The Corcoran Gallery of Art’s annual Artini celebration is all about the art of the cocktail, and we’re pleased to say that award-winning Chief Mixologist Jon Arroyo is participating this year! A dozen of D.C.’s best are competing to craft the most artistic libation based on a work in the Corcoran’s collection. Jon has selected Nina Chanel Abney’s Behind Every Good Man as the inspiration for his drink, The Walking Dead.
March 13 is the night that Artini officials will come to Founding Farmers to taste Jon’s cocktail, but you can enjoy it at both of our locations through March 30. Once you have tried it, be sure to vote for Jon at the official Artini voting page.
Here’s how Jon describes both Abney’s painting and how it inspired his drink. Bonus: He’s even provided the recipe for you to make one at home.
In this work we saw the contrast of light and dark, of struggle and success, and of life over death. Much as artist Nina Chanel Abney describes, her “Behind Every Good Man” work from the Go Berserker series “explores introspection and the idea of fighting against and/or accepting the things one might find when looking inside oneself,” we seek to explore the perfect balance for a cocktail.
“Behind Every Good Man” explores the collision of instinct and intuition, and we can relate. Much of making a great drink comes from intuition of combinations, and chemical manipulation of spirit and elixirs, as well as the instinct of knowing when a cocktail is ready to be served. “The Walking Dead” is a combination of light and dark spirits, intense flavors and citrus infusion to balance it all, ultimately creating a revival cocktail for the soul that struggles or for the life that triumphs.
The Walking Dead
1 oz Mount Gay Silver
1 oz Mount Gay Black
.5 oz hibiscus-infused absinthe
1 oz lime juice
.5 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz falernum
2–3 dashes Tiki Bitters
Place ingredients in a mixing glass, cover with a tin and dry shake. Pour into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and one piece of absinthe/rum candy. (Candy made by Founding Farmers Executive Pastry Chef Courtney Goldian.)
The National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) 2012 Continental Regional Conference, Whole Dining – Harvest the Essentials!, takes place this week at the University of North Dakota.
Founding Farmers’ friend and colleague Robert Carlson, President of the World Farmers Organization and former North Dakota Farmers Union President, gave this year’s keynote address. This noteworthy annual conference focuses on providing college and university students and faculty with the best available food services, from harvest to table.
Mr. Carlson spoke about the importance for hospitality professionals (chefs, restaurateurs, restaurant consultants, and more) to implement food safety, sustainability, and green initiatives, as well as the benefits of using environmentally friendly and reclaimed materials wherever and whenever possible when devising their restaurant business plans, as we did when creating Founding Farmers.
Since food safety is a top security issue among not only restaurant consultants and food service consultants, but also government agencies such as the United Nations, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, and the World Farmer’s Organization, Mr. Carlson lent his expertise, emphasizing the benefits of bringing together national agricultural producer organizations and agricultural producer cooperatives to create policies and advocate on world farmers’ behalf. These policies will aim to improve the economic situation and livelihood of producers, their families, and rural communities.
Congrats on a job well done, Mr. Carlson!
Founding Farmers’ award-winning head of mixology, Jon Arroyo, has been serving up cocktail lessons at LivingSocial’s headquarters in D.C. as part of a new series of special food and drink lifestyle packages. If you missed this go round with him, keep your eyes peeled for future events featuring the Founding Farmers team.
Photo courtesy TBD.com.
It’s time to call on you, our loyal fans, for a little assistance. The Washington City Paper has opened its annual Best of D.C. 2012 poll. We believe Founding Farmers is the tops in several categories, and we think you’ll agree. Click on each link below to vote for us in that particular category. Deadline: March 1, 2012, 11:59 p.m.
Remember: Vote early, vote often! As always, many thanks for your support!
Founding Farmers: Best Green Business
Founding Farmers: Best Mixologist: Jon Arroyo
Founding Farmers: Best American Restaurant
Potomac’s Founding Farmers: Best Brunch
Founding Farmers: Best Cocktail Selection
Founding Farmers: Best Restaurant When You Pay
Founding Farmers: Best Vegetarian Restaurant
Roosters get up at the crack of dawn, and so do our bakers, pastry chefs, and cooks — in order to help your workday kick off in a really delicious way. Starting Tuesday, February 21, our D.C. location will be serving breakfast Monday through Friday starting at 7:00 a.m., and just in time to celebrate the final week of Hot Breakfast Month!
Not only that, but the D.C. breakfast menu includes several new dishes to satisfy your first-meal-of-the-day needs. Who’s in the mood for some Red Velvet Buttermilk Pancakes?
February 12th, 2012
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A huge congratulations to Dan Simons, principal of VSAG and managing partner of the Farmers Restaurant Group, for being awarded the inaugural “Business Gives Back” Distinguished Alumni Award by the George Washington University School of Business. A 1992 graduate of the GWSB, Dan was recognized at a ceremony this past weekend celebrating the school’s commitment to teaching responsible business practices and empowering students to create positive social change.
Dan’s commitment to successfully incorporating sustainable practices into the Founding Farmers business model is forward-thinking and inspiring to his peers, Founding Farmers’ employees, and guests alike. His dedication to GW runs just as deep: last year he launched a five-year, $5,000 annual scholarship to a student in GW’s sustainability program, in order to encourage a new generation of responsible business leaders.
We’re proud of you, Dan!
Wow! The year is only two weeks old and already it’s gotten off to an amazing start for Founding Farmers. This week, we’re proud to say, we’ve made two top 10 lists in the foodie blogosphere — and for different reasons. First, Food Republic put us on its “Power Ranking” list of 10 sustainable restaurants, noting just a few of our many eco-friendly design features. Then, Gourmet magazine and BlogHer named us among the 10 healthiest restaurants in the nation, with blogger Jessica of JessRuns mentioning our commitment to local and family farm ingredients.
We’re looking forward to the time when we can get on the road ourselves and trying out the other dining spots named in these two lists — they all sound amazing. Congratulations to everyone for their successful focus on sustainable food service, from ingredient sourcing to restaurant design.
Gourmet/BlogHer — Road Trip: Top 10 Healthy Restaurants
Food Republic — Power Ranking: 10 Sustainable Restaurants
UPDATE: We have a winner! Congratulations to Jo Kim! Several people answered questions #1 and #2 correctly, but among that group only Jo’s guess for #3 — the number of times Laurence Fishburne dined at Founding Farmers — came closest to the truth. We would not have believed it ourselves if we hadn’t been here, but Fishburne enjoyed our fare two dozen times while he was in D.C.!
Thanks to everyone for participating!
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OK, Founding Farmers fans, it’s quiz time. This one is based on the many notables who enjoyed our Pennsylvania Avenue location in 2011, plus a question about our appearances in the reality TV camera spotlight. What’s at stake? The first person to answer all three questions correctly gets a $25 Be Our Guest Card good for either Founding Farmers location. Leave your responses in the comments below, as well as a Twitter handle or link to your Facebook page, so that we can let you know if you’ve won! Deadline: 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31.
Ready? Here we go. Good luck!
(1) Which person on this list of celebrities and notable people did not dine at Founding Farmers in 2011?
• Mrs. Jill Biden
• Laurence Fishburne
• D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray
• Food Network Host/Chef Robert Irvine
• White House Chef Sam Kass
• George Washington University President Steven Knapp
• Lady Gaga
• Ryan & Tatum O’Neal
• Queen Latifa
• Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011
• Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL)
• Jason Segel
• Martha Stewart
• Tennessee Titans Linebacker Will Witherspoon
(2) Which of the following reality TV shows did Founding Farmers or one of its staff not appear in?
• Food Network: Best Thing I Ever Ate
• OWN: Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals
• Food Network: Meat & Potatoes
• Cooking Channel: Everyday Exotic
(3) How many times did Laurence Fishburne dine at Founding Farmers during Thurgood‘s three-week run at the Kennedy Center? Give us your best guess.
