Casa Teresa
- When
- May 12, 2025
- Where
-
The Square
1850 K St NW
Washington, DC
Join us for an extraordinary evening of culinary artistry at Casa Teresa x Rubén García — a walk-around dinner experience paying tribute to the enduring legacy of Jacques Pépin. Guests will savor a meticulously curated menu, with each dish inspired by the iconic chef’s timeless influence. The night will feature five distinguished guest chef stations, each helmed by a celebrated local chef. These masters will present an elegant tasting spread of refined small plates in a lavish, progressive feast.
Guests are invited to engage directly with the chefs as they explore a vibrant mosaic of flavors — from time-honored French techniques to inventive modern interpretations. It’s an unforgettable celebration for gourmands and champions of culinary education alike.
Highlights
- Event Date: May 12
- Event Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Dress Code: Casual chic recommended
- Ticket Refund Policy: Refundable up to two days prior to the event
- This immersive, walk-around format allows guests to explore five different chef stations positioned throughout the venue
- Each station will be manned by one of our featured guest chefs: Rubén García (Casa Teresa), Kevin Tien (Moon Rabbit), Matt Conroy (Lutèce and Pascual), Isabel Coss (Pascual), Claudio Foschi (Oyamel) and Carlos Delgado (Causa)
Details
- Thanks to the generosity of the participating event host, a portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to the Jacques Pépin Foundation to support our mission of expanding access to culinary education. We deeply appreciate your generous support.
- Jacques Pépin proudly supports our 90/90 Celebrations. While he can't be present at all of them, we invite you to check our website for details on the events where he will joining in celebration.
- For more information, contact Casa Teresa
Event Host
Rubén García
Unfold Hospitality, The Square
Born in Terrassa, Spain, Chef Rubén García fell in love with cooking at 15. While studying at Joviat in Manresa, he staged at Michelin-starred restaurants, eventually joining Ferran and Albert Adrià at El Bulli, where he developed his avant-garde approach. In 2004, García moved to the U.S. to work with fellow El Bulli alum José Andrés at ThinkFoodGroup, rising to R&D Director. He played a pivotal role in menu creation, quality control, and national restaurant openings.
A StarChefs Rising Star in 2010, García has twice won Iron Chef but remains focused on culinary innovation over accolades. In 2021, he co-founded Unfold Hospitality, launching acclaimed restaurants like Casa Teresa in Washington, D.C. His talent earned him a 2025 James Beard Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic nomination. Passionate about mentorship and healthy eating, García continues to shape the industry through creativity, leadership, and a deep respect for hospitality.
Guest Chefs
Matt Conroy
Chef/partner, Lutèce, Pascual, Maison Bar à Vin
A Michelin-starred chef trained first in classical French and then Mexican cuisine, Matt’s passion is creating simple, modern dishes full of flavor using seasonal, high-quality local ingredients.
He moved from New York with his wife Isabel Coss (who just happens to be our pastry chef) to introduce DC to the neo-bistro movement taking over Paris, providing modern takes on French classics, rounded out by a carefully curated list of natural wines.
At Lutèce, you’ll see glimpses of his diverse culinary background, from the Oaxaca-inspired Duck Carnitas paired with Buckwheat Galettes à la Brittany to the perfectly prepared Parisian Gnocchi.
Isabel Coss
Executive chef, Pascual and executive pastry chef, Lutèce
Chef Isabel Coss, a Mexico City native, is the The Popal Group’s Executive Chef of Pascual and Executive Pastry Chef of Lutèce in Washington, DC. She is one of FOOD & WINE’s Best New Chefs in America (2023), a 2025 James Beard “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” semifinalist, and one of the “100 Latino Leaders in the U.S.” Originally trained as a ballerina, Coss began baking at 17 at Pujol and went on to leadership in top kitchens across the country including Cosme, Empellón, and Agern.
At Pascual, a Mexican hearth-focused restaurant co-founded with her spouse, Chef Matt Conroy, and The Popal Group, Coss draws inspiration from her Mexican roots. The restaurant has earned accolades from The New York Times, Eater, and The Washington Post as one of the top new restaurants in America (2024). At Lutèce, her pastry work has helped earn national acclaim from The New York Times and RESY.
Claudio Foschi
Head chef, Oyamel
Chef Claudio Foschi was born in Barranquilla, Colombia and moved to the United States in 1999, working in a variety of businesses and playing drums in a rock band before pursuing his culinary career. Chef Foschi graduated first in his class with honors from L’Academie de Cuisine culinary school in 2008. Following graduation he interned at 2941 in Falls Church, VA under Chef Bertrand Chemel and later helped to open J&G Steakhouse with Chef Jean George Vongeritchen at the W Hotel in Washington, DC. Before joining José Andrés Group in 2014, Foschi trained under Chef Eric Ziebold in the restaurant CityZen at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, DC.
Chef Foschi currently serves as the Head Chef of Oyamel, exploring the different culinary regions and recipes of Mexico together with the best local and seasonal ingredients. Prior to his Head Chef position, Chef Foschi was an integral member of José Andrés Group’s Research & Development Chef Team. In this role, he was responsible for innovating menus for new concepts, such as San Laurel and Agua Viva at Conrad Los Angeles and Zaytinya at The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, developing dishes and project managing culinary partnerships including The Masters and Axiom Space’s Ax-2 Crew Quarantine, while also supporting production of food-focused video content including Chef José Andrés’ MasterClass series and José Andrés Media social channels as well as worked in the production of the New York Times best seller book : Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon.
Foschi previously served as Head Chef at America Eats Tavern, a concept from José Andrés Group that offered inventive riffs on historic and iconic American dishes, and also spent time in the kitchens of Zaytinya DC as well as the avant-garde minibar when the restaurant received two Michelin stars for the first time in 2016.
Kevin Tien
Executive chef/owner, Moon Rabbit and co-founder, Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate
Chef Kevin Tien a 5 time James Beard nominee, 2023 RAMW Chef of the Year, Food and Wine Best New Chef 2018, Esquire’s Best Restaurant of the Year 2021) is the Executive Chef/Owner of nationally celebrated Moon Rabbit .
He is the co-founder of Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, an organization bringing together the culinary world to support AAPI and social justice causes. It originated in the spring of 2021 as a way to raise money and awareness of the increase in violence against Asian Americans in the United States. It has since brought together more than 50 chefs from across the country, hosting dinners and take-out meals, and funneling $500,000-plus to various like-minded organizations, regionally, nationally and globally. It was recognized in Washingtonian’s list of “100 Reasons to Love our Fierce Food Scene.”
A native to New Orleans, Louisiana- much of his modern Vietnamese cuisine is influenced by his experiences there, as well as the diverse regional dishes from Vietnam.
