Local Flavor on WETA TV 26

Have you ever wondered what happens after you place your order at a restaurant? Where do you go if you want to eat authentic Neapolitan pizza, but don't have a trip to Italy on your horizon? Why do pepitas taste so good on the salmon at Kinkead's - and what is a pepita?

WETA TV 26 divulges answers to these secrets and more when it takes viewers out to visit the District's award-winning restaurants and the innovative chefs in them on "Local Flavor." The television series, which will premiere new episodes occasionally throughout the year, visits local chefs behind-the-scenes, preparing food in their own restaurants. The chefs demonstrate how to make some of their most prized recipes and offer advice on cooking techniques.

The first program of the series features a variety of local restaurants, from high-end establishments to charming cheap eateries. Diverse menus and cuisine take viewers from venison and salmon to pizza and salad. The program features the following restaurants.

	Jonathan Krinn (right) and kitchen staff at 2941 Restaurant. Credit: John Begeny.

• Kinkead's: Located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Northwest, D.C., and a dining destination for more than a decade, Kinkead's is an American brasserie-style restaurant that features fresh seafood. Owner and chef Bob Kinkead shows viewers how to make one of his best-selling dishes: Pepita Crusted Salmon with Chiles, Corn and a Shrimp Ragout.
  
  
• 2941 Restaurant: Exceptional cuisine, elegant service and breathtakingly beautiful views describe 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, Virginia. Serving modern French-American cuisine, the restaurant offers unique dishes, as demonstrated by owner and chef Jonathan Krinn. On "Local Flavor," Krinn prepares a Millbrook Venison Paillard with Huckleberry Banyuls Vinaigrette.
  
  
• Willow: Though it only opened last September, Willow has quickly become a favorite in Arlington, Virginia. The restaurant serves modern continental cuisine - a combination of fresh American ingredients with classic French and Italian influences. Co-owner and chef Tracy O'Grady makes Willow's Lady Flatbread topped with leeks, goat cheese and applewood smoked bacon.
  
  
• 2 Amys Pizza: One of only 14 members of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association in the United States, 2 Amys Pizza serves up certified authentic Neapolitan pizza. Chef Edan MacQuaid goes into his kitchen to prepare an Italian classic - Pizza Margarita. For a sweet finish, dessert chef Tracy Mattson whips up Marsala Custard.
  
  
• Café Atlantico: Inspired by the Nuevo Latino cooking style, Café Atlantico serves innovative and whimsical food rooted in Latin American cooking traditions. Chef Katsuya Fukushima shows viewers the secret behind his Organized Caesar Salad and a culinary technique called spherification.
  
  

"Local Flavor" viewers can acquire the recipes for these and additional dishes in a cookbook compiled by WETA TV 26 and available as a pledge gift during the program. "Local Flavor" is a production of WETA. Gary Broom is the producer of the program; John Begeny and Sue Richmond are the executive producers.