Happy BDay!

Culinary wizard and whimsical raconteur Michel Richard, a longtime fixture on the DC culinary scene who died last year, was celebrated on the occasion of his birthday at his downtown French-American bistro Central Michel Richard.

In honor of the legendary namesake, the four-course prix-fixe tribute dinner was inspired by the signature dishes Richard passed down to Executive Chef David Deshaies over 16 years of mentorship. The event featured a combination of Michel’s favorites (classic fried chicken nuggets and mushroom grilled cheese sandwich) mixed with new Central dishes (beets & goat cheese tulipes and scallop pizza with mango chutney). VIPS included Laurence Richard (Michel’s wife), Francois Dionot (owner of L’academie de Cuisine), Annie Boutin-King and Gladys Abi-Najm (Lebanese Taverna).