“DC is one of our favorite spots, that’s why we’ve done three dinners in the past year — that doesn’t happen anywhere else,” Celebrity Chef Tour Director Jeff Black tells us as he greets a packed house at Del Campo. The James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef Tour was back in town Wednesday with an all-star cast of kitchen characters from DC and around the globe, including Proof’s Haidar Karoum, The Source’s Scott Drewno, Tico’s Michael Schlow and Bryan Voltaggio Restaurants’ Chris Ford. We snapped the chefs before they began serving a five-course meal. The only noticeable omission was the presence of a female.

An East meets South theme brought Asian and Latin flavors together at the meal, which turned out to be a real belly grabber because of the massive main attraction: an asado trio from host chef Victor Albisu and his longtime friend, Antonio Soriano. Antonio flew in from Buenos Aires, where he has Astor Bistro. The olive-smoked rack of lamb with tapenade, roasted garlic, and goat milk dulce de leche was particularly memorable. Other notable out-of-towners included Anthony Lamas of Seviche (Louisville, KY) and Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa (Boston) and Toro (New York and Boston).