The Beginning: Capital Cooking

I've always wanted to do a cooking show, but I didn't know how to make it happen. About six months after drafting scripts and episode ideas, I decided to go up to the local television station to take some of the production classes and they informed me that the Fairfax station actually had a cooking studio. I went over to FPA and took some classes there as well and sent out a request to find a crew. I thought long and hard about what to name the show and what the concept would be. I finally decided on Capital Cooking because I really wanted to highlight the flavor and cuisine of our nation's capital. It turns out the cuisine here is a lot like the people, a melting pot. We have many international choices as well as different regional dishes from all over the country.

Reggie Marston was the first person to help with the filming in early February of 2008 when we did our DC Cuisine episode. We started at Ben's Chili Bowl which has been around for 50 years in the U Street neighborhood. Nizam taught us how to make the famous half-smoke. We left Ben's to head over to Eastern Market to see where to buy half-smokes to make at home. We ended the show interviewing people on the street to find out, "What is DC Cuisine?"

We've now shot 37 episodes, film out of my condo studio, published the Capital Cooking Cookbook, air nationally and will also begin airing on PBS' Weta Create this Friday.  We started taking the show on the road to other capital cities.  We filmed in Iceland in March and will be filming in Sweden this July.  Thank you for all your support along the way and I hope you catch us every Friday at 7:30 p.m. on WETA.  This week I'll show you how to make a Romantic Dinner for 2.

Photo by Reggie Marston