A California native who grew up in Arizona, executive chef Al Nappo, the inspired top man at Founding Farmers—and its sister restaurant, Farmers and Fishers in Washington Harbour — became a diehard foodie as early as the age of 14.
That’s when he took his first restaurant job as a dishwasher at the Tack Room, one of only 13 five-star restaurants in the United States. Working under Chef David Benjamin Lolly gave Nappo the opportunity and the start that would define his career.
“I apprenticed with him,” Nappo said. “At 16, that’s quite young for this kind of experience.”
Before then, he had always viewed food as simply a means of survival: His mother had passed away when he was quite young, and his father worked long hours. But, he adds, his grandparents were great cooks, perhaps giving the youngster a working background to generate great food memories.
“The holidays were great,” he said.
As an adult, Nappo has had a varied cooking career, but not one that included any culinary schooling. But apprenticing with a master chef gave Nappo invaluable hands-on experience, teaching him the dynamics of operating a kitchen.
“There is so much to know from shift to shift,” he says. “You need to learn how to get 400 people lunch in 20 minutes.”
But maybe the most significant cooking lesson has come from his 11 years as corporate chef and then executive chef of the sprawling restaurant company, The Cheesecake Factory, with its outlets located all across the country.
“The restaurant has a huge menu,” he said. “It offers Asian, Mexican and American dishes, and it gave me a great eye. It forced me to make some judgment calls: is that vegetable cut to the right size, for example. I used to measure it with a ruler, tape measure and flash light.”
That may seem overly fussy to some, but such stringent rules have helped Nappo polish his cooking skills, and have readied him for the challenge of not only cooking for discerning D.C. foodies, but also for sourcing most of his vegetables, meats, fruits and seafood as locally as possible.
“I go to local farmers,” he said. “And it pleases me any time you can do something good for the farmers, the environment, the staff, or the guests.”
Of course, that is the “local/sustainable” mandate many local chefs now follow, but with Founding Farmers, that principle is fundamental to its mission: As its website notes, “When ingredients are available locally and it is sensible for us to buy them, we do. We serve chicken, beef, pork and dairy from certified sources that state their commitment to sustainable farming and clean foods; we buy our seafood from vendors committed to the standards of FishWatch.”
As Nappo readjusts the Founding Farmers’ menu, even adding some vegan dishes, he also oversees the kitchens of Farmers and Fishers. That means he is a particularly busy chef, especially, as always, these menu reflect the changing seasons.
Q&A with Chef Al Nappo
What is your comfort food?
Cheeseburgers. Absolutely, without a doubt
What is your cooking philosophy?
It doesn’t matter what you are making so long as the ingredients are quality. You get some chefs around who think like this, like with burgers, about what they are putting on the plate. Best meat, bread that is soft, tomatoes that are fresh.
How do you get your inspiration?
From magazines, television. There is so much food in the media.
Which is your favorite restaurant?
Kuma’s Corner in Chicago. It’s a burger place and the have the best in the United States three years in a row. Then Nobu in California. Then Zaytinya, Jaleo and Austin Grill.
What’s in your fridge?
Not much. We eat out 11 meals a week. So it’s breakfast food. I have two kids.
From the Chef’s Kitchen
Farmer’s Meatloaf from Founding Farmers
Using fresh herbs is best, but if substituting dry herbs, reduce the amounts by half.
Serves 4 to 6
3/4 cup thinly sliced crimini mushrooms (baby portabella), cleaned and stems removed
3/4 cup thinly sliced button/white mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 pinch plus 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp smooth Dijon mustard
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (Japanese)
1 1/2 pounds fresh ground beef chuck (90/10 lean, no antibiotics or added hormones)
1 large egg
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh coarsely chopped Italian parsley leaves
2 Tbsp snipped fresh chives,
1 Tbsp herbes de Provence seasoning
3/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Season the mushrooms with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the butter. When hot, sauté the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic until the shallots are tender and translucent; do not brown. Remove from heat, and let cool.
In a small bowl, mix together the heavy cream and mustard, then fold in the breadcrumbs. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Put the meat into a mixing bowl, and stir in the egg, Worcestershire sauce, the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Fold in the mustard and cream mixture, and the sautéed mushrooms. Fold in the herbs. Combine all ingredients well. Hand-shape the meatloaf mix into a loaf. The meatloaf can be covered and refrigerated for up to a day before roasting. Place the meatloaf in a shallow baking dish. Melt the butter and drizzle over the top of the loaf.
Bake for 10 minutes at 500 degrees to form the golden butter crust and seal in the juices. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees, and continue to cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before serving.
