My Story

Welcome to my personal blog, D.C. Food Rag! My name is Elizabeth Laseter and I am a food writer, professional restaurant cook and competitive runner/triathlete living  in Washington, D.C.

I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a double major in writing and art history in 2011. Through writing internships in college, I eventually realized that I wanted to pursue food journalism. I attended culinary school L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md., to learn more about food and cooking and to gain credibility as a food writer. The one-year program included six months in the classroom and six months as an extern at a fine-dining restaurant.

Learning classical French cuisine at culinary school.

I am currently working as a full-time cook at Cashion’s Eat Place in Adams Morgan, my externship site. I have learned how to do just about everything on the line – I work the grill (my favorite station), sauté and salad stations. I am also a freelance food writer for publications and blogs in the D.C./Baltimore area. One of my favorite recent articles that I wrote was a chocolate chip cookie guide to D.C. for a New York-based food blog, Serious Eats.

At the 2012 Jingle All The Way 8k.

When I’m not in the kitchen or at home writing, you’ll usually find me running in Rock Creek Park or doing workouts on a weathered public track near Georgetown University (sometimes I have to dodge small children and crazy dogs). At Hopkins, I was a member of the varsity Cross Country and Track team. I have worked hard to keep up with my training, focusing on the 5k distance (PR: 17:59). In addition to running, I also train for triathlons. This past summer, I competed in The Nation’s Tri in D.C., finished 5th in my age group and qualified for the 2013 USAT Olympic Distance National Championship.

2012 Battle of the Potomac Triathlon at the National Harbor.

I thrive off of a fast-paced lifestyle and am constantly on the go. I’ve been known to impulsively jump on a train to Philly for the day or board a bus to New York City, usually with a food destination in mind. In the little down time that I do have, I love to cook at home and develop my own recipes (many of which you’ll find on this blog).

So, with that said, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my blog, which has been my main creative outlet since I moved to D.C. for culinary school nearly a year and a half ago.