Behind The Counter: Chef Russell Blue Smith Alfreda

Chef Russell Blue Smith and TheListAreYouOnIt.com go back a long long ways. He has built a noteworthy career in the culinary industry. He spent several years honing his craft at the Black Restaurant Group before joining the Wolfgang Puck family of restaurants in 2009 — when we first met! In 2017, he was appointed executive chef of The Source solidifying his reputation as a leader in the DC culinary scene.

Throughout his career, Chef Russell has been driven by an unwavering dedication to quality ingredients and a meticulous attention to detail which comes through in his passion for pizza making and comfort food. Which brings us to Chef Russell’s latest adventure, Alfreda, located in Dupont Circle.  Alfreda presents an innovative twist on the classic pizza by crafting the crusts with sourdough. Chef Russell brings his experience to the forefront, focusing on high-quality, seasonal ingredients and a menu designed to engage diners.

We’re so excited to feature Chef Russel in this issues Behind The Counter. We really wanted to know — Why pizza? Why now? And tell us more about that sourdough dough!

What inspires your approach to crafting pizza, and how do you decide on the flavors and ingredients?
My approach to crafting pizza is all about "simplicity and freshness." I see pizza as the perfect canvas to highlight local ingredients at their peak, and I love how it can change with the seasons. One week it might feature fresh summer tomatoes, and the next it could showcase hearty fall squash. There’s something really special about taking a few high-quality ingredients and letting them shine. And of course, nothing beats a hot pie fresh out of the oven, where every ingredient speaks for itself.

Can you walk us through your dough-making process? What makes your dough unique, and how do you achieve the ideal texture?  
Making our dough is a 48-hour process that I’ve really come to love. It all starts with feeding our sourdough starter on the morning of day one. Once the leaven is ready, we mix the dough and let it go through a slow, cold fermentation in the walk-in overnight. The next morning, we portion the dough into individual pizza balls and allow them to proof for another night. By lunch on the third day, the dough is ready to use. What makes our dough special is the higher hydration—we add a bit more water, which allows the pizza to bake longer and develop a crispy crust while staying soft and chewy inside. That slow fermentation also adds incredible texture and flavor to the dough.

Do you have a preference for a specific type of flour or any unique techniques when making your pizza dough?  
I prefer using a domestic, organic type '00' flour. It’s important to me that the flour is organic and sourced as close to home as possible. The '00' flour has a finer grind and lower protein content, which helps create that soft, chewy texture we aim for. I like how it balances tenderness with elasticity, giving us a dough that’s light yet sturdy enough to hold up to our toppings.

How do you approach the sauce in your pizzas? Is there a specific technique or ingredient that sets it apart?  
For the sauce, I keep things as simple as possible. I find the best-tasting tomatoes, pass them through a food mill, and add just a pinch of salt. That’s it. By keeping it minimal, the natural flavor of the tomato really shines through. I believe that the less you mess with the tomato, the better it tastes, and that clean, fresh flavor complements the rest of the pizza perfectly.

Are there any specific regional or international pizza styles that influence your creations, or do you focus on developing your own signature style?  
I’m definitely inspired by pizza styles from all over the world. There’s so much to appreciate, from traditional Neapolitan to New York-style pies. But when it comes to what we do at Alfreda, we’ve found a balance between catering to the American palate while taking an Italian approach to ingredients. It’s all about keeping things fresh, seasonal, and simple, but still creating something that feels unique and familiar to our guests. It’s a blend of influences that lets us put our own spin on it while staying true to those roots.