PassionFish Restaurant

Christopher Clime followed his destiny

When you’ve mastered Caesar Salad by the age of nine, where else is there to go but into a culinary career? Christopher Clime followed his destiny, and he now finds himself perched at the top of one of the most anticipated new restaurants in the metropolitan Washington DC area. As Executive Chef at PassionFish, the newest sister restaurant of the popular DC Coast, TenPenh, Ceiba, and Acadiana restaurants in Washington, Clime brings his version globally-inspired seafood to the suburbs of the nation’s capital, which he calls home. And make no mistake: home is an important word to Christopher Clime.

Clime had a colorful childhood in northern Virginia and in Puerto Rico, where his father was Commanding Officer at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. No matter where they lived, the Climes were always entertaining – their guests often high-ranking dignitaries – and for the Clime family, entertaining was always a family affair. Graduating at 17, Clime headed straight for Providence, Rhode Island, and Johnson & Wales University.

Following his New England training, post-graduation opportunities were waiting for Clime in Charleston, South Carolina, at the very exclusive five-diamond Woodlands Resort. There, he served as chef de partie, a job Clime describes as “basically, a jack-of-all-trades.”

His six years in Charleston gave him a solid grounding in the techniques, traditions, and flavors of southern cooking. It also brought him to the attention of a major corporation that brings him to Augusta, Georgia as a private chef for its executives and guests at The Masters Golf Tournament, an opportunity he still looks forward to every year, serving lavish banquets often based on Low Country cuisine.

But while things were going well and he was receiving rave reviews in Charleston, Christopher Clime’s future suddenly had to be put on hold; his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and had him return immediately home to Virgina. Needing a distraction at one point, he brought his application to Jeff Tunks at DC Coast, and was immediately hired as a tournant (“basically, another jack-of-all-trades position, a kind of substitute Sous Chef”), which suited Clime’s schedule well. After a year of constant dedication to his mother’s care, Clime was ready to take on more responsibility.

Clime forged ahead at DC Coast and then at TenPenh, which provided a creative outlet for this young man during a trying time in his life. All the while, Tunks and his team were already planning the third jewel in their crown, and Clime was the logical candidate for Chef de Cuisine. Clime’s youth in Puerto Rico had imbued him with an inherent sense of Latin cuisine. Two years later, Tunks and his partners were set to open Acadiana, a fourth restaurant that would draw its inspiration from the rich culinary tradition of southern Louisiana. Tunks knew just what he was looking for in a Chef de Cuisine, and again tapped Clime. Acadiana was named one of the “Best New Restaurants 2006” by Esquire magazine, and Washingtonian deemed Acadiana one of the city’s “100 Very Best Restaurants” in January 2007. In November 2006, Clime was named one of Washington’s Top Ten Hottest Chefs by DC Style magazine.

With the opening of PassionFish in 2008, Clime crossed the Potomac for his role as Executive Chef at the new restaurant in Reston, Virginia. There, Clime is diving into the restaurant’s menu of fresh seafood with distinctive flavors, prepared simply and elegantly. And, to quote Clime, “it is as fresh as fresh gets. We are a market-to-table restaurant, bringing in and preparing immediately what is fresh and in season.” Clime enjoys working with the variety of shellfish and fish that comes into the kitchen at PassionFish fresh off the boat – nothing on the menu has been frozen. He explains, “We are changing the menu weekly, or daily, in some cases to incorporate fresh fish, oysters, and more.” And working in the kitchen at each of the sister restaurants has given him a background in international cuisines, informing the global influences you’ll find on the menu at PassionFish.