I met Chef Ron when he was a Chef at Crème Restaurant in Washington, DC. He
was an early supporter of the food photos I posted on my Facebook page and would often
ask my opinion about the dishes I posted photos of. After receiving a negative
comment about the food posting from a ‘friend’ on Facebook, I ran into Chef Ron
at an event. He had seen the negative comment and encouraged to continue to
posting the photos. Along my Technicolor dining journey I began to notice a pattern in the dining industry - the lack of men of color, specifically African-American men in the industry. I wanted to know what the factors might be that resulted in the small presence. I contacted Chef Ronald Reid, with Stonefish Grill and asked if I could interview him. It would also give me an opportunity to check out Stonefish Grill’s newest location in New Carrollton, Maryland
Q: How did you get
started?
Q:I thought I saw
you on television recently?
Chef Ron:Yes, I
was on Fox 5 DC for Taste of Prince George’s County
Q: Do you have any career highlights that you wish
to share?
Chef Ron: I cooked for President Obama (here's the video )
Q:What do you
enjoy most about being a chef?
Chef Ron: I think
my cooking is about cooking with love. I want people to enjoy the food I
create.
Q: Do you think
that you have more challenges in the culinary arts industry as a man of color?
Chef Ron: It seems people don’t believe in us. Don’t want to invest
in us.
Q: What is your
philosophy about cooking?
Chef Ron: You
gotta see what you want and go for it. I try to have fun. My goal is to build relationships.
Q: What’s the difference
between exceutive chef, corporate chef? The terms seem to be used interchangeably.
Chef Ron: Chefs
manage, chefs teach. Executive Chef: maintains and adheres to philosophy of the
restaurant. Corporate chefs don’t cook.
They manage the profit margin. They push
the business to business to ultimate level. They build culture.
Q: What are your
favorite dishes to cook?
Chef Ron: shrimp
and grits, stuffed salmon
Q:What’s next for
you?
A:Chef Ron: Owning
a restaurant. I’m aware that the restaurant
business is not the venture to make a quick turn around, but I’m passionate about
cooking.
Thanks to Chef Ron for sharing his insights and background.
All this talk about cooking made me
hungry – I was ready to check out Stonefish Grill’s menu!
Stonefish Grill originated
out of Chicago as Restaurant America. The two local locations (DC, New
Carrollton) are franchises under American Hospitality Management. Chef Ron was asked to come on board to help develop
the restaurant.
Stonefish Grill features a Bar/lounge and restaurant. The evening I visited the restaurant section was closed, but the full menu was avalable in the bar/lounge section.
My dinner: grilled shrimp, stuffed salmon
Grilled shrimp: five plump grilled shrimp. Well seasoned, marinated shrimp.
Garnished accompanied with house made salsa garnished with sprigs of cilantro, guacamole,
cilantro, pickled red peppers (very hot!)
 |
| Stonefish Grill's grilled shrimp |
Stuffed salmon: salmon stuffed with crab, accompanied Yukon potato hash,
spinach. Salmon is wrapped around crab cake (the crab cake is full of crab, not
filler). Potatoes are crisp, well seasoned. Light dusting of Old Bay on circumference
of plate. Very filling - I took half my entrée home to eat the following day. Bonus: Reasonably priced.
 |
| Stonefish grill's stuffed salmon |
The staff is attentive and wants feedback.
The closest metro is New Carrollton. Lots of free parking is available.
Want to know more about Chef Ron? Follow him on Twitter: @baldbrotha88
Be well,
I began receiving emails last week concerning Valentine's Day. One email's subject line read, "Will you be my Valentine? Retailers and related businesses know that Valentine's Day is BIG business (Christmas is a close second) and the time to capture your attention is N-O-W.
