Chef Robert Wiedmaier rose from the ranks of dishwasher to earn a Michelin star and own and operate 11 restaurants in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and Atlantic City.

He grew up in Brussels, Belgium, the son of a Holocaust survivor who spent eight months of the war hiding in a butcher shop in the south of France. A dyslexic, Wiedmaier gravitated to the kitchen at an early age, beginning his working life at 14. He later attended culinary school in The Netherlands, apprenticing at the Thermidor, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Holland. It was not long after that he found his way to the kitchen of the two-Michelin star Eddie Van Maele in Brussels. The experience was a revelation for the young chef, and gave him a clear vision for his future.

In 1986, chef Wiedmaier accepted the job of saucier at Le Chardon d'Or at The Morrison House, in Alexandria, Va., before joining the brigade at Le Pavillion, helping to create the finest nouvelle cuisine in Washington, D.C. A year later he was named sous chef at Aux Beaux Champs, in the Four Seasons, under the direction of chef Douglass McNeill.

By 1994, chef Wiedmaier was ready to strike out on his own. He opened Café on M at The Grand Hotel, where he established his signature Franco-Flemish style, before taking over at the Watergate Hotel, replacing the legendary Jean-Louis Palladin.

In 1999, Wiedmaier opened the contemporary, European, Marcel's. Sumptous in its elegance, with a refined and exacting cuisine that never goes out of fashion, the restaurant has not only become his flagship, but is also consistently ranked among the city's best by The Washington Post, The Washingtonian, and the readers of Open Table. It has earned numerous awards from Wine Spectator and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington RAMMY Awards, and its service and wine program has also received multiple James Beard nominations.

Chef Wiedmaier waited seven years to open his second restaurant, Brasserie Beck, also in Washington, D.C. Conceived as a relaxed and casual restaurant where diners could go for mussels, stews, and braises - along with one of the country's best Belgian beer lists - the restaurant recently celebrated its 11th birthday.

In 2009, Wiedmaier partnered with Kimpton Hotels' Lorien Hotel & Spa in Alexandria, Va., opening two adjacent establishments: Brabo and The Brabo Tasting Room. It was a successful, eight year run, full of honors and awards, after which the chef amicably moved on to concentrate on other opportunities.

The next year saw the launch of Mussel Bar & Grille in Bethesda, Md. The restaurant, a hearty celebration of pub grub, Belgian-style, has since grown to include locations in Arlington, Va., and Baltimore, Md.

In November 2012, chef Wiedmaier opened Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda, serving a light, spice-accented cuisine influenced by the 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean.

A passionate lover of jazz, blues, and roots rock, the chef made his first foray into the music business in 2015 with a club, Villain & Saint in Bethesda. That same year saw the opening, as well, of Lock 72 in Potomac, Md.

The chef's newest venture, Siren, which opened in the Fall of 2017 at The Darcy hotel near Logan Circle, has enjoyed a brilliant debut. A seafood emporium with a dazzling fish bar, it received a Michelin star in 2018, as well as rave reviews in The Washington Post and The Washingtonian.

Chef Wiedmaier has been honored and awarded numerous times for his talent and service. In 2009, he was named Washington's Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. In 2012, the U.S. State Department and James Beard Foundation tapped him for its Diplomatic Culinary Partnership Initiative. That same year he was also inducted into The Knighthood of the Brewers' Mashstaff, a century old brewer's guild in Brussels. In 2014, he was brought in as the chef of honor to cook for the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. at the new London embassy. He has even had a beer brewed and named exclusively for him, the double blonde ale Antigoon. He was featured on the James Beard Award-winning program, Chefs A 'Field, on PBS, and is a proud member of the Wild Alaska Seafood Congress of Conscious Chefs.

Last year he launched a consulting agency, Primal Cut Consulting, a full-service operation whose mission is to think boldly and fearlessly about the many complex issues facing the industry.

Chef Wiemaier lives with his wife, Polly, in Kensington, with his teenage son, Beck. His other son, Marcel, is away at college.

Over the past 13 years, Moez Ben Achour has risen from line employee to Sommelier, now overseeing staffing, training, and daily operations of Chef Robert Wiedmaier's notable flagship, Marcel's. Moez was instrumental in Marcel's achieving the 2013 Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington [RAMW] RAMMY Award for "Wine Program of the Year" and the wine program attributed to the nomination for "Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year."

Ms. Albert, with twelve years of successful event and marketing experience, began directly out of college with the desire to pursue a career in advertising. After a brief stint in LA, working for a larger company as a Media Buyer, she decided to move back to her hometown of Potomac, Maryland. She sought a job in the event planning field; not sure exactly where she'd end up. While quickly finding out that wasn't the easiest task at 24 years of age, she soon landed a job with Strike LLC, in Bethesda, MD. She started out planning over 40 children's birthday parties per week; she quickly moved up. Soon she find herself working on much larger events building her corporate clientele, as well as an event planning skill set improving with the planning of numerous Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and other larger events. After three years with Strike she decided to make a move forward to DC restaurant scene.

After a brief, but invaluable time working with Chef Geoff Tracey, she landed a position with Chef Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel's in mid-2003. She started by building a very strong clientele working with Wiedmaier's team to ensure client satisfaction and return. By 2007 Chef Wiedmaier's Brasserie Beck was on the verge of opening and he added Ms. Albert as part of the opening Management Team. Since then, she has been managing the Events & Marketing for Wiedmaier's restaurant group and acts as a liaison between the group and various charity organizations; including the White House Let's Move! Initiative, St.Judes and the American Cancer Society.

Ms. Albert was also nominated in 2011 and 2012 by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington as "Employee of the Year" and currently serves on the board of Nourish Now, a charity working to alleviate hunger in the DC area. In 2012 Ms. Albert was made a partner in Chef Wiedmaier's newest location Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda, Maryland, where she's placed the management team and will run their catering program. Continuing to build the sales and clientele for Wiedmaier she is often with his team at charity events, fundraisers and other events in and around DC. Together with her colleagues she is responsible for business strategy and company performance. Ms. Albert's passion for excellence is evidenced in her hands-on management of her events and she is considered one of the driving forces behind the company's commitment to client service with an already award winning background.