Alfred Ashish is a renowned chef, who is known as the owner of Duck, Duck Goose, and No Way Rose.
Alfred appears on CBS Saturday Morning’s “The Dish” on April 23, the culinary industry in Baltimore is exploding this week with a wide range of events, performances, and announcements.
Watch “The Dish” on CBS Saturday Morning April 23 to see Ashish Alfred, the founder of Duck Duck Goose and No Way Rose.
It all started in 2012, when Chef Ashish Alfred moved to Bethesda and founded 4935 Bar and Kitchen, his first restaurant.
In 2016 Alfred built his first Duck Duck Goose brasserie in Bethesda, drawing on French skills learned at cooking school.
In Bethesda, he has also renamed 4935 George’s Chophouse (after his half-brother).
Again in 2018, he launched a second Duck Duck Goose shop in Fells Point. It has swiftly established itself as a terrific alternative to the neighborhood’s bars and pizza restaurants, thanks to its inventive renditions of French bistro dishes and creative cocktails.
Furthermore, chef Ashish’s Now Way Rose, located at 31 E. Cross St. in Federal Hill, opened in March 2022.
He did not have it easy at home during his childhood. He pounced on the chest of his alcoholic father, Rajesh, as a kid and was thrown to the ground, fracturing his femur.
Alfred spent months wearing a body chest as a result of the incident. Veena, his mother, did her best, but she spent a lot of time away from home as the principal breadwinner and owner of a string of assisted living facilities. In 2001, his parents divorced.
He graduated from Rockville’s Magruder High School in 2005. Later, he did odd kitchen jobs like a back bar, bouncer, and barista around Washington, D.C., and Bethesda, but he was always looking for his next hit.
He pawned his father’s Rolex for drug money, which was surprising. His preferred narcotic was cocaine. However, as an addict, his only solace and apparent diversion from becoming blitzed were watching the Foood Network.
In 2008, Alfred studied at New York City’s French Culinary Institute. He and his family didn’t realize how bad his addiction was at the time.
Alfred thrived in culinary school despite his addiction. He studied traditional Gallic cooking skills.
He stayed in New York after culinary school and worked at a variety of restaurants, including Daniel, which specializes in French cuisine, and Lupa, which focuses on Italian cuisine.
Chef Alfred spoke with Michele Miller on Saturday’s CBS Mornings about recovery from addiction and becoming a culinary celebrity in the Washington, D.C. area.