Biography of Jeffrey and Sallie Buben

Vidalia has garnered both local and national recognition with its provincial American cooking delivered with Southern hospitality. Vidalia was acknowledged by Bon Appetite as one of the "Best New Restaurants of 1993", and has consistently been recognized by the Washington Post’s Phyllis Richman as one of her fifty favorites in the national capital area. Since 1994, Vidalia has been yearly awarded "four stars" by Washingtonian Magazine’s food critic Robert Shoffner and has been a multiple recipient of the prestigious DiRona award by the Distinguished Restaurants of North America. The restaurant’s wine program has received the "Award of Excellence" from Wine Spectator Magazine and was mentioned by Robert M. Parker Jr. of The Wine Advocate as one of his "Best of 1997" memorable experiences.

Spring of 1998 heralded the arrival of the Buben’s second restaurant Bis. Located at the Hotel George on Capital Hill, Bis features creative contemporary French bistro cooking. The menu at Bis reflects Jeffrey’s interpretation of the classic French bistro fare he and Sallie enjoyed in Paris and Lyons.

 It was nominated for "Best New Restaurant" by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and since its opening in 1998 Bis has also been consistently recognized by the Washington Post’s Phyllis Richman as one of her fifty favorites in the national capital area.

Jeffrey Buben is a 1978 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. With over 20 years in the industry, he has worked in such notable restaurants as The Sign of the Dove, LeCygne and Le Chantilly in New York and several distinguished hotels as The Four Seasons, The Mayflower and Hotel Pierre. Voted "Chef of the Year" by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, Buben is also the winner of the distinguished James Beard Foundation Award for Mid-Atlantic Best Chef 1999. Throughout the years, Jeffrey has worked hard to contribute to organizations dedicated to hunger relief, Aids and homelessness, such as the Share Our Strength Chef’s Alliance, Food and Friends and Christmas for the Homeless.

Sallie Buben earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has experience in software consulting, personal recruitment and teaching before she joined her husband in the restaurant business. Sallie manages the daily accounting functions for Vidalia and Bis as well as public relations and promotions. Mrs. Buben is a member of the Board of Directors for the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and contributes to various charitable organizations in the Washington area.

The Buben’s live in Virginia with their three children, Sarah, Alex and Mac, two dogs and two cats.