of successful entrepreneurs who endeavor to give back to the local community.  Though I suspect few do it quite like Chef Todd and Ellen Kassoff Gray, a dynamic husband and wife team who, among other things, own a sparkly gem of a restaurant called Equinox.

Located just a stone’s throw from the White House, the restaurant caters to a clientele consisting of Washington insiders and K Street lobbyists.  When they are not seating and serving diplomats, the Grays are busy giving back to the community in a myriad of ways. Since they opened Equinox in 1999, the Gray’s have held cooking demonstrations at local schools, teaching young people about where food comes from and instilling in them the notion that we are what we eat.  Chef Gray also collaborates with White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass to broaden the reach of the Chefs to Schools Program, an initiative to partner interested chefs around the country with elementary schools in an effort to combat childhood obesity.  The Grays have adopted D.C.’s Murch Elementary School, for example.

The Gray’s are also known for opening and managing farmers’ markets in Washington, D.C., supporting the humane treatment and slaughter of animals, and serving as volunteers on boards, including the Washington Humane Society and the Northwest Little League.  They do all this while raising their son, running Equinox, and starting up new business ventures (e.g. a catering business and a second restaurant called Watershed that is scheduled to open in April 2011.)

Gilda and I have had the privilege of observing Chef Gray cooking with elementary school children in Equinox’s bustling kitchen.

Recently, he graciously taught the children how to make a Dos Gildas recipe (guacamole and totopos) and also showed them how to grill chicken on the line, side-by-side seasoned chefs during a busy lunch hour.   And while we waited for the students to finish their lesson, Ellen Kassoff Gray (who manages the “front of the house” operations) treated us to a plate of delectable risotto arancini and eggplant frites with a spicy rémoulade.

We then sampled the children’s cooking: grilled chicken served atop mascarpone cheese grits infused with adobo chiles and served with haricot verts.  For dessert, a nibble of vanilla bean brioche bread pudding topped with toffee sauce.

Like I said, there are many benefits to living in Washington, D.C.;  namely, good food and good people.