With the rapid success of Chef Rich Rosendale's Roots 657 market and cafe in Lucketts over the past two and a half years, the certified master chef has decided to expand the operation in his hometown of Leesburg.

The new venture, known as RC Culinary Lab, will include Rosendale and his business partner Muriel Sarmadi building a state-of-the-art kitchen on Lawson Road in Leesburg.

Rosendale is one of only 72 certified master chefs in the country, has received more than 50 national and international awards and has competed in the most prestigious culinary competition in the world: the Bocuse d'Or. Prior to arriving in Leesburg, he was executive chef at The Greenbrier, where he oversaw a total of 18 kitchens.

The new culinary lab is expected to open this spring and will serve to further develop Roots' menu, offer cooking classes, special events and catering services and assist local food vendors with accelerating their products to the marketplace.

Rosendale told the Times-Mirror he is hoping the new space will help them operate “a little more efficiently.”

“We quickly outgrew the space at Roots. In addition, my day-to-day goal is to cut back on international travel and have this serve as home base. We want this to be a global destination, but [also] something people can point to locally and regionally,” he said.

The culinary lab is essentially Rosendale's “dream kitchen.” He has partnered with top-tier companies such as Miele, Arteflame and Pacojet to install high-tech equipment.

There are six cooking stations, a baking area and two large walk-in coolers. The dishwasher has bluetooth in the racks to calibrate the soap. There is a vacuum sealing drawer for sous vide and Combi ovens that can steam, roast, bake and cook in the sous vide method.

In an effort to assist small, locally owned businesses, Rosendale said he would like to partner with nearby food artisans and farms.

“We will make it for you, jar it and sell it at Roots, online and at our local farm partner, Willowsford Farm. It is our goal to strengthen local relationships, which can help get products to retail without having the overhead,” he said.

Roots' partnership with Willowsford south of Leesburg allows Rosendale to buy local produce for pies, condiments, soups, sauces and salads that they sell at Roots.

“It makes a lot of sense when you think about the ability to use local produce,” he said.

The chef also hopes to build more relationships with Loudoun's wineries, adding to the network he has established with Roots' neighbors in Lucketts.

Roots has also partnered with Loudoun County Public Schools to teach cooking classes, and they hope to expand on that opportunity.

“Over the years my paradigm has shifted. It is important to teach kids early and have an appreciation for why you buy local, what is organic, what are you eating and where does it come from,” Rosendale said.

Sarmadi said she hopes the on-site dinners they plan to host will allow Rosendale to showcase his range of talents and skills.

“Roots is currently a narrow scope of what we can do -- it is more for families and kids. Rich has three young children, and that was where they wanted to start, but he can expand on that,” Sarmadi said.

Rosendale's vision seems endless. He also recently launched Rosendale Events in Atlanta at Southern Exchange Ballrooms. The company will serve as the in-house catering service for the 110,000-square-foot event space, with Rosendale's good friend, Chef Steven Halliday, serving as executive chef.

“Cooking, product development and the learning process in the kitchen is contagious. It's about the experience and the product. Everybody likes good food. I'm so grateful the community has embraced us,” Rosendale said.