Since the summer of 2012, NoVA has been waiting for Chef RJ Cooper’s Gypsy Soul—a restaurant he describes as “Southern-ground, modern interpretations of regional cooking”—to open in the Mosaic District. The two-floor restaurant (the roof deck hosts a wood hearth) was supposed to open in 2013, but is now scheduled for late spring.
We tracked the 45-year-old’s moves on one of the five days of the year when he’s not in his D.C. restaurant, Rogue 24.
Instead, Cooper shuttled between a photo shoot, a design meeting and an adult sleepover in Maryland with his chef-hunter friends for the opening day of goose season.—Stefanie Gans
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*Chefs from the number two ranked restaurant in the world—Noma in Copenhagen—drank with Cooper in Barmini in Washington, D.C.
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FACT In 2007 Cooper won a James Beard Foundation Award, the highest honor in the restaurant industry, for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic at Vidalia (D.C.). |
7:43 a.m. Off to drive girls to school rockin out to TS. On the agenda today: Super H run for beef tendons and other randoms. 
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Oops forgot about photo shoot at Rogue. rockin out to widespread panic.
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1:36 P.m. A: Design and philosophies
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3:30 P.m. The building is going hard at Mosaic. Phase two. |
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4:10 P.m. Get to space— doors are locked. |
4:14 P.m. My wife just asked me to pick up twins from school. Another wrench today. |
FACT For this past summer’s “Fit for Hope Challenge” sponsored by the America Cancer Society, 16 local chefs competed against each other to lose weight. Cooper lost 52 pounds and still attends Crossfit 5 times a week. |
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4:17 P.m.  Q: Think suburbs will be cool enough for Gypsy soul? A: It will be epic |
The Hunters
David Guas, Bayou Bakery
Robert Wiedmaier, Brabo, Mussel Bar
Tim Sughrue, Congressional Seafood |
10:53 P.m.
(From left) Lobster and halibut made by Sughrue’s daughter. |
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11:37 P.m.
Talking about cuttlefish. drinking 20 yr old pappy [van winkle bourbon]. chilling outside. Ready for a hunt. Now into pimento cheese from Bayou Bakery. |
FACT Originally from
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1:19 A.m. Outside rain falling on us, talking shit and drinking bourbon, smoking cigars Q: Topics? Kitchens? Women? Kids? Booze? Hunting? A: Bird migration saving the bay with oysters. |
Edited for style and readability.
Darn auto-correct.
(February 2014)
The post 25 hours With a Chef: RJ Cooper appeared first on Northern Virginia Magazine.
