27 Mar 2014

Five Questions: Ciao Chow Small Batch Dinners and Catering

courtesy of Ciao Chow

courtesy of Ciao Chow

A number of small cooking-related start-ups have opened up shop on Capitol Hill in recent years, and Ciao Chow, which started delivering small batch Italian dinners in October, now belongs to this mouth-watering fraternity.

Owners Danielle Brasure and Jessica Lowther bring together years of experience in professional kitchens to offer high-end yet homestyle effortless meals to our tables. Effortless for us, as the effort is all theirs.

All you need to do is fill out an online menu. Prepare for a bit of tummy rumbling: you’ll be choosing from things like beef brisket with mustard vermouth pan glaze sauce, spinach ricotta torta, baked rigatoni with Sicilian eggplant caponata and sweet Italian pan roasted free range chicken breast with smoky tomato and almond pesto, and fennel braised lemon and garlic chicken and pan fried risotto cakes.

I sat down with them recently to learn more.

How did Ciao Ciao get started?

Jessica and I decided to launch Ciao Chow after years of our neighbors saying that the two of us should join culinary forces. We listened to our friends and agreed that our talents were a good match for the kind of community-based business we wanted to create. We started delivering Ciao Chow meals the last week of October and haven’t looked back. I have lived on the Hill since 1998. Jessica returned to DC in 2008. We’re both active in the Capitol Hill Community and have hosted dinners for the Capitol Hill Literary Feast.

Tell me about the menus.

Our menus are seasonally driven and change every week. It has been both rewarding and challenging seeking out the best products. We have found romanesco (Roman Broccoli) from a local farmer at Eastern Market, pork from Wagon Wheel Ranch in Maryland, and locally-raised free range chicken from Mel at Market Poultry. We are looking forward to spring when there will be a greater range of local produce that we can include in our meals.

What expertise to you bring to the ‘table’?

Jessica is a graduate of L’Academie de Cuisine and worked at DC restaurants Bistro Bis and Butterfield 9 before spending 5 years living in Italy. There she had the opportunity to work at a Michelin starred restaurant, as well as Alice Waters’ Slow Food kitchen at the American Academy of Rome. Until recently she worked for Hill-based caterer Well Dunn. I have a BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management, and my experience includes running large-scale commissary kitchens and working as the Director of Wholesale Sales at Marvelous Market. 

Where does the magic happen before it lands on Hill dining tables?

We operate out of Union Kitchen (a shared commercial kitchen space in NE) and eventually we want to open a neighborhood storefront. In addition to our weekly dinner service, we provide a wide range of catering services. We also have a line of gourmet provisions that are currently being sold through Hometown Harvest and at some small cafes and retail stores. We plan to expand our delivery offerings to include these items in the coming weeks.

How has your business been received by the community?

Business has been brisk and building every week. We know, as busy moms ourselves, that families are strapped for time and over-scheduled.  Having a weekly break from making dinner, and at the same time feeling good about what’s on the table, has led to many repeat customers.

 

 

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