Jarrad Silver
Silver & Sons BBQ | Bethesda, MD
February 2026
Before he started smoking meats and whipping up beloved weekly specials, Jarrad Silver learned to cook from his dad and grandma, grilling steaks and braiding challah, as well as preparing other traditional Jewish dishes. In high school, he picked up a dishwashing job at a pizzeria in Northern Virginia, where he eventually moved to the pizza station and learned to manage a wood fire, make pastas and sandwiches, and serve the local community.
In 2010, after graduating from college with a degree in business management, Silver jumped right back into the restaurant industry, eventually joining the opening team of Graffiato in Washington, D.C., as a server and cook in 2011. After stints at Bandolero, Range, and then Daikaya, he started cooking at Kapnos, where he worked his way up to executive sous chef before becoming the chef de cuisine of Kapnos Taverna in Arlington, Virginia. In 2018, Silver was hired as the executive chef at Birch & Barley and ChurchKey, where he brought Jewish, Middle Eastern, and North African flavors and techniques into the kitchens.
When the pandemic hit, Silver stepped away from restaurants and started experimenting with barbecue, drawing on his culinary experience with wood-fired ovens, rotisseries, and smokers. Not long after, he was taking preorders, smoking briskets, and setting up shop at local street fairs and festivals. He launched his first food truck in 2022 and a second in 2023. In January 2025, Silver opened the brick-and-mortar location of Silver & Sons BBQ in Bethesda, Maryland, just down the street from where he grew up. At the counter-service restaurant, he cooks barbecue that speaks to his upbringing and culinary experiences without sacrificing quality or traditional techniques.
Beyond dishes like his smoked lamb shank with pomegranate molasses glaze, saffron couscous, zhug, and a smoked chicken-lamb broth, Silver is active in his local community and hopes to continue serving those in the area through his food trucks and a larger commissary kitchen. He also works with organizations like Best Buddies and Chefs For Equality, and hosts events like Barbecue For A Cause, during which 15 percent of sales are donated to schools in the local area.
2026 StarChefs D.C.-Maryland-Virginia Rising Stars Award Winner
