Todd Gray
Todd Gray
Award-Winning Chef & Restaurateur
Equinox, Washington, D.C.
Since opening Equinox in 1999 to universal acclaim, Todd Gray has emerged as one of the surest culinary talents in the nation's capital, as well as a tireless champion of sustainable farming and fishing practices, and a passionate promoter of local, mid-Atlantic foods. Gray practices what he preaches every day, and Equinox is widely acclaimed as an oasis of sophisticated yet unpretentious seasonal cuisine.
Gray's cooking has earned him five nominations for the prestigious Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic award from the James Beard Foundation. He also is a four-time nominee for Chef of the Year from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. Equinox has consistently been rated one of the city's top restaurants by The Washington Post and Washingtonian, and has appeared on numerous "best of" lists in national epicurean magazines. Equinox has achieved Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence six years in a row, and was recently recognized with the Award of Excellence from the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNa).
With his wife and business partner, Ellen Kassoff Gray, Gray co-chaired Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation fundraiser to fight hunger in Washington, DC for four years, increasing the event's public profile and galvanizing the support of a broad range of local restaurants. They designed A Sugar & Champagne Affair which has raised funds in Washington, DC and New York for humane law enforcement. They are leading advocates for sustainable fisheries management as well as humane treatment of farm animals, and were among the first restaurateurs to commit to the use of Certified Humane meats. The Grays are especially proud of their son Harrison, born shortly after the restaurant opened. He has admirable kitchen skills for a seven-year-old and has been the inspiration for Equinox's cooking classes for kids. Gray regularly offers hands-on cooking classes for all ages, and is a guest instructor at L'Academie de Cuisine, the Washington area's premier professional cooking school.
Gray has served as culinary consultant to several outside organizations, including the United States Supreme Court, the International Trade Center in the Ronald Reagan Building, and the Sports Club, LA - Washington, DC. Gray is currently working with entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sheila Johnson in Middleburg, Virginia as executive chef of Market Salamander and culinary director for Salamander hospitality, which is currently under development.
In Washington, Gray spent four years with Master Chef Robert Greault at the legendary French restaurant, La Colline. Seven years with Chef Roberto Donna at the city's premier Italian restaurant, Galileo, gave Gray a solid grounding in the traditions of the Italian Piedmont. Gray eventually became Galileo's first and only American chef de cuisine. While he held that position, Galileo won the James Beard Award for Best Restaurant, Mid-Atlantic.
Introductions from Donna opened the doors to stages, or culinary apprenticeships, in the same Northern Italian restaurants where Donna himself had trained. Gray also had the privilege to be one of the last chefs to stage in the kitchen of the late Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate. Even today, Gray continues his culinary development through stages with this country's greatest contemporary chefs such as Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller.
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Todd's Recipes
Todd Gray's Eastern Shore Softshell Crab with Fried Green Tomato, Arugula Pesto and Pea Tendril Salad
Todd Gray's BBQ’d Wild King Salmon with Sweet Corn, Basil and Peppadew Peppers
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