RJ Cooper

So I have a couple minutes, sitting in the kitchen of LTO that we the team of R24 cleaned, scrubbed organized as our own, waiting on the 50 or so reservations we have tonight, we will put up 1000 + plates and be proud again of our days work. In that said here it is in a nut shell: We as a group of cooks went to a restaurant space that has not operated in several months and when it was in operation treated like shit. We had to scrub and clean. This restaurant as well did not have a foundation, and an infrastructure of success. So we had to build that in a short period of time. We also had what everyone knows is a deadline................remember that word...........we had to open whether we were ready or not, to be frank if it were my restaurant we wouldnt have open on that day. We did with zero training for the front of the house, tired almost dead cooks from the 72 hours of just kicking ass, missing product ect. ect. ect. Ok now the people whom know me, know that I believe in zero excuses and to live by a credo of do better then you did the day before. In 72 hours of complete service we as a unit produced IMHO four star food in a space we have never been in. TK yeah in someways you are right but its just not justified, to not return for a follow up when we as a unit have had time to completely analyze and scrutinize every element on every dish. Callous. We set out to prove to ourselves not the public that we can cook here in NYC and we have. I am confident that when we as a UNIT open r24 we will have some hick ups but no pot holes that we went through opening a restaurant in 3 days. Follow the rest of our week on twitter chefrjdc butterloveandhardwork or on facebook rogue24 or rj cooper. We will announce a date for when we will start to take reservations in the next couple weeks. Until then jambands and avant garde food be with you. RJ

ltonyc.com

Not so fast Matt we will have dietary menus if we know when you make the reservation

Just the pop up Derek is over seeing or mixology at Rogue

Check us out we are going to preview rogue in nyc. http://ltonyc.com/

So rockheads we were approached last month to do a pop up concept in nyc............We have decieded to do it. Here is the link. http://ltonyc.com/

Think Asian stores like Super H

If you all believed what the news papers always say as total truth, then the world would be much more screwed up then it is now........

And believe me I dont post on this board to often and I dont tend to dwell in other peoples business matters. My relationship with Troy is true and long, We have been through many restaurant battles together. I can say that my take on his character is genuine and real.

Not true.....Troy sold back his shares to the existing ownership. Dont throw stones, I have known Troy for almost 20 years, there is way more to the story then you can offer.. That's what is wrong with posting sarcastic remarks before the truth is known. Troy is one of the best GM's and Somms in the area I put him right up there with Mike Nevarez and Duck Mohr. He is an honest and straight up person. I would trust him with my twins.

Hope all you Rockheads can make this!!!! Washington, DC (November 17, 2010)— On Sunday, November 28th, chef RJ Cooper of the forthcoming Rogue 24 in Washington, DC will compete head to head on the nationally acclaimed television show Iron Chef America. Cooper, the seasoned veteran chef and James Beard Award winner, will be the very first challenger to face the winner of the third season of Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef.” In celebration of this exciting opportunity, Cooper is hosting a special viewing party, eager to share this evening with the DC community. The event will be held from 8pm -12am at Long View Gallery (1234 9th St., NW), a Blagden Alley neighbor of Rogue 24. As a chef advisory member of Chefs as Parents, the non-profit organization that is working to improve the quality of school lunch programs, Cooper is proud to announce that this event will donate 100% of the proceeds directly to this important cause. Joined by founder chef Cathal Armstrong and fellow advisory chefs Robert Wiedmaier and David Guas, Cooper looks forward to sharing this evening with the community, while bringing awareness to the importance of eradicating the current state of public school lunches. Guests can look forward to delicious hors d’oeurves prepared by the four founding chefs, handcrafted cocktails made by Todd Thrasher and local mixologists and fresh oysters shucked throughout the evening by the acclaimed Rappahannock River Oyster team. At 10 pm, everyone will gather to watch the exciting episode as Cooper and his Iron Chef America sous chefs (Rogue 24’s chef de cuisine Harper McClure and Bayou Bakery’s David Guas) compete in kitchen stadium. Cooper and Chefs as Parents request that all guests make a $50 donation at www.chefsasparents.com/go/donate/ prior to the event as part of the rsvp process, in order to support their effort in transforming the state of public school lunch programs. Tickets are limited to the first 250 guests that rsvp and donate. All rsvps need to be made by Monday, November 22nd and should be sent to judithmandel@rogue24.com ### About Chefs As Parents Chefs as Parents is a group of Washington, DC- based chefs/ parents dedicated to transforming how we feed children in the school lunch system. The mission is to transform school lunches one school at a time. We will transform their kitchens, engage children and the community in our cooking, and connect curriculum and educators in the quest to become a national catalyst for change. Along the way, we hope to support educators and strengthen communities through food.

Chef RJ Cooper of the forthcoming Rogue 24 in Washington, DC will compete head to head on the nationally acclaimed television show Iron Chef America. Cooper, the seasoned veteran chef and James Beard Award winner, will be the very first challenger to face the winner of the third season of Food Network's "The Next Iron Chef." Kicking off the 9th season of Iron Chef America, this exciting episode will premier on Food Network on Sunday, November 28th at 10 pm EST. Chef Cooper is honored to be a part of the esteemed cast of chefs that have stepped up to battle and looks forward to representing the Washington, DC culinary community in this challenge. Joining him in this competition are Rogue 24's chef de cuisine Harper McClure, and Bayou Bakery's David Guas, a long time friend of Cooper's and notable DC pastry chef.

Its a great question! One of which I have planned for. Rogue will be my home and will be the place that I will cook at 5 nights a week. I have my man Harper McClure the sous chef that I had as a right hand for almost 5 years at Vidalia coming back after being in Atlanta at Bacchanalia for the last year and a half. So Rogue will be open 5 nights a week dinner only. Once we are hitting on all points we will start the next project with a Chef de Cuisine who will have been trained and in our system. We will structure the openings of these other projects when we have a winter or summer break at Rogue. These processes are unlike the success of Great chefs in the area as well as nationally respected chefs cooking at this level (TK, DB, RW, JG, CA,and GA). We set a plan that will not affect the concepts and the characteristics of each space. These restaurants are going to have individual personalities and working mechanisms but following the fundamentals of what are philosophical structure of culinary and service is. Growth is not a bad thing if it is done properly and all drinks the wine and believes in the growth. Service charge and DC sales tax are not included

Chef RJ Cooper will open his first independent project, Rogue 24, in the Mount Vernon Square neighborhood of Washington, DC. Projecting a winter, 2011 opening, Rogue 24 will be located in Blagden Alley at 1234 9th St., NW. Executive chef/ owner RJ Cooper, a seasoned veteran chef and James Beard Award winner, is thrilled to bring this landmark restaurant to the developing neighborhood of Mount Vernon Square in Northwest Washington, DC. The 2,600 square- foot restaurant will be tucked away in one of the vacant buildings in Blagden Alley, currently a trendy alley that houses experimental art exhibits. Blagden Alley, located directly west of the Washington, DC Convention Center, is in engaging new epicenter of revitalization. The project leadership of Norman Jamal of Douglas Development has lead a wave of recent development, from multi-million dollar condominiums to established art galleries, as well as a burgeoning social scene of coffee houses, bars and restaurants. This recent rehabilitation makes the neighborhood an excellent locale for the first fine dining restaurant in Blagden Alley. "The space is a perfect fit for the intimate, yet edgy experience of Rogue 24," says Cooper of the Blagden Alley location. "I look forward to joining the current and future independent retailers, artists and residents alike in developing this section of Mount Vernon Square as a distinct destination neighborhood." Celebrating Cooper's stylized urban fine-dining cuisine, Rogue 24 will exclusively offer an interactive 24-course tasting menu. Guests will be served a progression of small dishes that excite the senses, tantalize the palate, and awaken curiosity. The multi-course meal will offer a place at the table where guests can dig deep into a culinary team's philosophy: exploring their suppliers, cooking techniques and sources of inspiration. Rogue 24 will provide an effortless space for the diner to enjoy the imagination of Cooper's menu. The avant-garde beverage program will house a beverage director that will serve as both sommelier and mixologist and will prepare all beverages at a tableside cart, providing innovative pairings that will stimulate the entire experience. 8 beverage (a combination of wine, cocktails and beer) pairings will be offered throughout the 24- course meal. "It is my vision that Rogue 24 will provide an emotional experience. That is what creates memorable meals"”more than the food, the wine, and the service, the overall culture of the restaurant must evoke emotions in its guests." Working alongside Cooper, Harper McClure will serve as chef de cuisine. McClure hails from Atlanta's renowned Bacchanalia restaurant and previously worked with Cooper at Vidalia as his sous chef for nearly five years. The two chefs look forward to reuniting for this groundbreaking new project. ### Situated in the center of the 52-seat dining room, the state-of-the-art kitchen will showcase Cooper's creativity and desire to interact with guests. This architectural design will allow every guest to have an individual chef's table experience. Cooper has enlisted architects Brian Miller of edit and Lauren Winter of Winter Architecture, the famed duo behind Washington, DC's most creative and functional spaces including The Gibson, U Street Music Hall and Dickson Wine Bar, to execute this vision. Rogue 24 will be open for one dinner seating Tuesday-Thursday two dinner seatings Friday and Saturday evenings. The fixed menu price is $130, $140 for non-alcoholic beverage pairings and $170 for alcoholic beverage pairings. About Chef RJ Cooper and The Kid Can Cook, LLC Chef RJ Cooper's Rogue 24 will be the first of several restaurants as part of his and wife Judy Cooper's umbrella restaurant group, The Kid Can Cook, LLC. Rogue 24 will be followed by a variety of projects, including a more casual concept, Pigtails, to open in Washington, DC. Cooper is a seasoned veteran chef who has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the nation, and has served as an integral part of the development in Washington, DC's fine-dining culture. Notable accolades include the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in 2007, as well as recognition from starchefs.com, as the 2006 Rising Star Chef. Cooper also works with the national non-profit organization Share Our Strength®, as a longtime advocate in the fight against childhood hunger. Cooper is the Chair of Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation's® National Culinary Council, is the founder of Share Our Strength's Chefs on Bikes program and in 2008 was recognized with Share Our Strength's Leadership Award for Chef of the Year. Chef Cooper also serves on the Advisory Board of the startup, DC-based non-profit organization Chefs as Parents that is working to transform DC-public school nutrition programs.

Thanks Scott, Im in the process of design of a new space to call home...(or a couple two three). I am playing Mr. Mom with the twins but its way to much work for me to handle (they rule me). So I will throw this out to all..............Pig Roasts I can do for the rest of this summer and fall. The cost will be determined. The basics will be pig sustainable local either a pure breed or cross (eco friendly or from my amish friends). Collard greens, cole slaw, potato salad, the two carolina bbq sauces, bentons bacon baked beans, cornbread and butter flake rolls, a seasonal crisp (i.e. wine berries ect.) . I will not be able to supply flatware, beverages. There will be a transportation and set up/break down fee. This would be the basic menu which is what I serve if im having a bash at my house. Connisder 11/2 lbs of raw pig per person...minimum is 15 ppl. You can contact me via email chefrj@gmail.com. Remember the rarer the breed of sustainable pig the cost will be different.

You all shouldn't read to much into this. I have given Vidalia and the Buben's almost six years of incredible service. I enjoyed working with them and the staff past and present. But when you have a great gift they are to good to pass, it's time to take them. I didnt own Vidalia and I have a different outlook on my future then the Bubens. It was just the right time to depart. Summer is slow and they can use this time to treat the growing pains. I am an extremely honest and open person ask the question and I will give you an answer, but question my ethics is questioning my philosophies on life, food, friends, and commitment. I have lived up to all.

On Wednesday, June 9th I stepped down as chef de cuisine of Vidalia after serving at the downtown destination for six successful years. I am moving on to focus on a number of different projects, including a neighborhood restaurant named Pigtails. I want to thank Jeffrey and Sallie Buben, owners of Vidalia and Bistro Bis, for their long-time support and providing me the opportunity to work at their esteemed restaurant. Additionally, I credit General Manager Michael Nevarez and the entire Vidalia staff for their continued encouragement during this transition. I have been preparing for the departure for the past several months and am excited to open my first independent venture. Pigtails’ overall concept will reflect an urban-fine dining cuisine. My interactive 24-course tasting menu that debuted at Vidalia in the spring of 2010 will continue we are currently looking for an independent space. The restaurants will be based in Washington, DC and its name Pigtails pays homage to my favorite ingredient and my four-year old twin daughters. The name for 24 will be Rogue 24. Any enquires please feel free to email me. Thank all of you from the DR society for all the support. RJ Cooper

If you checked the menu online its way out of date: lots of cool fun foods on the menu i would attach the menu but I dont know how...if you email dining@vidaliadc.com we will email you the latest menu!!! think!!!!!!!!!!!!! Catalina island sea urchin panini with squid ink toast, guanciale, smoked chili-tomato fondue

Have you sat at the hottest chef's table in DC? If not, what are you waiting for? Chef Cooper has DC turned on its palate! We have openings for Vidalia 24 on the following dates: 6/4 for 4, 6/12 for 6, 6/18 for 2, 6/19 for 6, 6/25 for 5, 6/26 for 6.

How delighted I was to see the Prince of Media Spin today, his presence bigger then the Top Chef Chef Colicchio, I would have rolled the red carpet down the stairs if for an instant I would have known your presence was near. You shall have 24 one day in your office desk, the distractions will not help but hinder the focus.So instead of eating we should watch 24 of the finest dancers prance around us as we drink an overpriced cocktail. But when we are done and are slurring our words, remember that we both damn each other. Great to see you today!!!!!

My rockhead friends follow us on facebook and Twitter breaking down ir new friend Reuben the 160 pound old spot pig into 18 elements for cochon 555

what kind of soy sauce

GEE THANKS DAVE damn it. Thought u liked me!!!

3 days up to 30 days

I've got the answer!!!!!! I will take the name to the highest rabbi I'm DC beg for my goy forgivness and change the name to Rubin the Christian alternative!!!!