Chef Eric Adjepong and decorator Janell Adjepong are cooking up something special together.
Top Chef contestant Eric Adjepong and his partner, Janell Adjepong, run Pinch & Plate, a catering and event company that seeks to produce “memorable, intimate and impeccably appointed culinary experiences.”
He appears on the latest season of Top Chef and was named to People magazine’s list of the sexiest chefs in America. She’s an accomplished—and equally stunning—design consultant and business professional. Together they are the brains behind Pinch & Plate, a full-service pop-up dinner party and event company that produces customized, full-service gatherings. It all started when the pair hosted friends for dinner. “Janell set up the room while I handled the kitchen. I walked into the dining room and saw the tablescape and was shocked—we had a eureka moment right then and there,” Eric Adjepong explains.
Janell Adjepong, who has a business degree from Howard University and a master’s from GW, believes the concept works in Washington because “folks in DC appreciate great food and memorable experiences.” The couple moved here from New York to be closer to family and start one of their own—they welcomed their first child last fall. “It’s been a great time for us thus far,” says Janell.
Pinch & Plate is structured similarly to a restaurant—Janell handles the front of the house, Eric the back. “As soon as we get the first request in, Janell interacts with the client discussing details of the experience. If there is something she can’t answer related to food, I handle it,” says Eric, who on the day of the event or dinner party takes the lead, referring to Janell for pace of service to ensure everything runs smoothly. “We work well together and apart,” adds Janell.
What’s the plan for 2019? “Get Eric a restaurant,” Janell says. His turn on Top Chef is just the right entrée to make that happen.
Photography by: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES ANTHONY
