Eric Ziebold

The Climb

Modern American cooking, in Eric Ziebold’s hands, is built to do more than impress. At Kinship in Washington, D.C, and Métier in Washington, D.C, his work treats hospitality as part of the craft: food that is composed, clear, and meant to meet diners with a little ease. Training at University of Northern Iowa and Culinary Institute of America came before restaurant labor at Aunt Maude’s, where the work shifts from study to service. From there, the line runs through Spago in Beverly Hills, California, and Vidalia in Washington, D.C, then into a defining stretch as Head Chef at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California (1996–2003). A brief run as chef at Per Se in New York City (2003) follows, marking a hinge between major phases of the career. Washington, D.C. became the city where that experience settled into long form. As executive chef at CityZen in Washington, D.C. (2004–2014), he worked with the kind of control that comes from years of repetition, correction, and pace. Later, as chef-owner at Kinship in Washington, D.C. (2015–2025), he carried that discipline into a more personal house, where the standard remained exacting but the register turned more intimate.

Signature

Eric’s signature dishes include Foie Gras Shabu Shabu and Kinship Collection. Read together, they show range without losing control: one built on contrast and precision, the other on a more collected sense of the menu as a body of work. The throughline is structure, texture, and flavors that arrive in sequence rather than all at once.

In Their Words “He was so good at those bright, fresh, just-made flavors and finishing stuff with fresh herbs.” Those remarks point to the fundamentals behind Ziebold’s reputation: clean flavors, careful finishing, and a view of the restaurant as a place built to receive people well. The cooking may be exacting, but the aim is plain enough—make the meal feel considered from start to finish.

Recognition

Eric Ziebold has received James Beard Foundation, Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (2008). Eric’s honors include Michelin star, Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (2008), Chef of the Year (2008), and Best New Chefs (2005). The list follows the shape of a career that earned notice for technical control and for the ease with which that control translated into dining that felt polished without losing its human scale.