Meet The Black Chef Who Is Revitalizing Northern Virginia’s Food Scene
Essence
2 hrs ago
Kimberly Wilson
Though it just opened in January of this year, Ada’s On The River in Alexandria’s Old Town has already become the subject of laudatory profiles in national publications and dubbed as one of the best restaurants in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
The reason? Ada’s secret weapon: Chef Randall Matthews.
The Executive Chef and native of District Heights, Maryland, has taken helm of the restaurant’s menu which includes wood-fired prime steaks, fresh seafood and vegetarian fare — all set to the sweeping views of the Potomac River. In a word, the food is delicious. But in a city often overshadowed by its neighboring sister of D.C., his efforts come as no small feat, coupled with the fact that just 14.7% of chefs and head cooks identify as Black, the lowest percentage of category by gender, race and ethnicity, according to a 2020 study from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But Matthews is doing it, and doing it well.