'Top Chef' contender uses fresh, local food

Earlier this year 27-year-old Spike Mendelsohn made his mark on the television program “Top Chef.” Today, Mendelsohn is making his mark in Washington with foods purchased as close as possible to his newly opened restaurant, Good Stuff Eatery.

“I feel it is safest and a much more pleasurable experience if you know where your food comes from,” Mendelsohn said. “If it comes from a local farmer, in a neighborhood place, you can associate with that.”

Mendelsohn trained in classic French cuisine and currently is serving up comfort food favorites from his childhood: burgers, fries and milkshakes using fresh, local ingredients. He believes local foods not only bring a better flavor to food, but support the local economy.

“You have to support the families and the people who have been doing this for years,” he said. “You can not let these huge companies overshadow these small beautiful farms where people have been supporting their whole family for a number of years. ... I mean, it is all about boosting the economy, keeping it close and making it happen that way.”

Mendelsohn said finding local growers was the best part of opening Good Stuff Eatery.

“You have amazing farms in Virginia. When I was coming up with this restaurant and coming up with finding my purveyors, I went all through Virginia and Maryland and met all these people. It is people that are passionate about their food and the process of growing it that you just don’t get from corporate companies.”

Mendelsohn is focused on launching more Good Stuff Eateries in Washington and Virginia in the next year.