Saturday mornings you’ll find Jonathan Bardzik turning an empty square of concrete at Eastern Market into a demo station where he has been empowering DC home cooks since 2011. From 10am-1pm, Jonathan runs twice through five new recipes dictated by the season and what’s available at the market. We joined him at his Eckington home Tuesday to see his recipe-testing process that doubles as a photo shoot for his second cookbook, Seasons to Taste, due out November 2015. He utilizes social media to solicit ideas from friends during these Tuesday test kitchens. “Love [garlic] scapes! I think it needs more veg, red pepper perhaps,” writes one fan on Facebook.

With only a class or two of professional training under his belt, Jonathan is largely a passionate home cook with a booming personality who has invested his heart and soul into combining flavors successfully; learning as he goes, he tells cooking stories that make visitors feel like fast friends.Watching him work is deeply human because he edits himself along the way and isn’t afraid of failure. “Having to order takeout is the worst thing that can happen,” he reminds us. Jonathan, who labels himself a “culinary entertainer,” also does demos at USDA and has appeared at FRESHFARMS Markets and National Geographic. We snapped a stir-fry utilizing beef from Eastern Market’s Canales Quality Meats and fresh garlic scapes. More pictures.