Michael Mina's busy year: New cookbook, incoming D.C. restaurant
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Chef Michael Mina (left) and his new cookbook, "My Egypt." Photos: Courtesy of The Mina Group (left), John Lee
Bourbon Steak's Michael Mina has a lot going on as he readies to host the celebrity chef-packed DC Wine & Dine event Thursday and Friday.
Why it matters: The globetrotting restaurateur is behind one of D.C.'s enduring power steakhouses, but he's testing new boundaries with a first-time Egyptian cookbook and a modern Italian restaurant opening in upper Northwest next year.
Zoom in: Mina is famous for his upscale hotspots and expense-account steaks, but the chef — born in Cairo — grew up in a small, rural Washington state town where "you had to learn to fight quick," he tells Axios.
- Mina (first name: Ashraf) was raised in a big Egyptian family, and only started using his middle name, Michael, at 18. "Growing up, it wasn't easy," Mina tells Axios.
- He learned a love of cooking and hospitality from his mom, who gathered the family for weekend feasts, but kids teased him "because our house smelled different."
Between the lines: That's partly why Mina — who already has a chef-y restaurant cookbook — waited until now, at 55, to return to his birthplace and explore his heritage in "My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots."
What they're saying: "I felt like no one really knows Egyptian food in the U.S. beyond a few staples," Mina tells Axios.
- "The best way to get people to notice a cuisine — it's taking the foundation and then elevating it with a little bit of technique and innovation. I wanted to wait until I had enough time cooking, and enough experiences in life."
What's next: While diners may not find Egyptian falafel at Lunara, Mina's incoming "fattoria-to-table" restaurant in the swanky City Ridge development, the chef is exploring an original Italian concept for his 40-plus restaurant group.
- Mina tells Axios he's aiming for a spring/summer opening, and developing some showstopper signatures (e.g. Bourbon Steak's lobster pot pie). Expect a big bar and plenty of fun antipasti, pastas and mains from a wood-chip grill.
In the meantime, Mina is refreshing things at Bourbon Steak, which opened nearly 15 years ago over former President Obama's inauguration. "I've never seen a [VIP] dining room like that — Oprah at one table, Denzel at another," Mina tells Axios.
- And for this inauguration? "We'll be ready for volume, but I'm not sure how foodie-driven it'll be."