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Restaurant Group
Part of The Habibi Project
Michael Rafidi is the chef/owner of Michelin-starred Albi located in Washington, D.C’s Navy Yard neighborhood. The menus are a tribute to his Palestinian heritage, and reflect a creative update to traditional Arabic cuisine, with modern techniques utilizing the best the Mid-Atlantic has to offer. Inspired by his family's roots in Ramallah, Palestine and grandparents' home cooking, Rafidi spent many years in some of the country's best kitchens before he opened Albi in early 2020.
In February 2022, Rafidi was named a James Beard Semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, and a finalist in the same category in 2023. In May 2022, Albi was first awarded a coveted Michelin Star - a distinction it retained in 2023. In June 2024, Chef Rafidi was named Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation. Rafidi followed Albi with YELLOW, a cafe with flavors grounded in the flavors of Arabic cuisine featuring an inventive coffee program and classic viennoiserie technique. Originally opened as a popup during the Covid-19 pandemic, YELLOW has grown to two permanent locations - the first of which, a bustling location in the heart of the Georgetown neighborhood, merited a Bib Gourmand award in the 2023 Michelin Guide.
In 2024, Rafidi debuted a bar, bistro, and rooftop terrace called La’ Shukran in the emerging Union Market district. An alley entrance below an arched stained glass window leads guests above the newest location of YELLOW to a second floor dining room - a modern, Arabic reimagining of a Left-Bank watering hole, a retro-modern late-night restaurant transported from Al-Bireh to Washington, DC.
Rafidi was recognized as Eater DC's Chef of the Year in 2017. He was a 2018 finalist for Rising Star Chef and a 2022 finalist for Chef of the Year in the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington's RAMMY Awards.
Before making his mark on D.C.'s restaurant industry, Rafidi worked alongside Michael Mina as Executive Chef of the lauded French restaurant RN74 in San Francisco, and as the Mina Group's Corporate Chef. In this role, he supported the culinary management of the group's multinational properties and was pivotal in opening eight of those concepts. Having grown up in Maryland, Rafidi spent time at other respected East Coast restaurants, including Blue Duck Tavern in D.C. and Talula's Garden in Philadelphia.
