Meet Chef Spike on Roll Call‘s Taste of America

Um, did anyone know Coconut was so popular with the DC Capitol Hill crowd?  Well, that is exactly who was crowned champion this week at Roll Call’s Taste of America showdown at We, the Pizza, featuring Chef Spike Mendelsohn of We, the Pizza and Good Stuff Eatery.

We caught up with Chef Spike to get his take on how this all went down.

Editor’s note: FamousDC got to see Chef Spike in action personally at Roll Call‘s (@rollcall) Taste of America the other night. Huge thanks to Roll Call, Chef Spike, the crew of We, The Pizza, and all the sponsors who made the event the “DC foodfest” that it was.

And to our friends at Roll Call, we’ve been told this wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of a number of hardworking and dedicated staff, including Arnie Thomas, Andrea Birdsong, Kenny Ames, Megan McCoskey, Chris Tepler, and Val Voci

1. You just flooded We, the Pizza with overexcited Congressional Staff to crown a winner in Taste of America. How’d you pick the winning dish?

I’m not personally picking the winning dish, but if I did I would do it on taste, and originality. I would probably vote for the coconut. I’m not the biggest sweet guy, so coconut has the mixture of the savory and sweet. I’m kinda into that.

2. Was there a state or dish you’d been rooting for during the Taste of America voting?

Not really. I love Key Lime Pie, so I was excited to see that on there. Corn dogs remind me of growing up in Florida. Maple syrup from Vermont is always in my fridge. I think it’s really great to have a competition that highlights foods from everywhere  – it brings people together in the best possible way – through their stomachs!

3. A hungry staffer only has $5 in his pocket and can only go to one of your restaurant spots for lunch–what should s/he order?

One of my restaurants with five bucks? [We, the Pizza] because you can get slice for under 5 (and cheese for $3). If you’re really into sweet you can get a shake for under $5 at Good Stuff Eatery.

4. Who’s the better tipper? Members of Congress or their staffers?

I’d say staffers, because it’s usually on Congress’ tab! No seriously, both restaurants are serve yourself so we don’t do tips. I like it that way, people don’t feel pressured to leave anything they come in, get some good grub and have a great time.

5. This place was packed to the gills for the Taste of America championship. Might there be plans to do it bigger next year?

You know for those type of decisions I sit around with the people involved, my PR. I probably think we will do it again. It will probably be an ongoing thing as we’ve had so much success this year and have a great relationship with Roll Call. Also, this contest and this idea is right up our alley – bringing the community together through food!