Strawberry Festival tomorrow (6/13)

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There are 200 seeds on an average strawberry and they're a member of the rose family.

Don't believe me? You can check for yourself tomorrow at the 149th Annual Strawberry Festival at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (i.e. the church in Rock Creek Cemetery). 149 years equals a lot of strawberries. 

It promises to be a great time for families and kids of all ages and sizes. There will be food, music, pony rides, arts and crafts, a moon bounce, field games and even a climbing wall. 

Plus, the ever-popular tours of historic Rock Creek Cemetery.

Oh, and there will be strawberries. 

Saturday, June 13, from 4-8 p.m. 
201 Allison St NW
(Rock Creek Church Road and Webster St NW)
stpaulrockcreek.org

Timber! Wood-fired goodness is coming to Upshur

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What do you do when you and your friend don’t enjoy working at a tech start-up, but love pizza? Start a pizza company, naturally.

That’s exactly what Andrew Dana and Chris Brady did a year ago. After working at a local education tech start-up and not feeling very inspired by the job, but sharing a passion for all things pizza, the two created an original food truck: a wood-fired oven pizza truck. And they’re bringing that passion and their unique pizza stylings to Petworth.

“We just passed our first anniversary as a company on May 28th,” Andrew Dana said when I spoke to him this week. “Things have happened pretty quick this year, and we knew we wanted to expand,” Andrew said.

He and his partner Chris have spent the past year taking their 1967 baby blue pickup and mobile brick oven to farmer’s markets and other events around the DC area, selling their original pizza creations, as well as doing catering for special events.

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Andrew Dana, Chris Brady and the 1967 pickup

Both Andrew and Chris are local and knew they wanted to open a restaurant somewhere in this area. Andrew grew up in Mt. Pleasant and is looking for an apartment in Petworth (“Yeah, I definitely want to move to Petworth, close by,”) and Chris lives near 15th and New Hampshire Ave.

“I’ve been falling in love with Upshur and Petworth for awhile,” Andrew said. “We were looking for a location that would work for us, and when we saw the building on Upshur Street, we got ‘that feeling’ and knew it was the place.” 

The new restaurant, to be located at 809 Upshur St NW, will be called the Timber Pizza Co. Andrew said their plan is to keep the restaurant simple in design, matching their overall theme of “Vermont / campy” wood minimalist, and matching with their 1967 baby blue pickup truck.

Inside, they plan to seat 49 at small tables and larger communal tables, and hope to offer outdoor seating as well. Inside there will be a large brick oven, placed where customers can watch the pizzas being made and then fired. They plan on installing bay windows on the front of the building so that the brick oven can be seen from the street. They also plan on offering craft beer from around the city, as well as wine and cocktails.

The menu looks great (see below), and they take a lot of pride in what they offer. “We’re really into collaborating with other DC restaurants and trucks,” Andrew said. “We want to showcase other local flavors on our pizzas.” 

For example, Andrew told me how they thought a BBQ chicken pizza would taste great. “But it’s hard to make a great pizza AND make a great BBQ chicken — so we found a great partner who excels at BBQ, put their chicken on the pizza and it was amazing."

Andrew and Chris decided that they will rotate their menu as they partner with restaurants like DCity Smokehouse, Indigo (Indian cuisine) and DGS Delicatessen in Dupont (Andrew’s thinking a breakfast pizza with smoked salmon and capers).

And they know the area has seen an increase in little ones:  “We are definitely planning on offering items on the menu perfect for kids,” Andrew said.

Andrew said they want to connect with the Petworth Community Market to set up their pizza truck at the market a few times over the season while they work on renovating the building.

“The landlord has some work to do inside before we can take possession, and then we’re hoping to open by early winter,” he said.

I asked Andrew to let me know if they do book a spot at the Petworth Market so I can let everyone know. I’m already looking forward to a pizza place on Upshur St.

Here’s a sample of their menu:

CHEESE, PLEASE
San Marzano tomatoes, low-moisture mozzarella/provolone, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil

PRETTY IN PEPPERONI
"CHEESE, PLEASE" + pepperoni

GREEN MONSTER
Pesto, fresh mozzarella, feta, kale, zucchini

NORTH SHORE
"CHEESE, PLEASE" + fresh jalapeño, pineapple, and prosciutto

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Mapping Segregation: discussion on the history of DC neighborhoods

"How did restrictive housing covenants shape DC neighborhoods?"

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ANC 1A Commissioner Kent Boese posted information on his Park View blog about two upcoming, fascinating research presentations on the history and impact of segregation on DC neighborhoods. As the first presentation is in Park View, the meeting tomorrow will focus on the history of the Park View area. Below is an except of the blog post; head over to the Park View blog to read the full post.

Prologue DC historians Mara Cherkasky and Sarah Shoenfeld will present the latest findings in their ongoing research project, Mapping Segregation in Washington DC. This ongoing research project looks in depth at the historic segregation of DC’s housing, schools, recreation facilities, and more. The project’s first year has focused on racially restrictive housing covenants and legal challenges to them. 

Maps are used to better understand how many of DC’s “historically black” neighborhoods were once exclusively white, and how the city’s racial geography has been shaped by segregation. Maps tell stories that words cannot.

The first presentation is Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Park View Recreation Center (693 Otis Place NW) and the second is Wednesday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Public Library, (901 G Street NW). Both events are free and open to the public.

Mapping Segregation is an ongoing project, so check their website for updates.

Excellent Source: Park View

Kennedy Street Festival fundraiser June 11th

The 2015 Kennedy Street Festival is coming up on June 20th, 11am - 3pm along Kennedy Street.

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To help raise funds to cover the costs of the festival, they are having a Happy Hour Fundraiser at Simple Bar and Grill on June 11th from 6-9pm. 

They are asking for a $10 donation at the door. 

For more info, visit the festival website... or if you can't make it, you can donate online! 

Crandall on Nat Geo: pics of the "real DC"

Local photographer Bill Crandall has a well-deserved reputation as a talented and prominent DC photographer. He was published today on the National Geographic PROOF website, in an article and picture story called "Forget Capitol Hill, These Images Show the Real D.C." by NatGeo Assistant Photo Editor Becky Harlan. 

Featuring Crandall's photography from around our local area (Shaw, Bloomingdale, Petworth), the pictures offer a snapshot of DC life away from the big dome downtown. 

More often than not, Washington, D.C., is associated with power and politics, with a dash of fireworks and monuments thrown in for good measure. That stereotype of the capital is exactly what photographer Bill Crandall avoids in his mysterious compositions of the District’s neighborhoods. His camera isn’t in the press pool but is turned on the “real city where people live.”

Check out the full article and gallery on the National Geographic PROOF website.

And congrats to Bill Crandall for being published on National Geographic!

Timber Pizza coming to Upshur (confirmed)

809 Upshur St NW, the red brick building that used to be a small church and is now vacant, will be a restaurant focusing on pizza, Timber Pizza Co.

According to a neighbor who saw them out taking pictures of the building and confirmed later by Popville, Timber Pizza will open a local restaurant featuring their wood-fired pizzas. I've reached out to one of the property owners as well as Timber Pizza and will update as I hear more.

Update: I spoke with Andrew Dana, one of the owners of Timber Pizza, and he confirmed they're planning on opening in late fall or early winter, later this year. "It's true! We are incredible excited to become a part of the Petworth family!"

According to their website, I think this would be their first location besides a food truck: 

Courtesy of TimberPizza.com

"A few years back at a local tech company, Washington native Andrew Dana and Annapolis local Chris Brady met and became buddies who shared two primary passions in life: pizza and basketball.

The Timber guys serve authentic wood fired pizza using only the freshest local ingredients and incorporating new twists on traditional favorites.  They can be found anywhere from local farmers markets to wineries/breweries and are available to cater your next private event." (Timber Pizza About page)  

It'll be nice to see this location cleaned up and offering services to the community. While many were hoping for a retail business (I heard a masseuse was looking at this spot), a local pizza joint is pretty good. Maybe give Red Rocks a challenge?

6/11/15 Update: Read my interview with Andrew Dana, owner of Timber Pizza Co. 

Eddie Suarez sponsors Petworth News

I’m happy to announced that local Petworth resident and real estate agent Eddie Suarez has become a Petworth News sponsor.

Mehl Penrose, Ariel and Eddie Suarez.

I first met Eddie and his husband Mehl Penrose a few years back at a yard sale on Rock Creek Church Road, and both were immediately very warm and friendly to my wife and I.  (Now, I’m admittedly a little biased toward Eddie and Mehl, as they moved to DC from my hometown of Houston, Texas.) Like my family, Eddie and Mehl have a daughter at Powell Elementary School and are very involved with the parents' group. 

You’ll see Eddie with his family all around DC, but especially in Petworth, where he is a very involved parent at Powell, engaged in community events like the Grant Circle Social and tree plantings and an eager Petworth Farmer’s Market supporter and customer.

Fast forward to today, and Eddie has changed careers from international business development and marketing with some rather large corporations, to becoming a passionate real estate agent, promoting Petworth and sharing his enthusiasm for our neighborhood with current and potential residents. Eddie mixes the best elements of his professional background with his love for real estate and helping people find the best property as a realtor with TheHershGroup.com at Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc. 

“My strategy is based on providing an outstanding experience for my clients, getting to know them and especially understanding their concerns, needs and requirements,” Eddie said.  “As a Realtor, my goal is to provide top-notch service and customized tactics to assure clients have peace of mind when making decisions about buying or selling their properties.”

If you’re looking to move into Petworth, rent out a place or move out (what? why?), Eddie speaks Spanish and Portuguese and is available to assist you with your real estate needs. For more info about Eddie or to contact him, visit him online or email him with any questions. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

I truly appreciate the support and sign of confidence that Eddie is showing by sponsoring Petworth News! Support from sponsors like Eddie help fund this site as well as soirees like the upcoming Petworth News Shindig on June 29th. RSVP today if you haven’t already!