Minibar’s head chef has left the bright-white building—and we’re not talking about José Andrés. Joshua Hermias, who’s lead the avant-garde kitchen and its 30-odd course menus since 2015, announced his departure via Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgRpp8cnH0e/?hl=en&taken-by=joshwed
Hermias came to the Andrés’ empire as a career changer, having worked as an analyst and as an economic development director for the Georgetown BID. During his time at Minibar—now one of the most expensive and exclusive dining experiences in DC, with only 24 seats a night—he helped earn the restaurant two Michelin stars and high marks among local critics.
No word yet on Hermias’ next move. His departure comes on the heels of Andrés opening Somni, a Minibar-esque tasting room in Los Angles helmed by Aitor Zabala, another Minibar alum.
We’ve reached out to Hermias and ThinkFoodGroup and will provide updates when available.
Update: ThinkFoodGroup issued the following statement:
“Chef Josh is a talented chef who has contributed greatly during his time at minibar. The minibar experience is the result of a team effort, and as always, the ThinkFoodTank team, led by R&D Creative Director Chef Ruben Garcia, will continue to oversee the restaurant while a new Head Chef is identified.”
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
