After decades in Club kitchen, Moe Aguilera takes charge

Moe Aguilera has been a fixture in the National Press Club kitchen for nearly 30 years. Now he’s in charge after being appointed executive chef last month following the retirement of Susan Delbert.

“I have worked at every culinary position possible for the NPC since I began in 1994,” Aguilera said. “Before executive chef, I served as executive sous chef for the Fourth Estate restaurant for 13 years.”

He said he is excited to bring his experience to the new era of top-of-the-line Club cooking. He will emphasize more Italian cuisine with a fun spin.

Originally from El Salvador, he said his ethnic background and creative heritage contribute to his culinary style and technique. His first special dinner was a March 1 tapas buffet that launched the re-opening of Wednesday night dinner service at the Reliable Source.

 “I love to cook,” he said. “I love when people see with their eyes all of the great things that I have prepared and say ‘Oh, wow!’”

Although the Fourth Estate dining room has been closed since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, its kitchen remains open and prepares meals for Reliable Source guests as well as Club luncheons and other events and programs.

One of Aguilera’s indelible Club memories was comparing notes on cooking with Anthony Bourdain when the late celebrity chef visited.

“I got to work with him and help create the menu around his event,” Aguilera said. “That was probably my favorite experience.”

He now leads the Club’s team of 17 cooks, 13 dish washers and two sous chefs. He takes over from Delbert, who retired on Feb. 1 after more than 13 years as the Club’s executive chef.

“I enjoyed working alongside Susan, who became a very good friend and who will definitely be missed,” Aguilera said.

One of Delbert’s legacies is the creation of a Club staple, the speaker-themed sugar cookies served at each luncheon and other major Club events.

“One year [musician] James Taylor joined us at the National Press Club, and I love James Taylor, so I decided to put together these fire-and-rain-style cupcakes,” Delbert said. “Then one year, my team and I put together these Alice-in-Wonderland-themed sugar cookies that were fantastic and really started our regularly theme sugar cookies. My theory is that cooks cook and chefs solve problems. My job was always to figure out what we were going to do next.”

Delbert began her career as an assistant district attorney and assistant state attorney general in Alaska before going on to work as a tax attorney and a partner at a Washington law firm. She got turned on to the food world while taking shifts as maître d’ at Clyde’s in Chevy Chase, Maryland, to earn extra money in the evenings. 

“I loved being a lawyer, but not the internal politics of a law firm,” said Delbert, a former sous chef at the Old Ebbitt Grill. “I started working part-time at Clyde’s and loved it. I backed out of my law firm, looked at a bunch of culinary schools, turned a corner and changed careers. I have now been a chef, longer than I’ve been a lawyer.”

Delbert plans to write a cookbook filled with 100 simple recipes that people can depend on—much like the Club.

“The National Press Club is a magical place and anybody that comes here is going to learn something new. They take the subject of journalism seriously, but not themselves too seriously,” Delbert said. “You only have one life to live, and I wouldn’t change a thing about working here.”