Executive Chef

A well-honored chef throughout the Washington, DC region, Jerry has led award-winning kitchens such as Yin Yankee in Annapolis and Bethesda and Sam’s on the Waterfront in Annapolis (Southern Living’s Best Crab Cake). Most recently, before devoting his time to opening Gunther & Co., Jerry pioneered the first restaurant-style food truck in D.C., ChefDriven, which featured a rotating weekly menu featuring seasonal ingredients and was named Top Food Truck in 2012 by both Washingtonian and The Washington Post. He is a graduate from the Culinary Institute of America.

Jerry cites his grandfather as having an instrumental role in his culinary career path and style. “He was local when local wasn’t cool.” Growing up in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Jerry’s grandfather was true depression-era; he taught Jerry to hunt, fish, can and use every ingredient so there was never any waste. This idea of using local and seasonally available ingredients is a cornerstone of Jerry’s cooking today and an homage to his late grandfather.

Director Of Operations

Nancy has helmed some of the fastest-growing and well-respected restaurants in both New York City and the Washington, DC area. Before designing Gunther & Co. from a raw space, she was the General Manager/Managing Partner of Silver Spring’s 8407 kitchen bar where she was responsible for not only the build-out of the restaurant in the construction phase, but also day-to-day operations, staffing, marketing and bar program. Beginning her career as a chef, including Executive Chef at the Lincoln Center, Nancy became heavily interested in front-of-house operations and has since overseen numerous restaurant launches and expansions from start to finish including Eli Zabar’s Vinegar Factory in Manhattan. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and served as Treasurer of the DC Chapter from 2013-2015 and is also a member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.

Nancy credits her grandmother for sparking her sense of style and vision and is the reason she fell in love with the restaurant and event industries. Ahead of her time, Nancy’s grandmother ran an engraved invitation and event design company in Baltimore County where Nancy would spend countless hours watching her put together the elements for these elaborate events.