Robert Wiedmaier is a

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

-born,

Belgian American Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, most Belgian immigrants ...

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

. He owns multiple restaurants in and around

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

and is known for creating dishes involving

Belgian cuisine Belgian cuisine is widely varied among regions, while also reflecting the cuisines of neighbouring France, Germany and the Netherlands. It is characterised by the combination of French cuisine with the more hearty Flemish fare. Outside the cou ...

, specifically

mussels Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, whic ...

Personal life

Robert Wiedmaier was born in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

and lived there until he was about 15. He described his mother, who was born in California, as a "great cook" who focused on

French cuisine French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices of France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a Court (royal), court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote ''Le Viandier'', one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In ...

. He attended cooking school in the Netherlands, and now resides in

Kensington, Maryland Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,122 at the 2020 United States census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 ZIP Code, ZIP code, with a population of 1 ...

. He has been described as an "avid

hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

" and

fisherman A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million Commercial fishing, commercial and Artisan fishing, subsistence fishers and Fish farming, fi ...

and "full circle chef".

Career

He began his career working at restaurants in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

but relocated to the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

in the 1980s. Upon arriving in the D.C. area, he took his first job as a

saucier A saucier () or sauté chef is a position in the classical brigade style kitchen. It can be translated into English as ''sauce chef''. In addition to preparing sauces, the saucier prepares stews, hot hors d'œuvres, and sautés food to order. ...

at the Morrison House in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, at its restaurant, Le Chardon d’Or. He then worked at various hotels, including the Four Seasons and the

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...

(replacing Jean-Louis Palladin). In 1999, he opened his first restaurant, ''Marcel's'', and now operates a group of restaurants in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and Atlantic City. He has been invited to compete in the television program ''

Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, is a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle buil ...

'' but declined, stating in 2012, "that's just not my thing. Not that I wouldn't do it, but I have five restaurants to run." In 2009, Wiedmaier was honored as Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (the RAMMY Awards). In August 2012, Wiedmaier was inducted into The Knighthood of the Brewers' Mashstaff at the Belgian Beer Weekend in Brussels.

Marcel's

''Marcel's'', named for Wiedmaier's son, opened in 1999 in Washington, D.C.'s

Foggy Bottom Foggy Bottom is a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States, located in the city's northwest quadrant. It stretches west of the White House towards the Potomac River, north of the National Mall, east of Georgetown, south of the West ...

neighborhood with fine French-Belgian cuisine. In 2015, ''Marcel's'' underwent a major renovation with new additions to the menu. Diners at Marcel's can create their tasting menus with four, five, six or seven courses. In 2016, ''Marcel's'' won the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMMY) Award for formal fine dining restaurant of the year.

RW Restaurant Group

In 2007, Wiedmaier opened a second restaurant in D.C., ''Brasserie Beck''. He opened his third restaurant in 2009, ''Brabo'' in Virginia. In the following years, he expanded to open several more restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, under the umbrella of the RW Restaurant Group.

Brasserie Beck

In April 2007, he opened ''Brasserie Beck'' (named after his youngest son), his first major foray into mussels and

Belgian beer Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

. He described the restaurant as having a "1950s to 60s

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

feel" and a focus on French cuisine with

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

influences.

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

called Brasserie Beck one of the Best New Restaurants in America in 2007. ''Brasserie Beck'' boasts one of the largest selections of Belgian beers outside of Belgium. This includes the house special Antigoon, which is brewed for Wiedmaier's restaurants by Belgium's Brouwerij de Musketiers.

Brabo

In 2009, he partnered with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurantss to open ''Brabo'' at the Lorien Hotel and Spa in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

Mussel Bar & Grille

Mussel Bar - Ballston - 2018 - Stierch 02

In 2010, Wiedmaier opened a more casual restaurant, ''Mussel Bar & Grille'' in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

. In 2012, he opened a second (now-closed) ''Mussel Bar & Grille'' in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

. A

Ballston, Virginia Ballston is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia. Ballston is located at the western end of the Rosslyn, Virginia, Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. It is a major transportation hub and has one of the nation's highest concentrations of scientifi ...

outpost of ''Mussel Bar & Grille'' opened in 2013. Another ''Mussel Bar & Grille'' opened in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

in 2015.

Wildwood Kitchen

In 2012, Wiedmaier tapped five of his longest-serving employees to become part-owners of ''Wildwood Kitchen'' in

. It is a smaller restaurant, at 2,000 square feet, seating 55 people.

Villain & Saint

''Villain & Saint'' is a gastropub and live music venue that opened in 2015 in

. Robert partnered with Brian McBride and Joe Lively to share their passion for the lifestyle of the freewheeling rock 'n' roll era. Celebrating various music and food, the restaurant offers a spread of tastes in music and food.

Lock 72 Kitchen & Bar

In 2015, Wiedmaier acquired a neighborhood American and seafood restaurant in

Potomac, Maryland Potomac () is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 47,018. It is named a ...

, the ''Tavern at River Falls''. In 2016, the restaurant changed its name to ''Lock 72 Kitchen & Bar''.

Siren by RW

In 2017, Wiedmaier opened ''Siren'' in the Darcy Hotel in

Logan Circle, Washington, D.C. Logan Circle is a historic roundabout park and neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The majority of Logan Circle is primarily residential, except for the highly-commercialized 14th Street corridor that passes through the ...

The menu is focused on seafood, featuring a grand plateau of oysters, clams, prawns, lobster, and several styles of sashimi, and caviar service. ''Siren'' received a Michelin Star in the 2019

Michelin Guide The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few restaurants ...

for Washington, D.C. In February 2019, Siren closed, with the goal of reopening in a different location. As of January 2020, it has yet to reopen.

References

External links

, RW Restaurant Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiedmaier, Robert 1950 births Living people Belgian emigrants to the United States German chefs Chefs from Washington, D.C. People from Kensington, Maryland American restaurateurs American male chefs Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants