VIRGINIA, USA — Celebrity Chef Gordan Ramsay was in D.C. Saturday to open his flagship restaurant Hell's Kitchen, named after his iconic reality show. And as fate would have it, a local chef who won the third season of the show is growing in his own celebrity and receiving an incredible honor.
Chef Rahman "Rock" Harper is a semi-finalist in the prestigious James Beard award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic. It's kind of like the Oscars for the food industry.
Chef Rock's journey started decades ago, from when he graduated from Johnson & Wales University to working in restaurants like the iconic B. Smith's in D.C. Along the way, he sharpened his culinary skills and refined his mission and at the height of the pandemic, he decided to use food to show his love for his community, his culture, and his queens.
"I chose my mother and grandmother and all black women to honor. As we saw, many of those hurtful and harmful stereotypes, I felt like it was my duty to replace it with something that says we see you, we honor you," Chef Rock said. "We're not just going to talk about it when we're on stage getting awards, but we're going to talk about it in this space at least every single day, and that's the backbone of who we are."
The local chef opened Queen Mother's in 2020. The Arlington restaurant specializes is fried chicken sandwiches but the chef is serving far more than a meal.
"An iconic dish that African American women created the version that we know and love today," Rock said. "Restaurants are originally places where people can restore themselves, refuel, recharge. So one yeah, I want people to come in and have the most incredible premium chicken sandwich that they've ever had in their lives. You know, while you're here, learn a little bit more and kick it with the people next to you that you ain't never seen before."
And now his mission and food are being recognized as a finalist for the James Beard award. Chef Rock is listed under the 2023 'Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic' category, which covers areas of D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
"There's so many people that poured into me, so when they see me, they see Him and they see all of us and I'm grateful for it," he said.