Rising Star Chef Michael Friedman of The Red Hen - Biography

Like many young chefs these days, Michael Friedman was a late culinary bloomer: he graduated from Boston University's College of Communications before ever tackling his first professional kitchen. But once he landed a prep cook job at bustling French bistro Mon Ami Gabi, he knew a cook's life was the life for him.

Friedman spent three years with Rich Melman's Lettuce Entertain You group, rising to sous chef in just eight months, before enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. During school Friedman staged in several notable restaurants, including Los Angeles' Lucques and Morimoto and The Modern in New York. Graduating at the top of his CIA class, he began working for famed Spanish Chef José Andrés at his powerhouse Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, Zaytinya. After two years with Andrés, Friedman left to travel the world, eating through Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Northern Africa, digging deep into all the cultural nuances along the way. Heading back to the United States, he spent time staging in some influential kitchens, including San Francisco's Incanto, Philadelphia's Vetri, and New York's Scarpetta.

Friedman then moved to Washington, D.C., as chef de cuisine of Proof, a wine-centric restaurant specializing in local, seasonal fare. Now at his first solo venture, The Red Hen, Friedman offers his version of modern comfort food: Italian-influenced dishes interpreted with Mid-Atlantic ingredients.