This is James Beard award-winning chef Edward Lee’s ode to southern food, mixed with flavors of his Korean roots. But beyond his restaurant, Lee’s working hard to pivot his energies into relief efforts: His nonprofit, The LEE Initiative, has been helping service-industry workers during the COVID-19 crisis by turning restaurants across the country into relief centers. Employees who are laid off, or who’ve had their hours cut, can pick up bagged meals and supplies each night until they can get back on their feet. “As the pandemic hit, I knew that we could do these things as long as my staff was into it and they bought into it and we were all a team,” Lee told us. “We could do it because that’s what restaurant people do.”

“Delicious” and “fun” are big themes at this spot. Owner Rose Nguyen, a former nurse turned self-taught pastry chef, creates sweet treats that combine American classics with traditional Asian flavors, like her crowd-favorite Strawberry Lychee Rose Donut. In addition to serving up delectable, unique desserts during the pandemic, her shop also has donated meals to SOME, a nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness, organized deliveries to Children’s National Hospital, and volunteered at World Central Kitchen. 

The idea for this food delivery service was born when Noobstaa Vang moved to D.C. and missed his mom’s Hmong cooking. Remembering how hard she worked at low-wage jobs so he could have a better life, he decided to honor her story by starting a delivery and catering business to share authentic, multicultural food while providing economic opportunities for refugee and immigrant chefs of all backgrounds. During the pandemic, he pivoted by adding the “Foodhini Marketplace,” a one-stop shop where customers can order foods that support local immigrant producers who otherwise wouldn’t have a platform. 

If food could tell stories, then everything on this menu would tell you about Laos — from Ping Kaw Muu (grilled pork neck with lemongrass, ginger, padeak, and spicy toasted rice sauce) to mouth-watering Tam Som (more commonly known as green papaya salad). Here, chefs Seng Luangrath and Bobby Pradachith channel their childhoods to bring Lao flavor to D.C., family-style. More recently, they’ve also committed to social justice movements by sending monthly donations to the D.C. chapter of Black Lives Matter and Campaign Zero, a nonprofit working to end police brutality. 

This food truck-turned-restaurant went viral last summer when a local artist sent out a tweet encouraging locals to try its cuisine. Among customer favorites, the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich is no joke, with its mind-blowing mix of spices and chilis, topped with house-made slaw. During the pandemic, the Roaming Rooster crew has been using its trucks to feed hospital workers. And in addition to balancing the daily business and serving essential workers, the team is gearing up to open another location at Foggy Bottom’s Western Market food hall this fall. 

D.C.’s only Burmese restaurant — and the mother-daughter duo behind it — aren’t just here to elevate traditional Burmese street food. Co-owners Jocelyn Law-Yone, Simone Jacobson, and Eric Wang are using their platform to empower other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) entrepreneurs. In addition to carryout, the restaurant has rolled out make-at-home meal kits that take less than 30 minutes to cook, Black Farm Bags (which feature produce grown by local Black farmers), and most recently, a BIPOC Pantry featuring goods from makers who promote equality. 

Samantha Lebbie-Adderley and China Adderley, the married couple behind this brand, are focused on empowering Black-owned businesses and making soul food accessible to all. You can enjoy their Caribbean-inspired soul recipes at The Kitchen Jerk, where Lebbie-Adderley brings her parents’ traditional flavors from Sierra Leone, and Adderley infuses her family’s traditions from the Bahamas. Fortunately, whereas many restaurants have struggled to change their business models during the pandemic, this restaurant — located inside the Mess Hall culinary incubator — didn’t have to pivot much since they were already carryout-only.