James Alefantis
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{{short description|American chef and restaurateur|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}}
James Alefantis is an American chef and restaurateur. He founded and owns two restaurants in Washington, D.C., including the pizzeria Comet Ping Pong, and American restaurant Buck's Fishing & Camping. He is also the president of the art gallery Transformer in Logan Circle, Washington, D.C. In 2012, GQ named him one of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/technology/fact-check-this-pizzeria-is-not-a-child-trafficking-site.html?_r=0 |title=Fake News Onslaught Targets Pizzeria as Nest of Child-Trafficking |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 22, 2016 |publication-date=November 21, 2016}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.gq.com/gallery/50-most-powerful-people-in-washington-dc |title=The 50 Most Powerful People in Washington |last=Cherlin |first=Reid |newspaper=GQ |date=January 17, 2012 |publication-date=January 17, 2012}}
Biography
Alefantis was raised in Buffalo, New York and Washington, D.C.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/05/AR2007070501270.html |title=Game for Pizza |last=Sietsema |first=Tom |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 8, 2007}} Prior to becoming a restaurateur, he owned a small art gallery in Georgetown, Virginia, and served as the general manager of Johnny's Half Shell for two years. He founded Buck's Fishing & Camping in October 2003 along with Carole Greenwood. Originally, the restaurant was called "Greenwood", and she was the restaurant's chef and he was its owner. Alefantis has said that he and Greenwood collaborated on every item on the menu at Buck's.{{Cite web |url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/food/article/13037971/how-are-bucks-fishing-camping-and-comet-ping-pong-faring |title=Carole Greenwood's Empire, Minus Carole Greenwood |last=Carman |first=Tim |website=Washington City Paper |date=October 16, 2009}} In 2006, he and Greenwood co-founded Comet Ping Pong.
In 2009 Greenwood stepped away from the businesses, and Alefantis hired Vickie Reh to be chef at Bucks and Laura Bonino to be head chef at Comet Pizza.{{Cite web |url=http://www.metroweekly.com/2015/04/from-scratch-james-alefantis/ |title=From Scratch |last=Rule |first=Doug |website=Metro Weekly |date=April 16, 2015}}{{Cite web |date=2009-10-16 |title=Carole Greenwood's Empire, Minus Carole Greenwood |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/227424/how-are-bucks-fishing-camping-and-comet-ping-pong-faring/ |access-date=2022-09-06 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2009-07-08 |title=Vickie Reh Is the New Chef at Buck's Fishing and Camping |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/368625/vickie-reh-is-the-new-chef-at-bucks-fishing-and-camping/ |access-date=2022-09-06 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Carman |first=Tim |date=2010-04-28 |title=Comet Ping Pong Gets Its Liquor License Back, Loses Chef |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/365313/comet-ping-pong-gets-its-liquor-license-back-loses-chef/ |access-date=2022-09-06 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}} Alefantis is also a partner in Muchas Gracias, a Mexican restaurant in Washington, DC.{{Cite web |last=Plumb |first=Tierney |date=2020-04-10 |title=A New Latin Pop-Up in Upper Northwest Sells Takeout Tacos and Masa Ball Soup |url=https://dc.eater.com/2020/4/10/21216406/muchas-gracias-pop-up-mexican-restaurant-latin-takeout-delivery-christian-irabien-chevy-chase-dc |access-date=2023-01-14 |website=Eater DC |language=en}}
Personal life
Alefantis is openly gay. He formerly dated David Brock, the CEO of Media Matters for America.{{Cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/media-matters-boss-paid-former-partner-850g-blackmail-settlement/ |title=Media Matters boss paid former partner $850G 'blackmail' settlement |last=Winter |first=Jana |website=Fox News |date=February 27, 2012}}
References
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Category:American restaurateurs
Category:Businesspeople from Washington, D.C.
Category:American LGBTQ businesspeople
Category:Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)