Rocket men cannot seem to help themselves from relocating to D.C. to launch food ventures. Five years ago Steve Davis, a so-called “Man of Yogurt,” enlisted his colleagues from space exploration company SpaceX as investors in his quirky frozen yogurt shop. Davis is still launching capsules into orbit on the side.
Lawrence Williams, on the other hand, left his job with SpaceX altogether to break into the food world. Instead of opening his own restaurant, he’s promoting the concept of sustainability through his United States Healthful Food Council, a non-profit with an official sounding name and an objective to encourage healthy eating.
At the core of Williams’ organization work is its “REAL Certification” program. The acronym stands for Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership. Similar to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED system that grants stamps of approval to buildings that meet certain energy efficiency standards, the REAL nod is awarded to partner restaurants based on their responses to a series of questions about the food being served at their establishments. The questionnaire addresses health characteristics of menus including portion sizes, use of lean meats and healthier oils, the relative distance from which ingredients are obtained, and the welfare of the animals that end up on the plates.
Williams chose Washington as the pilot city in which to recruit REAL restaurants. Sixteen restaurants have filled out their questionnaires and won the right to put certification stickers on their front doors. Among them are Founding Farmers with a commitment to family farms; Restaurant Nora, the country’s first certified organic restaurant (though being organic is not a requirement for the program); all five of EatWell DC’s restaurants for the produce the company grows on its farm in La Plata, Md.; and Elizabeth’s Gone Raw, the hidden catering hall on L Street that offers a once-a-week raw food tasting menu. (It also hosted Eat REAL’s launch event with a menu including freshly sliced kale chips.)
The charter batch of qualifying restaurants is rounded out by Busboys & Poets, Energy Kitchen, i Ricchi, Juice Joint Café, Ris, Shophouse, Soupergirl, and Table.
But Mr. Yogato, owned by Williams’ former SpaceX colleague, is not yet seeking certification, and that’s a bit curious. Healthful olive oil is a complementary topping, the yogurt is fat free and low in calories, and the portions are moderate. Then again, you can always order a huge cup of yogurt topped off with toasted Eggo waffle bites and a sleuth of Teddy Grahams.
