Spike Mendelsohn developed a love for cooking at a young age while spending most of his childhood at his grandfather's restaurant in Montreal. The idea of family and food carried over into Spike's culinary career when he opened his first Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, D.C., alongside his family in 2008. With overwhelming support from the D.C. community, Spike released a cook book and also opened We, the Pizza and Béarnaise—which count the Obamas as fans.
Not only is he a major player in the food industry, Spike uses his platform to advocate for good food policy, which includes curbing food waste to feed hungry mouths and help the environment, and the need for accessible, healthy school lunches nationwide. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appointed Spike as Chairman of the D.C. Food Policy Council in 2015, which brings local stakeholders and experts to create an equitable, sustainable food system for our Nation's Capital. Additionally, Spike serves as Chef Ambassador to CARE International and Chef Contributor to DC Central Kitchen.
When he's not in the kitchen and on Capitol Hill lobbying for food policy, Spike loves to travel the world to explore different cuisines and cultures. His next big adventure: fatherhood, with the birth of his first child in 2016.