A native of Sunderland, MD, Anthony Jones has returned home to helm the kitchen of Dirty Habit DC as Executive Chef. Jones discovered his passion for cooking at a young age, inspired to pursue a culinary career after falling in love with episodes of the original Iron Chef; little did he know that he would one day find himself on the other side of the screen. In 2022, Jones brought home first place on an episode of Food Network’s Chopped, joining the ranks of fellow top toques as a Chopped Champion. Jones is no stranger to working among some of the best in the culinary landscape – most recently, he worked as Marcus Samuelsson’s right-hand man as Executive Sous Chef at Red Rooster Overton in Miami, which was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2019. Prior to his Florida move, Jones worked at several DMV-area restaurants, including BLT Steak, Birch & Barley and The Sovereign. Jones attended Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, NC, where he received his associate degree in applied science culinary arts. Along with his Chopped victory and Michelin accolade, Jones was also honored as a guest chef at the Worlds of Flavor Event in Napa Valley in 2022 and was a participating chef in the Diaspora Kitchen Tour in Cameroon, Africa, in 2023 alongside other acclaimed Black chefs such as Chef Mashama Bailey and Chef BJ Dennis. When Jones is not crafting his latest dish at Dirty Habit, he enjoys outdoor activities and cooking with his partner, Max. Along with their friends, they channel their competitive sides over frequent card games and video games.

A NoVa native, Aniceto “JR” Rena brings more than 15 years of hospitality experience to his role as beverage manager at Dirty Habit. Rena got his start in the industry as a host, but he quickly fell in love with the system. He worked his way up from host to server and eventually made his way behind the bar. After finishing college, Rena continued to pursue his passion for the hospitality industry, securing positions at various notable F&B outlets, like Jose Andres’ Jaleo, a recipient of Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand Award. Later he joined the Mexican Hospitality team and moved to New York to start working in Cosme Kitchen and Bar. It was here where he began to refine his knowledge of Mexican flavors and culinary traditions. During his time with Mexican Hospitality, he also spent time in Mexico City at the famous Pujol, which consistently ranks in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, as well as the agave-centric restaurant and bar Ticuchi, working alongside mentor and role model Yana Volfson. Rena was also on the opening team of Eat Good Food Group’s Kaliwa in DC in 2017, which earned a Bib Gourmand Award that same year. Most recently, Rena was beverage director at Foreign National concept development group in DC, where he developed menus and led the management teams across all their restaurants. Now at Dirty Habit, Rena applies his love and knowledge of high-quality ingredients and international flavors to create unique, well-balanced drink offerings that align with the unapologetic, unpredictable, and unpretentious nature of the restaurant. As a minimalist, his approach to Dirty Habit’s bar program is to step outside of the box and create a fun, relatable and modern cocktail list. Having some background in the kitchen, he prioritizes seasonality and prepares everything from scratch. When he’s not behind the bar, you can find Rena hiking in nature, taking a trip to a remote destination or sipping on some mezcal.