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Lights, Camera, Dinner!
Area Chefs Show You How
By April Gruszkowski
 Courtesy of MonkeySee.comThink of MonkeySee, www.monkeysee.com, as a newish viral video depot for web-obsessed gourmets—or, YouTube’s smarter cousin.
MonkeySee broadcasts how-to videos that teach you to do just about anything—from making tiramisu to mixing up a Surfer on Acid (that’s a drink, by the way, not your college roommate).
And area chefs are coming to the table. At press time, nearly a quarter of the featured MonkeySee toques were from Northern Virginia—and most of the rest hailed from D.C. or Maryland.
One of the most popular local chefs is grilling expert and Lake Ridge resident Mike Hedrick from Pit Pirate BBQ.
“I was asked by them to be their resident barbecue expert, and it sounded like fun,” Hedrick said.
Because participants can post bios and personal web links, MonkeySee also provides the perfect opportunity to sneak in a little self-promotion while sharing some knowledge. According to Hedrick, the videos have increased traffic to his personal website, www.pitpiratebbq.com. “I can’t say I’ve increased any sales yet, but the extra national exposure is good for sure,” he said.
It’s also a chance to learn: Hedrick said he’s taken notes from other food videos and picked up some new knife skills, as well.
Folks at home who’ve been itching to play TV chef can ham it up, too: Submitting user-generated content is as easy as creating an account and uploading a video.
(October 2008)
Injera Inc.
Ethiopian Cafe Rises from Baking Fame
By April Gruszkowski
 Photography by April GruszkowskiIn the ‘90s, Meaza Zemedu supplied injera—the spongy Ethiopian flatbread that does triple duty as plate, utensil and main ingredient—to area restaurants from her basement kitchen. As demand continued to grow, she realized she’d be better off going into business for herself.
“I might as well make it worthwhile,” she said of the 17-hour days she puts in at Meaza Ethiopian Cuisine & Cafe—the only restaurant she supplies nowadays.
At her latest venture, one can buy groceries such as exotic coffee, spices, wine, Italian pastries and, of course, her signature injera. In addition to the food, Meaza sells Ethiopian goods such as books, jewelry—even DVDs and CDs.
According to Zemedu, her market is the kind of place where patrons can meet for lunch, pop in for a cup of coffee or dessert, or pick up some last minute groceries, all at their convenience. “They’re able to get a lot of stuff in one stop,” she suggested.
From the looks of it, her customers appreciate having such a centralized resource around. There is a visible sense of community in the way customers and employees pause to catch up, chatting and laughing with each other like old friends. Zemedu noted that Falls Church is home to a large and thriving Ethiopian community, especially along Columbia Pike, and that the restaurant has proven so popular, many regulars travel from well outside the area to dine there.
“They come from Baltimore, McLean, Dulles, Silver Spring—everywhere,” Zemedu said. “This restaurant is known all over.” She touted tibs, a native dish of sauteed meat or vegetables, as her favorite menu item.
On the weekends, Ethiopian bands play on a small stage and dance floor in a corner near the front of the restaurant. On Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., customers can enjoy the traditional Ethiopian coffee service.
Meaza Ethiopian Cuisine & Cafe: 5700 Columbia Pike, Falls Church; 703-820-2870; www.meazaethiopiancuisine.com
(October 2008)
Southern Comfort
To hear journalist/career socialite Julia Reed tell it, party planning is basically second nature for anyone reared in the deep South.
“Giving a party was as natural as breathing, and almost as necessary and frequent (there wasn’t a lot else to do),” she relates of her Mississippi upbringing in her latest collection of personal essays, “Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and other Southern Specialties.”
As part of her trip down memory lane, Reed reflects on a life of impromptu family get-togethers (elaborate fetes anchored by a “visiting dignitaries” menu of rare beef, yeast rolls, vegetable casseroles and gelatinous desserts her mother could whip up at will), lavish weddings, intrigue-laden celebrations (a planned embassy gala commemorating her graduation from Georgetown University was unceremoniously felled by the Ayatollah Khomeini) and amusing epicurean anecdotes (her yarn about 2004 presidential hopeful Howard Dean’s awkward exchange with a Niman Ranch hog farmer now seems like a bellwether for his poor showing in that year’s Iowa primary).
Reed also shares nearly seven dozen recipes garnered from her personal collection as well as from the stable of celebrity chefs and fellow food writers she encountered through her work for Vogue, The New York Times Magazine and other high-profile publishing outfits. Noteworthy temptations include: cayenne-cheddar-filled olives, cherry-tomato canapes, oysters Rockefeller salad, bacon-braised mustard greens, seafood lasagna and the Southern standby that is red-velvet cake.
“Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties: An Entertaining Life (with Recipes).” Julia Reed. St. Martin’s Press, 224 pgs., $23.95
(October 2008) |
