Michael Friedman
CHEF/OWNER
Westfield, New Jersey native Michael Friedman’s professional cooking career began as a prep cook with Mon Ami Gabi. Friedman spent three years with Rich Melman’s Lettuce Entertain You group, rising to sous chef in just eight months before enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
After graduating at the top of his CIA class, Friedman began working for Jose Andres at Zaytinya. After two years, he left his mentor to travel the world. Eating through Italy, Greece, Turkey and Northern Africa, Friedman picked up the interesting and exciting nuances of each country. Back in the US, Friedman spent time staging in some influential kitchens, including San Francisco's Incanto, Los Angeles’ Lucques, Philadelphia's Vetri and New York's Scarpetta. Friedman returned to D.C. as Executive Sous Chef of Proof, and under the tutelage of Executive Chef Haidar Karoum, he learned to hone his craft and simplify his style to let seasonal ingredients shine.
Friedman opened up The Red Hen in 2014. His eclectic menu offers guests a focused selection of seasonal, Italian-influenced dishes interpreted with Mid-Atlantic ingredients. Red Hen continues to be a neighborhood gem within Washington DC that excites diners with new dishes every season.
In 2016 he opened All-Purpose Shaw - serving antipasti, classic Italian American dishes and deck oven-fired pizzas in the heart of downtown D.C. As a New Jersey native, All-Purpose became a love letter to Chef Friedman’s youth. Shortly after its opening, All-Purpose was named D.C.'s top restaurant by the Washington Post. In 2017, Friedman was recognized as a James Beard Award semifinalist. Following the success of the original All-Purpose, Friedman opened up All-Purpose Capitol Riverfront on the Anacostia River in 2018. The new location includes favorites from the Shaw location and new dishes inspired by the Eastern U.S. and Amalfi Coastlines. Michael Friedman holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in American history from Boston University.
Read More
Michael O’ Malley
Director of Operations/Owner
Chicago native Michael O’ Malley has been involved in food operations of various sorts since the age of 16. While earning his B.A. in Hotel Administration and Food and Beverage Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, O’Malley spent a summer as an intern with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) in Chicago.
Upon graduation, O'Malley moved back to Chicago, continuing his tenure with LEYE and developing his management skills at several locations of company's classic French bistro, Mon Ami Gabi. In 2005, he moved to Washington D.C., where he served as assistant general manager of the Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda, MD. It was during his time in the nation's capital that he also met his future business partners, Michael Friedman and Sebastian Zutant.
After four years in D.C., O' Malley moved back to Chicago to pursue his MBA at DePaul University, where he further developed his entrepreneurial skills and drew up new business ideas. With his MBA in Entrepreneurship and Finance, he developed The Red Hen concept with Friedman and Zutant, and began looking for spaces for their first project together.
In April 2013, O'Malley and his partners opened their Italian-influenced restaurant in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, DC. O'Malley is responsible for the daily front-of-the-house operations, including delivering a comfortable and approachable style of service to complement the restaurant's welcoming neighborhood sensibility.
Read More
