Sophomore chef featured in The Washington Post

A Blair student was featured in The Washington Post food section on March 31.

The article, "The Kid In the Kitchen," highlighted sophomore Alex Brown's experience as a chef at the four-star restaurant Marcel's in the West End.

Brown began working at Marcel's almost a year ago as an unpaid kitchen apprentice and now works three paid shifts each week, according to the article.

Brown discovered his interest in cooking when he went to a crepes restaurant on a beach vacation. When he was told he could make crepes himself, he got involved in the trade. Brown attended knife class at L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda when he was 13 and took a home-economics elective in middle school.

He first became interested in Marcel's after his parents treated him to a birthday dinner there. He then wrote to chef-owner Robert Wiedmaier to thank him for the amazing experience. This letter opened communications between Brown and Wiedmaier and led to a job opportunity for Brown.

According to The Washington Post, Brown's excitement and intensity intrigued Wiedmaier. "He was this skinny little guy with glasses, but I was touched by his letter and his enthusiasm and his passion," said Wiedmaier. "He already had good knife skills and he wasn't scared. I just thought I'd give him the opportunity."

When school ends in June, Brown will return to a more demanding schedule at Marcel's, which will include a training class guided by Wiedmaier to teach him the "classical foundation" of cooking.

The original article can be found here.

Silver Chips' article about Brown's chef career, published in November, can be found here.