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EXECUTIVE CHEF JONATHAN DEARDEN WINS ‘BEST CHEF ON THE BLOCK’ EAST COAST BATTLE ON ABC’S “THE CHEW”

February 27, 2018

Winning Paella and Crab Cake Dishes to Have Pop-Up Appearances on Radiator Menu

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 27, 2018) – ABC’s daytime, Emmy Award-winning show, “The Chew,” hosted a nationwide cooking competition to find the ‘Best Chef on the Block’ the week of February 19th. After winning the Washington, D.C. battle last month, Radiator’s Executive Chef Jonathan Dearden competed against two other regional chefs and took home the East Coast champion title!

The panel of judges included Chef Amanda Freitag, a judge on Food Network’s “Chopped” and a former competitor on “America's Next Iron Chef,” and Chef Josh Capon of Lure Fishbar, B&B Winepub and El Toro Blanco in New York City. The competing ‘Best Chef on the Block’ chefs were judged on taste, presentation, and originality of the dish. Asked to make a family-favorite recipe, Chef Jonathan chose a  special paella dish for the East Coast battle, where he was up against one chef from Atlanta and another from Chicago – both regional winners from their respective cities.

“When my twin brother and I where younger, we had a live-in nanny from Brazil,” explained Chef Jonathan. “She made a paella for us every Sunday that we absolutely loved! It was our favorite thing to eat. This dish felt special and I had no idea what it truly was until I became a chef. So I chose to do a paella – risotto style – with chorizo, shrimp, calamari, mussels, green peas, and curry butter.”

In January, Chef Jonathan competed in a live cook-off to make a dish that best represented Washington, D.C. Raised in Sterling, Virginia, Radiator’s executive chef incorporated the familiar flavors of his hometown with a Chesapeake crab cake, accompanied by a half-smoke and potato-apple hash, and finished with an Old Bay remoulade.

Both the paella and Chesapeake crab cake dishes will be making special pop-up appearances on Radiator’s dinner menu throughout the year. Chef Jonathan recently launched a new happy hour menu which includes lobster grilled cheese and Disco tater tots as well as a new brunch menu with crab beignets and duck & grits.

Happy hour is available Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at Radiator. Brunch is available on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Reservations for Radiator’s dining room may be made by calling 202.742.3150 or visiting www.radiatordc.com. The ‘Best Chef on the Block’ East Coast battle aired on Tuesday, February 20 and is available on ABC’s streaming platforms.

Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s “The Chew,” with Radiator’s Executive Chef Jonathan Dearden after winning the East Coast battle in the ‘Best Chef on the Block’ competition.

ABOUT RADIATOR

Radiator is a chef-driven cocktail bar, tucked in the 14th Street corridor where auto shops used to line this part of Washington, D.C. in the 1930’s. With its laid-back, unpretentious vibe and engaging staff, Radiator offers a gathering place for guests to relax with craft cocktails, enjoy elevated bar food, and play life-sized games on a neighborhood patio. Lead Bartender Sarah Rosner has created a bar menu that ranges from surprisingly-refreshing scotch cocktails to ones with blended ricotta cheese and fig spirits. Executive Chef Jonathan Dearden provides upscale bar food as perfect bites to accompany these whimsical cocktails. Adjacent to the Kimpton Mason & Rook Hotel, Radiator is where grown-up tastes and childhood nostalgia meet. For more information, call 202-742-3150 or visit www.radiatordc.com. The bar is located at 1430 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005; is open seven days a week; and offers private-dining services. Follow Radiator on Facebook and Instagram.

 

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