Jason Chavenson
Maison Bar à Vins | Washington, D.C.
February 2026
When Jason Chavenson decided he wanted to go to culinary school, he got good advice: Go work in a kitchen first. He started as a prep cook at Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and knew almost instantly that he was on the right track. After high school, Chavenson enrolled at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, to pursue a four-year degree. He spent time working at Ten Prime Steak & Sushi before landing a sous chef position at Christie’s in Newport. Chavenson then spent a portion of his senior year studying at the École Ducasse in Paris, France, where he was immersed in French technique, ingredients, and culture.
In 2016, Chavenson returned to Philadelphia and secured a spot in the kitchen at Laurel, where he worked his way through every station while training under Rising Stars alum Nicholas Elmi and Chef Edmund Konrad. With confidence and experience under his belt, Chavenson moved back to Paris and started working at Frenchie in 2018. After the pandemic, he took over as chef de cuisine at Frenchie Bar à Vins, embracing the lively atmosphere while continuing to refine his technique under Chef Greg Marchand. After a year and a half, he moved back to the United States to help open Bar Spero in Washington, D.C., under Rising Stars alum Johnny Spero, getting a crash course in live-fire cooking and Basque cuisine.
When Bar Spero closed two years later, Chavenson was connected with Restaurateur Omar Popal and Rising Stars alums Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss. The trio quickly brought him on as the opening chef de cuisine of their new project, Maison Bar à Vins. At the Adams Morgan wine bar, Chavenson brings his enthusiasm for French and coastal cuisines into focus, filtering his experiences abroad through a D.C. lens while capturing the charm and flavor of Parisian cooking through dishes like his tarama-stuffed pâte à choux with trout roe and dill.
2026 StarChefs D.C.-Maryland-Virginia Rising Stars Award Winner
