202 Magazine sat down with Al Goldberg, the Founder & CEO of Mess Hall, DC’s first culinary incubator that has helped shepherd some of the biggest restaurants and food brands in DC over the last decade. We had the chance to chat through the early days of starting DC’s first incubator, their legendary 1-day only event: New Kitchens on the Block, and hear how the DC food scene has changed over the last decade.

202 Magazine sat down with Cagla Onal-Urel, the Head Chef and Founder of local DC restaurants Green Almond Pantry & My Little Chamomile. The interview covers everything from her start in the culinary industry, working with the DC restauranteur Peter Pastan as Head Chef of his highly lauded restaurant Etto, starting Green Almond Pantry at a farmers market, and why she opened My Little Chamomile.

Dad Strength is a low ABV brewing company born and bred in Washington D.C. Craig & Ryan, the two co-founders launched the business after realizing that they were looking for a great tasting beer with a lower ABV. They partnered with local brewery Atlas Brewing to develop and launch the company. Since starting, they have expanded around the DMV and are available at Wegman’s Whole Foods, Safeway, and Giant. We sat down with Craig, one of the co-founders to talk about their experience launching a business in DC, how they scaled, and get their thoughts on fundraising.

We interviewed Thea & Morgan, two of the co-founders and co-owners of Nido Wine & Market, a local wine shop and market in DC’s Mount Pleasant Neighborhood. Thea & Morgan shared more about how Nido got started, how they are managing through tariffs, and how they are making wine more accessible in the community.