Executive Chef Afram will be serving Crab Mac & Cheese with Beer Cheese, Charred Corn, and Old Bay Cheese Curl Crumbles.

Originally from Silver Spring, MD, Marcelle Afram grew up immersed in the restaurant industry, assisting her parents in the kitchens of their mom & pop pizza shops and Lebanese restaurants. Later in life, Marcelle trained under Michelin star chefs in Spain, worked at fisheries in Puerto Rico, and on a farm cooperative in Wisconsin – all before coming back to the DC-area and opening restaurants with Stir Food Group, and ultimately operating her own consulting business.

She landed at Bluejacket before the opening in October 2013. Now Executive Chef, Marcelle draws on her Italian and Mediterranean culinary training which instilled in her an approach focused on only the best ingredients of the season, by building close relationships with local farmers and purveyors. Bluejacket serves a seasonal menu with beer garden flare and proudly sources nearly 100% of its produce and meat locally.

Chef Murray will be serving his Butternut Mornay Mac & Cheese with Gemelli Pasta, Virginia Ham Crackling, Sage, and Sprouting Cauliflower.

Since childhood, Chef Joshua Murray has cultivated a passion for food. Raised in the farmland of rural Spotsylvania, VA, Chef Murray’s boyhood was filled with entertaining family and friends regularly and abundantly at his family’s house, where culinary delights were created from ingredients straight out of his backyard farm. The experience provided him the perfect opportunity to develop a keen interest in cooking.

His passion took him to Johnson & Wales University, where he honed his culinary skills and drew inspiration to pursue opportunities in restaurants. After graduating, Chef Murray forged a path that included chef’s positions at multiple private upscale restaurants across the country, including Dust Cutter in Phoenix, Carneros Bistro in Sonoma, and Rockwood Grill in Desert Springs.

Throughout his career, Chef Murray has earned numerous accolades and honors, including gold, bronze and silver medals in American Culinary Federation competitions, restaurant awards, television appearances, and has been featured in Signature Chef Events and in multiple publications.

Having returned home to the region, Chef Murray is excited about being re-inspired by the local flavors of his family’s farmland that originally sparked his love of cooking. His curated approach to the culinary offerings at the Conrad Washington, DC will give a nod to his boyhood by featuring locally sourced ingredients in an elevated form that will showcase the best of what the area has to offer.

Chef Peter Prime was born in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, a beautiful twin island country in the South of the Caribbean. He grew up with his parents and has fond memories of being in the kitchen with his mother, Glenda. He recalls the vibrant, fragrant Trinidadian spices that seem to still linger in his senses as he speaks about how he would follow her around the kitchen as a child. This truly shaped his love for cooking from an early age and today he continues to apply her influence. Once in the states, Peter spent the latter part of his childhood in the DMV and attended Morgan State University. With a degree in Hospitality Management, Peter then set out for a career in the culinary arts and enrolled in the French Culinary Institute in NY which further solidified his passion.
When not in the kitchen, Peter enjoys spending time with his wife Mary and his two sons Judah and Noah. They enjoy checking out new restaurants in DC’s budding culinary scene, hiking and hanging out with family; particularly enjoying gatherings with and eating food prepared by his mother and sister. Chef Peter is sought after for his speaking and demonstrating his knowledge of the culinary arts and Caribbean cuisine.

Executive Chef Hellrigl will be serving her Crucolo & Fontina Mac & Cheese with Calabrian Chiles and Parsley, Fennel Pollen, Garlic Anchovy, & Butter Breadcrumb.

Born into a family of chefs, Hellrigl was raised in kitchens in Italy and the United States, including New York City where her mother and father owned Palio, an upscale Italian restaurant in Midtown. Her father Andreas Hellrigl was a Michelin-starred chef who set her up in a mini chef’s coat in the pastry section of the kitchen – the safest place for small hands. When her father passed away, Hellrigl’s mother Maria Pia took over the restaurant. Her mother’s resilience taught Hellrigl the importance of perseverance in a tough industry, while the Chefs who her father entrusted with his recipes and techniques taught her integrity in the kitchen. Hellrigl was previously Head Chef of Via Umbria and Boulangerie Christophe in Georgetown. Her local experience also includes a stagiaire under Chef Jordan Lloyd of the Bartlett Pear Inn. In 2017, Hellrigl founded Johanna’s Table, a unique food and boutique catering business that included XII by Johanna’s Table, a monthly pop-up dinner series held throughout Washington, DC. Hellrigl’s dishes draw inspiration from the women of Southeast Asia she met during her four plus years working for a democracy building organization that focused on empowering women from around the globe to increase their political participation. Says Hellrigl: “By day, I trained them on women’s leadership skills or we built new legislation through women’s caucuses in parliament. By night, they introduced me to their homes, their families, their communities and exposed me to different ingredients, flavors and spices that now play a heavy role in my dishes and the Doi Moi dining experience.” Inspired by her time spent abroad, Hellrigl expanded Doi Moi’s Vietnamese and Thai roots to encompass new and exciting regional flavors from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Sri Lanka. She introduced a more worldly Southeast Asian cuisine to Doi Moi’s menu to pay tribute to the cosmopolitan diversity of DC itself. In August, Hellrigl and the Doi Moi team launched Birds Eye Coffee Bar & Eatery, a daytime option open daily for food lovers passing by 14th Street. Most recently, as Culinary Director of the Restaurant Group, Hellrigl spent her time overseeing the menu and kitchen at the former Proof Restaurant in Penn Quarter.

• 4x Food Network Chopped Grand Champ
• Beat Bobby Flay Winner + Judge
• Long-time chef for Barcelona Wine Bar & bartaco concepts

Adam draws inspiration for D.C.’s Coconut Club from his travels. His only requirements? A beach & sunny skies.