Member on the Menu: Rose Previte
"Well, just about everything is hard! Being your own boss and owning your own place is great but with it comes the realization that absolutely no one can do most things for you." Read More
DC Restaurants Serving Our Communities
DC restaurants play a vital role in our communities. They are neighborhood gathering places where people celebrate special moments or milestones, and meeting places to catch up with neighbors and friends.
These community pillars serve much more than just food and drink. Giving back is part of the fabric of DC area restaurants. Our owners, operators, chefs and other staff engage with charities large and small, whether through donations, participating in events, or mentoring youth and others within a positive learning environment.
This support makes an impact.
Take Rocklands BBQ, a popular restaurant with locations in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Over the years, Rocklands has supported dozens of civic, non-profit and educational organizations. The restaurant also regularly donates gift certificates to area schools, giving more than 100 in 2014 alone.
Ris Lacoste, Chef and Owner of Ris, provides another example of how DC chefs take giving back seriously. Ris has been involved with countless philanthropic endeavors, including with local charities like the Rock Creek Conservancy and S.O.M.E. (So Others Might Eat) as well as national causes like the March of Dimes and “Camp CEO,” where Ris teaches cooking skills to Girl Scouts.
Some DC area restaurants even operate their own charities, like the Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation, operated by the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl. The restaurant has been a DC community landmark since its founding in 1958.
Below you can see just some of the charities and philanthropic activities DC’s restaurant community are involved with.
Latest from the Community
Member on the Menu: Chef Matt Heimbauer
Matt Heimbauer knew he wanted to be a chef as a teenager. After a childhood of helping out in his grandmother’s Italian deli and working in kitchens in high school, he only needed to apply to one college: the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park, New York. Read More
Member on the Menu: DC Brau Crew
When co-founders Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock opened the doors to their brewery in 2011 on Blandensburg Road in NE Washington, DC Brau Brewing Company became the first packaging brewery inside the District of Columbia since 1956. Read More
Member on the Menu: Danny Lee
In 2006, Danny Lee and his mother, Yesoon, decided to open Mandu, a restaurant that played to their strengths and represented their Korean culinary traditions and culture. Read More
Member on the Menu: Andrew Dana, Timber Pizza Co
Andrew Dana is born and raised in Mount Pleasant in Washington DC. He fell in love with Pizza from a young age.Read More
Member on the Menu: Tim Ma
Tim Ma is the chef/owner of Kyirisan (Washington, DC), Water & Wall (Arlington, VA), and Chase the Submarine (Vienna, VA). He started my career as chef/owner of Maple Ave Restaurant (Vienna, VA), but is no longer involved with that restaurant.Read More
Member on the Menu Spotlight: Geoff Tracy
"My motto from the start has been Great Food, Libation, and Merriment. I have always wanted to do chef driven food in a very unpretentious way. That works well in every neighborhood."Read More
Member on the Menu: Gus DiMillo
DiMillo and his partners have given time and service to Share Our Strength, Food and Friends’ charity, Humane Society, Smithsonian Institution, and National Zoo’s Zoofari (of which DiMillo is a board member,) to name a few.Read More
RAMW Member on the Menu Spotlight: Justus Frank
"I help my wife with community outreach programs through the elementary school at which she teaches."Read More
RAMW Member on the Menu: Zena Polin, The Daily Dish
"People say it’s not personal, it’s just business. But when you own a restaurant it’s both. "Read More
Member on the Menu Spotlight: Swati Bose and Kabir Amir
"We hope that as Flight does well, we will have the resources to give back to the community in more ways. Currently, we donate to social causes and student organizations by giving gift certificates for auctions, raffles, etc for their fundraisers."Read More
Members on the Menu: Ari Gejdenson
"I work with different soccer programs and enjoy giving away turkeys at the holiday times to shelters, food banks, and community centers. I really like working with local organizations."Read More
