Chef
Gerald Addison
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Washington DC, Washington DC, United States
i. Biography
The Ascent
Early kitchen work teaches pace before it teaches authorship. A summer kitchen job at Restaurant Nora in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C., gave Gerald Addison that first professional exposure: prep lists, service pressure, repetition, and the basic discipline of working inside a serious kitchen. Restaurant technique also moves by city and room, not only by station. Culinary roles at Alta Restaurant in New York City and The National in New York City placed Addison in dining environments where timing, consistency, and restraint were daily requirements. Those posts widened the register from early fundamentals into the working habits of larger service. Kitchen leadership is a separate craft from cooking well on a station. The sous chef role at Eat the Rich put Addison closer to that responsibility, followed by head chef at A Baked Joint and chef de cuisine at Parts & Labor in Baltimore. The sequence shows a cook moving through distinct formats rather than repeating one house style. Current work combines station-level accountability with ownership and partnership. As chef of Maydan (since 2017), co-owner of Bammy's, and co-owner; chef of Grazie Nonna, Addison’s work now sits across multiple restaurants with separate identities, each requiring the daily maintenance of menu, room, staff, and guest experience.
Now
The restaurant is built around accessible Italian-American pleasures rather than formal distance. As co-owner there, Addison’s current work is tied to pasta, sauce, cheese, bread, and the shared-table grammar of a neighborhood spot. Bucatini all’Amatriciana with crushed tomatoes, garlic, guanciale, and Pecorino Romano PDO, adapted from Chef Gerald Addison of Grazie Nonna in 2024, depends on direct ingredients and proportion. The craft is in keeping the bucatini’s chew, the tomato’s body, the guanciale’s savory weight, and the Pecorino Romano PDO’s salt in useful balance. The brunch menu also includes sweet focaccias, described by the restaurant as super popular and perfect for sharing, extending the same table-centered logic into daytime service. Multiple ownership roles require a broader read of hospitality than plating alone. Alongside that Italian-American venue, Addison is co-owner of Bammy’s in Washington, D.C., where he was an original co-founder in 2020. He is also Executive Chef and Partner at Grazie Hospitality, a role concerned with the connection between menu, room, pacing, and the operational steadiness that keeps a dining room functioning night after night.
Signature
Signature dishes include Bucatini all’Amatriciana with crushed tomatoes.
Recognition
Restaurant recognition here is tied most visibly to Maydan: Michelin star for Maydan (2019), James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant for Maydan (2018), and Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurant in America for Maydan (2018). Addison’s role as chef of Maydan (since 2017) places him inside that public record. The fuller craft record is broader than the awards line. It runs from Restaurant Nora in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.; through culinary roles at Alta Restaurant in New York City and The National in New York City; into leadership posts at Eat the Rich in Washington, D.C., A Baked Joint, and Parts & Labor in Baltimore; and into current responsibilities as co-owner at Grazie Nonna in Washington, D.C., co-owner of Bammy’s in Washington, D.C., and Executive Chef and Partner at Grazie Hospitality.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Gerald
Where did Gerald Addison work before?
Earlier in their career, Gerald Addison worked at Restaurant Nora, Alta Restaurant, and The National.
What recognition has Gerald Addison received?
Michelin star for Maydan (2019).
