This DC-area chef is going viral for what he makes — and where he shoots his demos
D.C.-area chef Anthony Thomas only needs a few feet of sidewalk space to pop open his table and get to work.
By John Domen | jdomen@wtop.com
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTOP, WTOP NEWS) — D.C.-area chef Anthony Thomas won’t be found working in any particular restaurant, but lately he’s been turning the whole region into his own kitchen. All he needs is a few feet of sidewalk space to pop open his table and get to work.
In recent weeks he’s been seen cooking shrimp in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He did a grilled oyster recipe in front of the Benning Road Metro Station. If he finds a good backdrop, such as the rainbow flags hanging over City Center, he’ll probably be back soon.
The appeal for Thomas’ nearly 150,000 Instagram followers is more than just the food. His videos are impossible to watch just once, not only to get a look at what he’s cooking, but also to see how the people who stumble upon him react to the free samples.
But make no mistake. First and foremost, he’s here to teach you something.
“One hundred percent these are instructional videos,” said Thomas, who set up on 10th Street Downtown on Wednesday to make a Greek-inspired salad. “But like people tell me, they say there’s so many different layers to the videos.”
His interactions are genuine.
“Y’all are here?” asked Kisha Anderson, of Southwest D.C., who stumbled upon him without warning. “Wow, amazing. It’s my turn now.”
He was still early in the process of chopping up the zucchini, tomatoes, onions and other veggies going in the salad. He topped it with feta cheese and his own homemade dressing.
“When I look at this, I can actually taste the flavors, and I haven’t even taken one bite yet,” said Thomas, looking at his creation. “Yeah, it really don’t make no sense how good this looks.”
That last part of course being his tag line in all of his videos.
People who were working in nearby stores couldn’t help but notice the same thing. After watching Thomas and his film crew from inside, one of them had to come out and see what was going on. It didn’t take much prodding for her to accept a free sample.
“That’s delicious,” she said. “And I’m a picky eater, so this is even better,” she added with a laugh.
He was quickly escorted inside to offer up samples to her coworker too. That’s the fun part. If you can find Thomas, he’ll pass out whatever he’s making.
“I have been following him for quite some time, and I see all the delicious food he makes,” Anderson said. “It gets everyone very excited when he posts his Instagram. And I’ve heard great things about his food as well.”
She mentioned how upset she was to find out she missed him cooking near her home a few weeks back.
“I was so upset,” she said. “I could have walked down to the Wharf to see him cook, and I was so upset. My heart was breaking to see him at the Wharf.”
Thomas has been cooking professionally for 17 years. He usually does private events and catering, cooking for anywhere from two people to 2,000, he said. And sometimes, he’ll just start cooking wherever he happens to show up.
“I mean, how fun does this really look,” he said, holding up his bowl of veggies. Minutes later, the reactions from those who got samples told it all. And as he walked out of the store where employees had been watching with curiosity earlier, it was Thomas who was just as thankful for the opportunity.
“I appreciate you guys trying it,” he said. “Thank you for letting me inside your store.”
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