Gerald Addison

A DC-native, Bammy’s co-owner and co-executive chef, Gerald Addison, is passionate about creating a more diverse dining culture in DC and is proud to be a part of the city’s culinary growth. Prior to Bammy’s, Gerald served as co-owner and co-executive chef of DC’s award-winning sister restaurants Compass Rose and Maydan, where he worked alongside Chris Morgan. Collaborating as co-executive chefs for the first time, Gerald and Chris opened Maydan in November, 2017. Over the course of the next three years with them at the helm, Maydan was awarded a Michelin Star, named a James Beard Semifinalist, and received critical acclaim from local, regional, and national press including being named “No. 2 Best New Restaurant in America” by Bon Appetit, a “Top 10 Best New Restaurant” by Food & Wine, a “Best New Restaurant in America” by G.Q., one of Eater’s “18 Best New Restaurants in America”, etc. Gerald loves to travel and explore new cultures and foodways. His main goal is to use hospitality to teach people about a region they might not be familiar with and to tell the story of its people through the food and experiences they create in the restaurant.

Chris Morgan

A native of Northern Virginia, Bammy’s co-owner and co-executive chef, Chris Morgan, has traveled across the world, but always knew he wanted to return to the DC to open his first restaurant. Prior to Bammy’s, Chris, alongside Gerald Addison, served as co-owner and co-executive chef of DC’s award-winning sister restaurants Compass Rose and Maydan. Collaborating as co-executive chefs for the first time, Chris and Gerald opened Maydan in November, 2017. Over the course of the next three years with them at the helm, Maydan was awarded a Michelin Star, named a James Beard Semifinalist, and received critical acclaim from local, regional, and national press including being named “No. 2 Best New Restaurant in America” by Bon Appetit, a “Top 10 Best New Restaurant” by Food & Wine, a “Best New Restaurant in America” by G.Q., one of Eater’s “18 Best New Restaurants in America”, etc.

Chris began his cooking career in San Francisco, where he worked at Zuni cafe under the late Judy Rogers. He then helped open Company with his mentor, Karen Hoffman, starting as a lead line cook and working his way up to sous chef. From there, he went to work for Chef Melissa Perfit at Hard Water, part of the Slanted Door Restaurant Group before returning to DC. After moving back to the nation’s Capital, Chris served as executive sous chef at The Partisan alongside Chef Ed Witt. Following his time at The Partisan, Chris served as sous chef at The Dabney, working under the tutelage of award-winning chef, Jeremiah Langhorne. Next, he worked under Chef Nathan Anda as a chef for the Red Apron Group, helping him manage all of his properties and work on food research and menu development before becoming Co-Executive Chef at Compass Rose and Maydan in June 2017. 

Chef Peter Prime

Michelin-Starred and James Beard nominated Chefs Chris Morgan and Gerald Addison are thrilled to announce the latest news- they’ve joined forces with award-winning and JBF nominated Chef Peter Prime; who will now be a Partner and the Executive Chef at Southeast Waterfront Caribbean hotspot, Bammy’s. 

A native of Trinidad and a graduate of NYC’s esteemed French Culinary Institute L’Ecole, Chef Prime earned accolades both locally and nationally for his work at critically-acclaimed Cane where he was the Chef/Partner. He also honed his craft at several noted restaurants like Michel Richard’s Citronelle, much-loved Spark, Equinox, and the River Room in NYC. 

He is excited to share the Caribbean’s extensive culinary history, ingredients and cooking techniques as well as from his beloved home country of Trinidad- the menu at the restaurant will be Pan-Caribbean, though a few core Bammy’s dishes will remain. 

Due to the pandemic and before, Chef Prime’s mission in service to both guests and his staff is to change the narrative on how FOH and BOH teams are treated both financially and mentally. It is important to him that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, saying, “Labor is one of the most important things in our industry- I want to take care of people. The pandemic changed my outlook on quality of life; and those in charge need to aggressively alter the way we hire and treat people.”

Nico Leslie

A native-born Jamaican, Nico first discovered his love of cooking as a young child, learning from his mother in their home kitchen. Years later, he decided to pursue his passion professionally, taking a job at the Royal Decameron Montego Beach resort in Montego Bay. Eager to continue learning and progressing in his career, Nico came to the United States in 2014, taking a job with the Rappahannock Oyster Company where he worked his way through the restaurant and into the kitchen. Following his time with the Rappahannock Oyster Company, Nico joined the Neighborhood Restaurant Group in 2015, where he first met, and worked for, Bammy’s Executive Chef, Chris Morgan. The two quickly became friends, bonding over their shared love for Jamaican food and culture and half joked about opening a Caribbean restaurant together one day. Now that their dream has become a reality, Nico is thrilled to showcase the unique flavors and ingredients of the Jamaican food he grew up cooking. He hopes the food brings as much joy to each of you as it does to him. 

Austin Young

Hailing from Costa Rica and Ohio, Austin has spent the last 11 years living in Washington, D.C., the entirety of which he has spent working in the restaurant industry in a variety of different capacities. His diverse career experience includes starting the Dangerously Delicious Pie truck, bartending on H Street, undertaking more volume-based work at the legendary Eighteenth Street Lounge, and serving as General Manager for DC’s award-winning restaurant, Compass Rose. It was there that he met, and became close friends with, Bammy’s Co-Executive Chefs, Gerald Addison and Chris Morgan. Following the success of Compass Rose, Austin moved to Michelin-Starred Maydan, where he brought a varied skill set to the team. Austin’s drive is fueled by his passion to continue to find new ways to create a fun, unique dining experience while always maintaining the highest level of service for his customers -  from start to finish.