Meet Our Chairs
2010 Chef Chair, Chef RJ Cooper
This is Chef RJ Cooper's first year serving as Chef Chair for Taste of the Nation Washington, D.C., though he has been a long time support of Share Our Strength.
As a teen growing up in suburban Detroit, Michigan, RJ Cooper imagined himself a rock star chef playing in the kitchen with his mother and Sicilian grandmother who made everything from scratch. His first stint in the professional kitchen was as a high school student when he took an apprenticeship at a local bakery. Knowing right away that the culinary world was his calling, Cooper decided to further his education by attending The Culinary School at Kendall College in Illinois where he had the opportunity to work with chefs including Jean Joho, Tony Mantuano and Jean Banchet.
In the late 1990's, Cooper moved to Washington D.C., working at New Heights and Toka Café before joining Vidalia in 2004 as chef de cuisine. Jeffrey Buben took on the role as mentor for Cooper, teaching him the fundamentals of running a business and keeping systems in place. His Modern American philosophy shines through as Cooper uses a delicate hand to transform ordinary products into composed and elegant dishes. While keeping things fresh and modern with a flavored salt, it's clear from the juniper-scented salt, reminiscent of a classic French cure, and the smooth-as-silk garlic cream, that Cooper's schooling is grounded in the fundamentals of classic French cooking.
In 2006 he was awarded rising star chef by starchefs.com. Followed that in 2007 Chef Cooper won the prestigious Best Chef Mid Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation, nominated for Best Chef by the RAMW with restaurant nominations for Best Restaurant RAMW and won for Best Restaurant AOL.
Chef Cooper believes in philanthropy and actively participates in Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation, is the Chair of Taste of the Nation's Culinary Council and was the founder of Share Our Strength's Chefs on Bikes; he also makes appearances at St. Jude Children's Hospital and DC Central Kitchen's charity events.
When Cooper is not in the kitchen, he enjoys his twin daughters, Ava and Bridgette, his Harley "The Pumpkin" and The Chefs' Motorcycle Club, The District Hogs.
2010 Beverage Chair, Sommelier Nadine Brown
Nadine Brown was born and raised along the sunny shores of Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Food and drink, including some of the world's best rum and coffee, played an important part in the culture and in her childhood, thought ironically for the future sommelier, wine was distinctly absent. She would discover that passion on her own.
Brown's initial vocational calling to her to the mainland U.S., when she earned her bachelors degree in social work at Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts, and proceeded to work with emotionally disturbed children for several years. It was during one summer that she moved south, to Washington, DC, and took a break from social work, hostessing at a new hot spot: Bistro Bis. From there, she never looked back. "There's an energy on the floor of a restaurant that is addictive," she recalls/ Brown remained there for four years learning the front of the house from the ground up and covering all the bases - hostess, server, banquet captain, office manager and floor manager - before moving on to work at other venues.
While she continues to gain practical experience, Brown also began to educate herself once again. While at Bis, one of her first managers had a passion for wine, which Brown found infectious. "I found myself reading anything and everything I could about what I was tasting," she says, "I found it all fascinating."
"I thought I'd be a lucky woman if I could get up every morning and love what I did for a living, so I set out to do it," she smiles. Brown took a French class at the USDA in order to assist her pronunciation with French wines, went to a series of local classes, and attended every tasting and seminar she could. In addition, she started studying for her degree with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a London-based organization and a prerequisite for eligibility as a Master of Wine.
Brown is currently the sommelier at one of DC's top power spots: Charlie Palmer Steak DC, where she utilizes her passion, charm and skill to impression some of the most influential people in Washington. Brown has been involved in Taste of the Nation for years and is a proud supporter of Share Our Strength's mission to eliminate childhood hunger in America.
2010 Mixology Chair, Derek Brown
Derek M. Brown is a beverage expert whose passion for cocktails, spirits, and classic bartending has led him to be a leading voice in the new cocktail renaissance. Derek has developed celebrated beverage programs as a bartender and sommelier at Washington D.C.'s finest bars and restaurants, including The Gibson. His latest project is a cocktail club and laboratory called the Columbia Room, housed within the bar that he co-owns with his brother, The Passenger. Derek also owns Better Drinking, where he conducts seminars and events and entertains drinkers throughout the country. Derek has received numerous accolades for his bartending, teaching and wine stewardship, including "Sommelier of the Year" for 2008 by DC Modern Luxury magazine, one of the five top new sommeliers in the country for 2007 by Wine & Spirits magazine and "Bartender of the Year" for 2009 by Washington City Paper. He has appeared in a diverse array of publications and media including the Rachel Maddow Show, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Food & Wine and Details magazine. Robert Messenger wrote in the Weekly Standard, "To watch Brown at work behind the bar is to see an artist among his elements...." While he routinely holds classes and events through Better Drinking, this past Christmas he was specifically honored when invited to the White House to mix cocktails during the First Family's holiday parties. When Derek is not behind the bar he is on the board of directors for the Museum of the American Cocktail, mixology chair for Taste of The Nation D.C. and a proud member of the D.C. Craft Bartenders Guild.
