J.Paul’s Names Jack Evans, Paul Cohn Inaugural Icons of Georgetown

The inaugural Icon of Georgetown Awards presentation filled the back dining room of J.Paul’s restaurant March 11 with well-wishers for two Georgetowners who have served the town for more than 20 years.

Ward 2 council member since 1991, awardee Jack Evans was among old friends and his three 18-year-old children, Christine, John and Katherine. Evans noted that his political life began upstairs at J.Paul’s with the likes of Max Berry, Richard Levy, Bill Jarvis and Paul Cohn. He won his first council race by 320 votes. The longest-serving council member also recalled his first stay in Georgetown at 35th and N Streets in the summer of 1975.

Awardee Paul Cohn, who founded J.Paul’s in 1983 and began many other restaurants, such as Paulo’s, Old Glory, Georgia Brown’s, Georgetown Seafood Grille and the River Club, was introduced by Greg Casten of Tony and Joe’s Seafood Place. Cohn’s latest effort is Boss Shepherd’s on 13th Street in downtown D.C. “The biggest thing about Paul is that no one has anything bad to say about him. As a friend, he is always there,” said Casten.

The awards party benefitted Georgetown Heritage – a nonprofit coordinated by the Georgetown Business Improvement District – which seeks to restore and revitalize the mile-long section of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, including the purchase of a new canal boat and the replacement of locks. The long-term, large-scale efforts call for donations that will likely exceed $25 million.

Host Tom Gregg, the new CEO of Capital Restaurant Concepts, which owns J.Paul’s, Old Glory, Paulo’s and other eateries in the D.C. area, presented the awards to Evans and Cohn.

Gregg said that the C&O Canal is one of Georgetown’s treasures. Among the many other C&O Canal plans, Georgetown BID CEO Joe Sternlieb said that, if all goes according to plan, the canal barge, The Georgetown, will be available for rent on Saturdays for group dinners or parties.