Mayor
“My mornings get off to a pretty busy start, so I’m normally eating on the run. When I plan it right, I really enjoy fresh fruit and a chai latte. But when I’m on the run, I reach for a chocolate croissant.”
Deshauna Barber
Miss USA
“I usually eat three slices of French toast, three scrambled eggs, a banana, and a glass of orange juice.”
Cohost of NPR’s Morning Edition
“It’s kind of pathetic, but I arrive at work at 3:30 am looking forward to a mug omelet—liquid egg whites from a carton with shredded cheese, nuked in the microwave. It’s melty goodness. And a few ginger chews before heading into the studio.”
NBC4 Anchor
“Can I get some scrambled eggs with my hot sauce? I love to douse the plate to the point where my eyes water just smelling it. I drink coffee from the moment I wake up until bedtime—always black and with a straw. Six cups is an average day.”
CBS News political director and Face the Nation host
“A bagel with salmon and cream cheese or a sausage-egg-and-cheese. New entrant in the routine is avocado toast.”
Erik Wemple
Washington Post Media Writer
“My principle is that breakfast—as well as lunch—is no time for anything that tastes good. It’s a time to shovel fuel into the highly inefficient human body. I go with Greek yogurt with walnuts and perhaps some fruit, if it’s around. Maybe oatmeal, no sugar. Bagel once a week.”
Editor of Politico
“Depends almost entirely on my four-year-old daughter’s wake up call. If she allows me extra rest in the morning, I’ll feel ambitious enough to make eggs and ham. If not, I can’t muster energy for anything more than toast with strawberry jam and a little peanut butter.Being surrounded by some lovely Brits in Brussels for the past 18 months, I developed a love of tea, which has replaced my usual third cup of coffee in the afternoon.”
Owner of Khepra’s Raw Food Juice Bar
“Coconut water! Breakfast is breaking your overnight fast, and the worst way to do that is with starchy foods and caffeinated beverages. Even options like protein smoothies are overrated, as our digestive systems are not yet ready to break down and assimilate protein until lunchtime.”
President of PETA
“Being English, I like beans on toast for breakfast, with some salsa added for a kick. Or if I’m dining on the road, I’ll ask for grilled tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and onions with an English muffin and some all-American hash browns.”
Lawyer and former Solicitor General
“I pass on breakfast and still manage to avoid wasting away. One medium latte to fuel up when I get to work.”
Katie Ledecky
Olympic Gold Medalist
“Following my morning swim practice, one of my favorite breakfasts is a cheese-bacon-and-tomato omelet from Ize’s in Rockville, along with a plain bagel with butter and some hash browns. For a beverage, I have chocolate milk.”
Restaurateur (owner of Rasika, the Oval Room, Bindaas, and others)
“I enjoy carrot juice, some nuts—almonds, walnuts—and a piece of fresh fruit for my breakfast every morning. On a typical day I drink two coffees and one espresso or macchiato.”
CEO and founder of Framebridge
“Coffee at home and something quick on my walk to work through Georgetown, which ranges from a green juice or pain au chocolat from Le Pain Quotidien to a KIND bar from 7-11. Weekends, I love an egg and cheese biscuit at Dog Tag Bakery or the lemon pancakes at Leopold’s Kafe.”
This article appears in our October 2016 issue of Washingtonian.
