Chef Tom Cunanan, the chef at Bad Saint whose cooking has helped catapult the Columbia Heights restaurant into fame over the past five years, will be parting ways with the restaurant.
According to the announcement posted on Bad Saint’s Instagram, Cunanan will serve as the Creative Consultant for Bad Saint, while Sous Chefs Hannah Anderson and Andres Gutierrez continue to run the kitchen.
“We have tremendous gratitude to Chef Tom for all the passion, hard work, and deliciousness that he has shared with us,” the announcement says. “He’ll always be a part of our story and our restaurant family.”
Cunanan has been Bad Saint’s chef since its opening in 2015, and has helped earn the restaurant numerous accolades nationwide for its incredible Filipino food, including being named Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation in 2019 and landing the number two spot on Bon Appetit’s list of best new restaurants in America.
Cunanan immigrated from the Philippines to the United States at the age of three, and enrolled in culinary school after graduating high school. After graduation, he gained experience in kitchens across the District. His focus on Filipino food began in 2012 when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. During her battle with cancer, he worked with her to document the family recipes and to learn how to master them.
Though it initially closed at the start of the pandemic, Bad Saint reopened in mid-June and is now open for carryout. You can order food, groceries,
