James Alefantis
James Alefantis is an American chef, restaurateur, gallerist, entrepreneur, and Tony Award-winning Broadway producer.[1][2] He founded and owns four restaurants in Washington, D.C.: Comet Ping Pong, Buck's Fishing & Camping, Muchas Gracias, and Honeys & Friends. He is the Board President Emeritus of Transformer, an art gallery in Logan Circle, Washington, D.C. In 2012, GQ named him as being one of the 50 most powerful people in Washington, D.C.[3][4]
Career
[edit]Alefantis grew up in and resides in Washington, D.C.[5] He founded a contemporary art gallery called Strand on Volta, located in Georgetown.[6] He founded Buck's Fishing & Camping in October 2003 with Carole Greenwood as the first chef.[7] In 2006, he opened Comet Ping Pong, which also operates as a live music venue.[8] In April 2020, Alefantis opened Muchas Gracias, a latin restaurant in Washington, D.C.[9] In 2025, he opened Honeys & Friends, an ice cream and wine shop in Washington, D.C. that also serves as a private events space.[10][11]
Personal life
[edit]Alefantis is openly gay. He formerly dated David Brock, the CEO of Media Matters for America.[12]
Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory
[edit]In 2016, Comet Ping Pong and Alefantis became mired in an online conspiracy theory known as Pizzagate.[13][14] Alefantis penned a Washington Post op-ed in 2017 thanking his community for their support.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ "James Alefantis (Producer)". Playbill. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
- ↑ "James Achilles – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
- ↑ Kang, Cecilia (November 22, 2016). "Fake News Onslaught Targets Pizzeria as Nest of Child-Trafficking". The New York Times (published November 21, 2016).
- ↑ Cherlin, Reid (January 17, 2012). "The 50 Most Powerful People in Washington". GQ.
- ↑ Rule, Doug (April 16, 2015). "James Alefantis: From Scratch". Metro Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
- ↑ O'Sullivan, Michael (October 10, 2003). "Strand on Volta Cuts In To Some Meaty Issues". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Carman, Tim (October 16, 2009). "Carole Greenwood's Empire, Minus Carole Greenwood". Washington City Paper.
- ↑ Sietsema, Tom (July 8, 2007). "Game for Pizza". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Plumb, Tierney (April 10, 2020). "A New Latin Pop-Up in Upper Northwest Sells Takeout Tacos and Masa Ball Soup". Eater DC. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ↑ Petworth, Prince Of (May 14, 2025). "Hello Honeys + Friends Ice Cream Bar AND Wine!! - PoPville". Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Hagedorn, David (September 12, 2025). "From Bethesda Magazine: Honeys & Friends pairs ice cream and wine". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Winter, Jana (February 27, 2012). "Media Matters boss paid former partner $850G 'blackmail' settlement". Fox News.
- ↑ Aisch, Gregor; Huang, Jon; Kang, Cecilia (December 10, 2016). "Dissecting the #PizzaGate Conspiracy Theories". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Gillin, Joshua (December 5, 2016). "How Pizzagate went from fake news to a real problem". Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ Alefantis, James (April 20, 2017). "Opinion | What happened when 'Pizzagate' came to my restaurant". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 9, 2026.