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
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 ready. i m carlton mccoy, raised in inner city d.c., educated in kitchens around the globe. these days i make a living as a master sommelier. i m a nomad, driven to move in and out of different cultures, different worlds, to celebrate diversity by embracing what makes us both unique and the same. after all, we carry our travels with us to our ne
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
when the administrations change. it is like the tourists changed. the tourists changed. the cabinet, all the people that work under them change, and that s a lot of people. and a lot of people just moved out. it s like a dark cloud came over the city for a little bit. yeah. even though there are barriers of entry, you could find the hole that you could get through to be your own person. yes. and to pave your own way, and to tell your own story. if you re into food, man, and you re passionate about food and you re the kind of person that actually respect people s food culture and revere it the way it deserves to, you can travel the world, you can connect with anybody, anybody. can we get a toast to that? with un100%. bro, i appreciate you, bro, for bringing us together. to the journey, man. we re here. we made it. i was conflicted about coming back home to find a completely new d.c. that it stopped representing who i am. but i m pleasantly surprised. i haven
it s like a good old time. i m ready. i m carlton mccoy, raised in inner city d.c., educated in kitchens around the globe. these days i make a living as a master sommelier. i m a nomad, driven to move in and out of different cultures, different worlds, to celebrate diversity by embracing what makes us both unique and the same. after all, we carry our travels with us to our next destination. that s what life is all about. let s do this. i left d.c. in search of opportunities, and every time i return home, i have mixed feelings. to most, the nation s capital represents dirty politics covered up by gorgeous memorials. but to me, it s more than that. it s a place that holds warm memories of great family, yet is an ever present reminder of darker times. although d.c. is in a constant state of flux, i m back to explore through a new lens.