anything not to be in the projects. i grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in washington, d.c. now i m a master sommelier. one of less than 300 in the world, but i do it my way there is a lot in the wine industry to take seriously. the wine is one of them, i think. even though most kids like me don t have much of a chance, i got out. moved away to culinary school and left my old life behind me. this is my chefs table moment. but i wanted to come back to d.c. so this is like a very d.c. thing. that s what makes it delicious. to reconnect with my family. how many more eggs do you need? topaz mccoy, annoying me for 39 years. and seek out a side of the city just below its surface. that smell, huh? nothing like it in the world. i haven t been on this street in over ten years. this is nuts. am i the only person here from d.c., born and raised? it s a journey, man. i m excited how excited you are. i love eating great food. it s like a good old time. i m rea
or have had restaurants in d.c. am i the only person here from d.c. that is born and raised? yes. how did you end up in d.c.? i m from harlem. so we hustle it. so we didn t have investors to back us. like me, i had to, like, treat this like the rap hustle or a drug hustle. you were selling the mix tapes. out of the trunk. exactly. when i came down here, i was young black man trying to cook sophisticated food. and you trained in new york and then opened a place. and then i came down here, yeah. which is incredible. you didn t have to come to d.c., because you were already in the big show. you were working in three-star michelin restaurants and kitchens. what drove that decision? i m sure people were what, you re opening a joint in d.c.? well, you know, i never felt at home. even though i was excelling in these restaurants, i didn t feeled a home. i looked around me. there was no one that looked like me. not in those kitchens, no. we actually worked in the same re