Emma’s Torch in the Financial Times

Where José Andrés eats in Washington DC

If you know me, you know I love history. So of course I go to the National Archives any chance I get — to visit the Constitution — as well as to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. I love the food exhibition there, especially Julia Child’s kitchen.

Then if I’m looking for some inspiration in a meal, I might go to one of the amazing cafés serving the community. There’s Marianne’s, a café from the organisation DC Central Kitchen located in the main Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library; and Emma’s Torch, a café and cooking school empowering refugees in the area (their new site in Silver Spring will open in 2026); and the new Marion Barry Avenue Market & Café, run by Dreaming Out Loud, which is bringing fresh food and community to DC’s Ward 8.…read more.