Signature Programs

Hill Center is a singular gathering place that brings together a diverse group of prominent scholars, public figures, journalists, musicians, and master chefs for thoughtful public programming that is as enriching as it is entertaining.

Click on each program to view more details and browse current offerings!

American Roots Concert Series

American Roots Concert Series

Hill Center is proud to present a series of American Roots music with the help of the Quicksilver Productions Foundation. QSP works to make the world a more equitable place…

Benjamin Drummond Emancipation Day Celebration

Benjamin Drummond Emancipation Day Celebration

On April 16, 2015, Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital inaugurated its first annual Benjamin Drummond Emancipation Day Celebration. In commemorating the end of slavery in the nation’s capital,…

Cooking Classes & Tastings

Who’s cooking at Hill Center? Chefs with Michelin stars, James Beard Award nominees, RAMMY winners and more!
Amy Brandwein

Amy Brandwein

“I take Italian food and keep it in its raw state but elevate it presentation-wise without complicating it or losing flavor,” Brandwein explains. “There is something inherently captivating about Italian flavors with an artistic and…

Bonnie Benwick

Bonnie Benwick

Bonnie Benwick is a freelance editor, writer, recipe developer and food stylist. She worked for 39 years as a journalist, spending the majority of her career at “The Washington Post.”…

Chericia Easton

Chericia Easton

Born and raised in Washington DC, Chef Chericia Easton’s love for food comes from cooking Southern classics with her mother. Like a lot of chefs, her first experiences were at…

Danny Lee

Danny Lee

In 2006, Danny Lee and his mother, Yesoon, decided to open their own restaurant, one that played to their strengths and represented their culinary traditions and culture. They opened Mandu,…

Doron Petersan

Doron Petersan

Petersan’s Sticky Fingers Bakery (and now H Street’s Sticky Fingers Diner) has been a beloved DC institution for over twenty years. Doron is the author of Sticky Fingers’ Vegan Sweets, packed with 100 of…

Erik Bruner-Yang

Erik Bruner-Yang

Erik Bruner-Yang knows about community-building. And in arguably the worst moment for the restaurant industry, Erik did not focus on simply surviving the pandemic with his restaurants intact; he chose to…

Fiona Lewis

Fiona Lewis

Fiona Lewis is the founder and co-owner of three businesses in DC’s Union Market: The District Fishwife, On Toast, and Son of a Fish. Fiona was DC’s first female fishmonger. She is…

Gérard Pangaud

Gérard Pangaud

Chef Gérard Pangaud is best known in the DC area for his innovative, yet elegant French cuisine at his acclaimed restaurant, Gérard’s Place. The Washington Post restaurant critic Phyllis Richman wrote,…

James Shellhammer

James Shellhammer

Dr. James Shellhammer is a brewer and the QA/QC Scientist at DC Brau Brewing Company, DC’s first production brewery since 1956. James began homebrewing in 2013 during graduate school where he…

Jarrad Silver + Silver and Sons Barbecue

Jarrad Silver + Silver and Sons Barbecue

Silver and Sons Barbecue draws influences from Jarrad Silver’s Jewish heritage and long experience cooking with Mediterranean flavors for a unique take on traditional American barbecue. Beef, lamb and chicken…

Marianne Tshihamba - Hill Center

Marianne Tshihamba

Marianne Tshihamba has traveled the world pursing new flavors and demystifying unfamiliar ingredients. Here in the Washington area, she has scouted the countless international grocery stores that stock their shelves…

Mark Haskell

Mark Haskell

Chef Mark Haskell’s career has taken him to kitchens in Europe, Asia, South America and the US. A native of the South Carolina Lowcountry, he has an affection for Southern…

Michael Scaffidi

Michael Scaffidi

Michael Scaffidi is an Advanced Sommelier who has had a long career as a Sommelier and Wine Director. He has has worked with many prestigious teams including those of The…

Scott Drewno

Scott Drewno

Chef Drewno joined the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group in 1998. At Chinois, he learned to meld French cooking techniques with vibrant Asian flavors, and at Spago, he came to…

Susan Barocas

Susan Barocas

Susan Barocas is passionate about family, friends, food and film. She helped launch the Jewish Food Experience® as its first project director following several years as director of the Washington…

Varu Chilakamarri

Varu Chilakamarri

Varu Chilakamarri is a second-generation Indian American who learned to cook traditional South Indian cuisine from her mother.  Varu is a writer and attorney who loves creating easy recipes that are…

Wendi James

Wendi James

Wendi James received a Cuisine and Pastry Diplome from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in 1997 and has completed advanced courses in chocolate and sugar from The French Pastry in…

French Language Courses with Liliane Weinrob

French Language Courses with Liliane Weinrob

Liliane Weinrob is a native French speaker who moved to Washington, DC in the early 1980s from Paris, France. Due to her French roots, she has enjoyed teaching French culture…

Global Sounds on the Hill

Global Sounds on the Hill

This series of singular concerts, curated and hosted by Jim Thomson, features musicians at the forefront of the global music scene. Jim Thomson owns and operates the Brooklyn/Washington, DC-based boutique…

House Concerts at Hill Center

House Concerts at Hill Center

House Concerts at Hill Center (HC@HC) is a new concert series premiering in 2023 that features diverse and local DMV singer-songwriters. HC@HC aims to create a cozy, mellow, intimate setting…

Local Makers Workshop Series

Local Makers Workshop Series

Join us for our new series focused on local businesses, makers, and creators! These are all one-off workshops that explore different crafts, hobbies, cuisine, fashion, and more. What do they…

Pottery on the Hill

Pottery on the Hill

FREE SHOW AND SALE – NOVEMBER 11-13, 2022 Pottery on the Hill returns finally back in person for 2022 for the first time in 2 years! This year, we welcome three…

Spanish Language Courses with Go Spanish Now

Spanish Language Courses with Go Spanish Now

Enrique Soros, director of Go Spanish Now, is a native Spanish speaker from Argentina. One of his secrets as a teacher and educator is not to consider his institution as…

Studio Arts Courses with Christine Vineyard

Studio Arts Courses with Christine Vineyard

Christine Vineyard is a local DC artist and art teacher, working with all mediums and a concentration in photography, drawing and painting. She has her BFA in Art Education and…

Talk of the Hill with Bill Press

Talk of the Hill with Bill Press

Since 2012, Bill Press has proudly hosted Hill Center’s Talk of the Hill series, in which he sits down for one-on-one, thought-provoking conversations with newsmakers. Hill Center is honored by his…

Writing Workshops with Michelle Lafrance

Writing Workshops with Michelle Lafrance

Hill Center is thrilled to host Dr. LaFrance for writing workshops year-round. Some of Dr. LaFrance’s workshops have focused on storytelling, autobiographical writing, nonfiction, and more! Michelle LaFrance (Ph.D., University…

Back To Top

    SIGN UP TO STAY IN TOUCH!

    Sign up to get interesting news and updates delivered to your inbox based on your interest in Hill Center programming.

    By submitting this form, you are granting: Old Naval Hospital Foundation - Hill Center, http://www.HillCenterDC.org, Washington, District of Columbia, 20003, United States, http://www.hillcenterdc.org permission to email you.

    dialog