Interviewing strangers over a meal since 2008 (as featured in the Washington Post)
Dean Gold is the owner and executive chef of Dino’s Grotto, an Italian-inspired restaurant in Washington, DC. It’s the second incarnation of his dream venue, after he had to close his bigger restaurant Dean in DC’s Cleveland Park due to a drop off in business. Having eaten at Dino’s with…
Dean Gold, 60, is the executive chef and owner of Dino’s Grotto, an Italian-inspired restaurant in Washington, DC’s, Shaw neighborhood. It’s the second incarnation of the venue after he shuttered his prior restaurant Dino in the Cleveland Park neighborhood due to declining business after a several years-long run. Last week,…
Jamila Robinson is a lifelong foodie, always eager to try new restaurants and also experiment with cooking at home. She’s taken that passion and used it to develop a career in media where, at several major newspapers, she’s edited features sections finding innovative ways to tell captivating stories about food,…
André Hueston Mack is a busy man. The sommelier turned wine company owner has a packed schedule that includes touring the country to visit the vineyards that supply his wine, giving motivational talks highlighting how he took chances to get to his current position, writing a memoir, and getting ready…
A short update to say thank you to Laura Hayes of the Washington City Paper for doing a feature on the almost-10 year anniversary of Dining With Strangers. It launched on November 25, 2008, when I posted the first interview, with my friend Joe Matar learning more about him and…
André Hueston Mack, 45, is a winemaker and former sommelier at some of the world’s top restaurants including French Laundry in Yountville, California, and its sister venue Per Se in New York City. He got into the wine industry after quitting a successful desk job in the financial investment sector,…
Oh goodness, the last update on this site was in February. I’m more active on a day-to-day basis on the Dining With Strangers Twitter account and Facebook page. But I realize it’s been a long time since I featured a dinner interview (the point of the site), and I have…
For 24 years, Mustafa Santiago Ali was an employee of the Environmental Protection Agency, working on environmental justice (EJ). Also known as environmental equity, EJ generally refers to addressing the disproportionate adverse impacts of industrial pollution on low-income and minority communities. It’s a cause that is personal for Mustafa, but…
At least 10 times a day, people stop Kurt Fuller to tell him they swear they’ve met before. What’s actually happening is that they’re recalling one of the almost 200 roles that Kurt, 64, has played in movies including massive hits like Ghostbusters II, Wayne’s World and Scary Movie or scene-stealing roles in television…
Jonathan Blum is a Washington, DC, born painter who now lives in New York and travels the world selling his unique paintings that feature an unusual roster of images: Rabbis, llamas, other animals, foreheads and more. “Most artists are pursuing a particular style and do different thing in their styles….