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449 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.289.5471

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The Making of Melange

“THE MAKING OF MELANGE”

a five-part mini docu-series by filmmaker Daniel James of HERD Ventures
Chef Taddesse’s journey of opening Mélange is captured in this five-part mini docu-series with filmmaker Daniel James of HERD Ventures. Learn more about Chef Taddesse, the quality and care that goes into your food, Mélange’s local sourcing, our meticulously selected partners and products, and the people behind them, and what helped Mélange thrive in spite of opening during a pandemic.

 PART I: Meet Your Chef

Learn how Chef Taddesse’s culinary training and years spent in Ethiopia, Minneapolis, France, and New York inspire the melange of flavors and techniques at the restaurant. (1:25)

 PART II:Sourcing Meat

Chef Taddesse carefully selects and builds a relationship with the local farm where he sources all of his meat, the secret to making the best burgers in DC.(2:09)

 PART III: The Perfect Bun.

In Part III of “The Making of Mélange”, we see how every element of his recipes is essential to Chef Taddesse, including the artisan breads he hand-selects from local bakeries Lyon and Seylou to make his buns and rolls.(1:20)

 PART IV: A Fresh Take on Vegan.

Chef Taddesse puts the same careful attention to detail and sourcing into the vegan Beyaynetu burger, which is inspired by the Ethiopian vegetable platters he loves. Find out what his secret ingredient is..(1:20)

 PART V: Opening When the World is Closed.

In the final segment of “The Making of Melange”, Chef Taddesse shares some of the challenges of opening a new restaurant during the pandemic. Find out more about what helped Melange overcome and thrive as a successful business even during these times. (3:32)

A Note to the Community

It is with some sadness and so much gratitude that we announce that Mélange will be closing its Mount Vernon Triangle location this week. We anticipate moving to a different location in the near future. Stay tuned for an announcement as soon as details are finalized.

In September 2020, Mélange first opened its doors in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood as part of the EDENS Catalyst program. With the community's unwavering support and an extremely hard-working team, Mélange not only survived but thrived during the pandemic. Because of that overwhelming support up until this day, what was originally intended to be a one-year lease turned into a couple. As the program's first chef participant, I am exceptionally grateful to EDENS for the opportunity to continue to grow my culinary expertise at CityVista.

Although we close our doors for now, we look forward to welcoming you to our new home soon. Saturday, April 22, will be Mélange's last day open at City Vista. We hope you can stop by to grab some of your favorites and so we can say 'thank you' in person. Until we open our new location, please visit Mélange's sister restaurant, Doro Soul Food to get my take on soul food infused with Ethiopian spices and flavors.

With tons of gratitude,
Chef Elias Taddesse and the entire Melange family