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Short ribs and baby octopus may dominate many menus in the city, but that doesn’t mean local chefs can’t find love in an acorn squash. In our ongoing series, Chefs Veg Out, we’ll prove D.C.’s chefs can play with more than just meat.
- Name: Rosa Davis
- Title: Chef
- Restaurant: Bubby’s
- Twitter: @BubbysNYdeli
- Cooking Since: Twenty-four years ago. “I was at Morty’s deli for 23 years. Before Morty’s, I worked at an Italian restaurant, I Ricci, making pastas and breads.”
- Random Fact: “I used to have a cosmetology license and cut hair at a beauty hair salon on Georgia Avenue. I cut hair back in El Salvador, but without the license. I liked it, but people can’t make enough money [in that profession]. People prefer to eat than be sexy. There’s always work at restaurants.”
- Favorite Vegetable: Spinach. “Spinach is the best for you because of the iron. The better way is raw spinach.”
- Least Favorite Vegetable: Iceberg lettuce. “It’s too soft and watery.”
- Memorable Meatless Dish: “Back in El Salvador, my mom would sauté zucchini and green beans with garlic and onions and oil till soft. Everything is all natural there. Everything here comes from the freezer.”
- Best Vegetable Dish at Bubby’s: Greek salad. “It’s just a little salty. And healthy: onions make you strong and keep you working.”
- Quick and Dirty Meatless Idea: Carrots and potatoes. “I like the potatoes because it’s not salty and the carrots because they’re sweet. I boil it in water. (How do you season it? “No seasoning. I’m scared of being fat. But there’s a little salt and pepper.”)
Photo by Stefanie Gans