Todd Gray

Expert Interview: Todd Gray

Chef/Owner, Equinox

What were your favorite foods growing up?
Amish Country Lamb Chops with Mint Jelly made by my German grandmother

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
Cooking in the parking lots at Grateful Dead shows and having the thrill of someone buying my food and really liking it -- thought, "hey, I can do this for a living"

Where and when did your career in food begin?
La Petit Auberge Fredericksburg, VA 1984

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
Professional golfer

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
A quest for representing our region and defining Mid-Atlantic cuisine

How would you describe your cuisine? New American with Indian influences?
Mid-Atlantic regional seasonal cuisine with traditional European techniques

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
Ingredients that I can source from local farms and fisherman. Reworking classic cuisine to a modern palate

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
My hands!

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
White truffles

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Be positive -- be committed to your craft -- remain a cook always

What qualities to you look for when hiring cooks for your restaurant?
Longevity on a resume

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what should I order to eat?
Grilled wild salmon with artichokes

What is your least favorite food?
Sun-dried tomatoes

What is your beverage of choice?
Barolo

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Back to straight forward cooking -- away from culinary circuses

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
In my wife's kitchen

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Italy and France

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
Crab cakes on the dock in Irvington VA made from crabs my son caught

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Get a sharp knife

What do you eat when you are home?
My wife's healthy vegan fare

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Expert Profile

Since opening Equinox in 1999 to universal acclaim, Todd Gray has emerged as one of the leading culinary talents in the nation's capital, as well as a tireless champion of sustainable farming and fishing practices, and a passionate promoter of local, mid-Atlantic foods.

Chef Gray developed Equinox's distinctive cuisine by resurrecting historical recipes and crafting them to reflect his unique Virginia-Piedmont cuisine: a style that draws on his classical Italian training while showcasing ingredients from the Piedmont region in Virginia. His refined yet approachable style made him the perfect choice for Culinary Director of Salamander Hospitality, where he will oversee the menu development at the Salamander Resort & Spa, blending his dining concepts with the resort's vision to create a simple yet elegant menu featuring provincial Virginian accents with hints of country Italian. The 340-acre Salamander Resort & Spa is slated to open in the lush wine country of Middleburg, VA in early 2010.

With his strong background in classical French and Italian techniques and proclivity for innovation, it's no surprise that Chef Gray has nurtured and mentored some of the DC's area's rising culinary talents. One of frontrunners in introducing awareness about the importance of humanely raised and slaughtered animals, Chef Gray continues to work with local farmers developing food of all varieties from custom-grown beef to fresh, organic produce.

In 2008 Equinox won the Restaurant Association Award for Best Fine Dining. Gray's cooking has earned him five nominations for the prestigious Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic award from the James Beard Foundation. He also is a five-time nominee for Chef of the Year from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Equinox has consistently been rated one of the city's top restaurants by many local publications, and has appeared on numerous "best of" lists in national epicurean magazines. Equinox has achieved Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence six years in a row, and is consistently recognized with the Award of Excellence from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNa).