Clarity chef/owner Jonathan Krinn has shown his creativity since the beginning of the pandemic, launching drive-through tasting menus and building an all-outdoor kitchen. Now, the Virginia chef is hoping to help his DC friends. They’ve suffered a particularly difficult week between the usual ban on indoor dining (slated to lift January 15) and the loss of businesses due to the Capitol mobs and curfews.
“You know when you talk to someone and their voice is spent? That’s what I heard,” says Krinn after talking to chef friends. “They’re just getting beat up every single day. It hit home.”
So, Krinn has organized a virtual event, called “Taste of DC in VA,”this coming Tuesday, January 12. Five of the District’s top chefs will contribute a dish for an elaborate takeout package that’s designed to serve six. Contributing talents include former Bad Saint chef Tom Cunanan (who’s opening his own restaurants); Amy Brandwein of Centrolina and Piccolina; Ryan Ratino of Bresca and Jont; Gravitas chef Matt Baker; and Reverie’s Johnny Spero. The dinner will also include a dish from Virginia chef John MacPherson of the lauded Three Blacksmiths. Krinn will contribute desserts and three bottles of wine per package. The price tag is $800 (roughly $133 per person) and proceeds will go directly to the chefs and their employees. The event also includes a Zoom session with all of the chefs on Tuesday evening.
All the packages—with reheatable dishes and instructions—can be picked up at Clarity (442 Maple Ave. E., Vienna). Interested? Email jon@clarityvienna.com or check out his Facebook page.
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.
