Before I tell you about Brian Lavin and Sam White, I have a question. Did you ever go to Gnocco in Highlandtown during their three-year run a few years back? If you did, you probably remember being wowed by the food and drinks and the warm, intimate feel. I was very sad when it closed, so when I heard that owners Brian Lavin and Sam White were opening up a new spot, Costiera, I was ridiculously excited. I knew it would be good. And it is – very, very good. 

Situated on a southeast corner along Central Avenue on the edge of Little Italy, Costiera is filled with great light and warm wood tones. A vibrant and colorful mural by Ham & Cheese Studios greets you at the bar. 

Sam runs the bar, while Brian is in charge of the food. The menu is a lighter, brighter kind of Italian, focused on coastal cuisine. Expect lots of fresh seafood, as well as pasta that is made in-house daily, the freshest local seasonal produce and a menu that changes often. In addition to regular dinner service, they have a great happy hour menu (Monday – Friday 4:00pm – 7:00pm) and they serve lunch on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The bar is my favorite place to sit! I enjoy the menu of Negronis and the wine list is really lovely.

I know I sound like a broken record but I’m a big proponent of supporting nice, hard working people. It matters. Brian and Sam are kind and thoughtful and I am so happy for their success. They got a really great review from Baltimore Magazine recently! When you put your everything into opening a new restaurant, I bet it feels good to be recognized. But what probably feels even better is having a full house of happy guests, so if you haven’t been yet, GO. 

Thanks, Brian and Sam. I’m so glad to feature you in Baker’s Dozen.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Sam: I am a pie guy. Specifically, a Roman style pizza pie with a thin, crispy crust.

Brian: A big ole’ rich chocolate cake. Pastry Chef Ana Pino makes one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had.

Your most prized possession?

Sam: “Figgy” my fig tree. My wife, Kaitlin, and I planted figgy in our front yard when we bought a house a couple years ago. We have enjoyed watching Figgy grow and this fall we should get a decent harvest. I am looking forward to making pizza with figs, gorgonzola, lardo, and a balsamic glaze.

Brian: A globe that my grandmother got me a few years ago. When my grandfather passed away, my grandmother got rid of this globe that he had and since I was little my sister and I were always eyeing it up. When she found out that we loved it, she sent us each a big globe on a really cool stand and it’s my favorite thing.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Sam: I always look for the weirdest item on a menu to order. It started when I was a kid (for attention) but turns out that frog legs, squab, liver mousse, whole fish, etc. are quite delicious so now I go for those things because I typically will not make them at home.

Brian: I like to go out mostly for breakfast or lunch these days. I’m a big sandwich guy, the Old World Italian from DiPasquales is pretty much my favorite thing ever.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Sam: Cast iron pizzas.

Brian: Even though I’m around pasta all day at Costiera, it’s still one of my favorite things to cook at home.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Sam: Coffee, black as a moonless sky at midnight, either from a chemex or moka pot.

Brian: A cortado with whole milk.

What’s your personal motto?

Sam: Listen to your heart. Listen to the beat. Listen to the rhythm, rhythm of the street.

Brian: Oof, thats a hard one. I’m not sure if I have one?

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Sam: π day

Brian: I’ve always had off on Easter Sunday (at least after brunch) so I’ve gotten to spend it with my family and I’ve started an Easter paella tradition. I do also love Christmas Eve when I get to cook the feast of the seven fishes. My family isn’t Italian, but it’s become a tradition.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

Sam: A million things happen every day that we cannot control so you should jump at the chance to take action when there is something you can. An old Foreman Wolf training point I think.

Brian: I went to the Star Chefs convention in 2011 in NYC. My old boss and good friend Jason Ambrose bought me tickets for my birthday and it was awesome. Massimo Bottura was there and did a big presentation. He said as a cook and a chef you should find something outside of the kitchen that gives you inspiration. At that point I was a sous chef and I thought working 80 hours a week and focusing solely on restaurants was the only important thing. But as I’ve gotten older, I realize drawing inspiration from other things and taking time for yourself is incredibly important and that advice has grown on me over the years.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Sam: Aside from opening Costiera, the winter ascent of Mt. Washington (even though it was an unseasonably warm, overcast day).

Brian: I was really proud of winning the Zagat 30 under 30 while Gnocco was open. We had a shoebox of a kitchen and did some fun things out of there.

The last text you sent?

Sam: “Couldn’t have done it without you” to the talented JCShelfCo who refinished our beautiful wood tables at Costiera.

Brian: A seafood order.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Sam: A hammock.

Brian: Being able to create memories for people through food and restaurants. I love being in the kitchen and I plan to be there for a long, long time to come.

What do you love most about food?

Sam: The perfect last bite that has a little bit of everything and you get to scoop up all the rest of the sauce.

Brian: The ability it has to bring people together.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Sam: Druid Hill Park. It is a great place to hang your hammock, throw some discs, and eat a slice from Ribaldi’s.

Chef John Bedingfield of The Food Market restaurant group is quiet, focused and driven. I’ve known him since about 2015 when I started consulting with Chef Chad Gauss on social media and marketing. Chad and I met via Instagram and I think our first time we met in person was to make a trade for salted caramel brownies for fresh soft crabs. That was a really good trade.

At that time, John was executive chef at The Food Market, so we got to know each other when I would come shoot photos or host dinners with local social media food influencers. I enjoyed putting those events together because I always tried to put people around the table whom I knew were nice, had engaged followings, took really good photos and would also be future diners at the restaurant on their own. That was such a different time than now as far as the influencer world goes. Boy, oh boy. I remember one dinner in the downstairs private kitchen where I enjoyed John’s cooking with several people whom I still consider friends to this day. That dining experience is still one of my favorites – you walk through the restaurant, down the stairs in the back of the dining room, through dry storage, past the walk-ins and are seated at a communal table where chefs prepare your meal right there in front of you. Super cool.

John and I definitely clicked when we met and I always enjoyed it when we worked on projects together. I felt so lucky to be working with John, Chad and the Food Market team, such a great crew. John was always open to new ideas, Chad was, too. Also, John is extremely dedicated to his work, yet at the same time he is a very involved husband with his wife, Alexa, and dad to his young daughter, Quinn. It’s been really nice following along on social media to see his home life bloom so nicely. It sounds corny but I’m very proud of John (or Johntay as I like to call him) for building such a nice life for himself and now, for his family. Balance in the food and restaurant space – especially at a growing and busy restaurant and catering group – is very, very hard and it’s not always there. Yet John makes it seem like a natural thing. Like, it’s what he is meant to be doing. Whether he is collaborating on menus for events, La Food Marketa or even their newest spot, Vacation (in Columbia next to The Food Market Columbia), you can just tell that he does it fully. I love how with each new project, he and his team are creative and take chances on menu items that are a little out of the ordinary. They embrace fun.

So, here is my Q+A with Johntay. I hope you enjoy it!

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Pie! Lemon Meringue. Lemon meringue pie was a staple at Thanksgiving dinner. My Nana would make it every year. I never really liked cake growing up so I would request lemon meringue pie instead. 

Your most prized possession?

My integrity. May not be physical but this is something I carry with me through all aspects of life.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

French onion soup. Probably order French onion soup anytime I see it on a menu. Favorite spot for French onion soup is Le Diplomate in DC.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Breakfast. As much as I enjoy cooking all things, breakfast is by far my favorite meal to prepare at home. I lean more savory than sweet for breakfast. Typically on the more simple side, including a potato hash, some sort of breakfast meat like chicken sausage or scrapple, on special occasions (my favorite by far), and egg cooked any way imaginable depending on the day. 

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Cold brew, black. I absolutely love coffee and even more so, cold brew, La Colombe blue bottle reigns supreme. 

What’s your personal motto?

Expect the Unexpected. This is a principle that encourages preparation and adaptability for unforeseen circumstances. Life often throws curveballs, and by embracing this mindset, you can better handle surprises and challenges. It involves developing resilience, flexibility and a proactive approach to problem-solving. By anticipating that not everything will go as planned, you can reduce stress and make more informed decisions, ensuring you’re not caught off guard when things deviate from your expectations.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Thanksgiving. Love being able to bring family and friends together around the best meal of the year. Green bean casserole is by far my favorite side dish at Thanksgiving.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

“Grab the bull by the f****** horns.” My friend Michael, when confiding in him about taking the sous chef position at The Food Market.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Personal greatest accomplishment is becoming a dad. Culinary/professional accomplishment was winning Chopped on The Food Network.

The last text you sent?

I made curry for dinner.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Traveling the world with Alexa and Quinn. Could be a trip to the pool or roaming around Italy.

What do you love most about food?

How a meal can make someone feel.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Sherwood Gardens in the spring for the tulips.                        

I remember when I first met husband and wife team Liz and Kevin Irish, it was at their original location of The Local Fry in Federal Hill. I was coming in to take some photos for a piece I was writing about them. I was super excited – I thought, wings and fries? – please and thank you. They were incredibly gracious and made so many things for me to shoot and taste and I was smitten. That was 2015 and HERE is that piece.

I’ve really enjoyed watching their businesses grow and I can’t believe we’ve known each other for almost 10 years! Now, with their home base in Hampden at the Rotunda, a stand at Oriole Park (OMG) and a location at Morgan State University opening this fall, they seem to be hitting their stride. And it must be said that their wings are my personal favorite in Bmore. I know a lot of influencers talk about other places, but the dry-rubbed wings at The Local Fry (I order all flats) are my absolute favorite in the city. I’m a hometown girl, so Old Bay is my go-to, and my second fave is the Garlic Lemon Pepper.

I hope you enjoy this one. It’s becoming clear as I do these interviews, how long I’ve known a lot of these super talented food folks. Time sure does fly. And, Liz and Kevin are such nice people –  I’m so glad to know them!

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Liz: Cake, chocolate cake with a fudgy chocolate icing with a glass of cold milk

Kevin: I wouldn’t say no to either but I would have to say pie. I’m a texture guy so a nice flaky buttery pie base with any filling will do it for me. My mother always makes apple tarts in Ireland so that’s my go to.

Your most prized possession?

Liz: I don’t think I have a most prized possession.

Kevin: I don’t really put importance into possessions. I have what I need and
take pleasure in experiences and living in the moment. I do have a
selfie with Justin Tucker and Adam Jones though. I think that’s cool 🙂

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Liz: French fries.

Kevin: Foie gras. Nothing better than a toasted baguette, some pickles and
foie gras.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Liz: I love making spaghetti or white rice with a bunch of different
vegetable ban chans.

Kevin: As someone with a sweet tooth, I tend to go towards making desserts at home and
leave my wife Liz with the savory. I make a lot of pavlova.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Liz: Hot coffee black at home, or iced coffee black if I pick up coffee to go.

Kevin: Black coffee. I have been trying to live a healthier lifestyle over the last year (if you haven’t noticed, I like everything with cream, butter and fat :)) I cut out dairy in my coffee and just stuck to it.

What’s your personal motto?

Liz: Be better. There’s no place for mediocrity.

Kevin: Nobody cares. Work harder! Made famous by our great no.8 Lamar Jackson. I take it to mean that everyone has personal stuff going on in their life but don’t let that interfere with what your goals and ambitions are.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Liz: My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love the festive atmosphere surrounding Christmas, the music, the food, gift giving, family time, etc. I like that it falls at the end of the year and gives you a little break from your regular busy life to just enjoy being with friends and family before everything starts all over again in the new year.

Kevin: Christmas. It’s a little different for me. Christmas in Ireland is like Thanksgiving in the States. It’s the same meal and family get together. The young kids are excited to open their presents and it’s the one day where you can sit at home all day, relax, eat, drink and have a great time with friends and family.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

Liz: Actions speak louder than words. Not really advice given from somebody specific, just learned through experiences in life.

Kevin: Work on your business, not in your business. In the past, I have been guilty of trying to do too much as a worker in my businesses at times leading to not being able to effectively run and market it as I am too busy doing the work. I’m happy to say that now I am fully focused on working ON my business.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Liz: Creating The Local Fry and the life that I live with Kevin and having my mom be proud of us.

Kevin: Opening The Local Fry with my wife. That’s a place and menu that you can’t find anywhere and something that came from our minds into real life. Now, we have a HQ in Hampden, two spots in Camden Yards and another location opening soon by Morgan State University with a lot of interest from outside of Maryland, also.

The last text you sent?

Liz: Inviting our general manager to the movies.

Kevin: Dinner suggestions with Liz. We ended up getting Peruvian chicken.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Liz: Being loved.

Kevin: A meal with friends or family without phones. We live in the times where we are one text away from your plans completely changing. Especially in the food industry, if I get a text, I’m thinking, did a compressor fail? Did the grill break down? Did someone not come in to work?

What do you love most about food?

Liz: I love that food creates moments and memories. I associate specific dishes and flavors with specific memories from my past or reminds me of certain people. And new food experiences create future memories. Food is such an integral part of life and life experiences.

Kevin: Food brings everyone together. It’s an ice breaker. I always ask my staff what their favorite food is and what restaurants they like. That usually leads to them recommending places they like in the neighborhood and the conversation just goes from there.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Liz: Petit Louis Bistro in Roland Park. I like to dine there solo, just to have some me time for a short while in the middle of a busy work day. For me, going to Petit Louis is like taking a little trip abroad or far away, but still being home in Baltimore.

Kevin: M&T Bank Stadium. We got season tickets a few years ago and always look forward to football season. If it’s not in football season, I like being by the water in Fells Point and Canton.

Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at the Charm City Cook.

Binda Singh is the epitome of hospitality. The impeccable suits, the astonishing memory, the professional yet warm and relaxed way he treats his guests at Ananda. And, yes, I usually focus my local writing on people and places within (roughly) Baltimore City limits, but for Binda, I will break the “rules”. He is so good at what he does and he is a friend.

I first went to Ananda in Maple Lawn (near Columbia) for a preview dinner with local media folks about 10 years ago. I remember being very much in awe of the space. Our long table was right in front of huge, open garage doors and the table was set so beautifully yet simply. That may have been the first time I met Binda, but I’m not sure. I hadn’t been to his other restaurant, The Ambassador Dining Room very often, but I had heard a lot about the Singh brothers, Binda and Keir, over the years. Always just how kind and hospitable they are.

At that first dinner, we had sharing plates of dishes of their classic watermelon feta salad, mini-crab cakes with a ginger cocktail sauce, a few kinds of samosas and roasted cauliflower with tamarind, lime, chili, and toasted sesame. I loved all of the flavors and trying new dishes that were pretty new to me at the time. That was a very special night and I felt so lucky to be there. I loved that the menu was filled with beautiful Indian dishes and felt very approachable at the same time. Sometimes, friends will say, “oh, I don’t think I’d like Indian food.” And I say go and try it, the servers will help you to figure out the best things to order. To me, any great restaurant will make new diners feel comfortable, while tempting them with new dishes. For Ananda and Peerce’s, they will guide you and let you take baby steps into their cuisine, heat levels included!

Over the years, I have always loved going to Ananda. It’s often a place to celebrate a birthday, a new job, my bestie in town from Paris. The last time this past July, it was for dinner with an old work colleague who has become a good friend who lives in Howard County. Ananda always  feels like a nice night out but not stuffy at all. And, just FYI, they make very fantastic cocktails, especially my favorite, a dry martini. They also have an extensive wine list and also offer creative non-alcoholic drinks.

It’s equally lovely running into Binda at food events around town and feeling like I am catching up with an old friend. Several years ago, he invited me to a party at his house – I think it was when he was first getting his farm up and running. Right there next to their house, they grow a huge number of vegetables and herbs and also raise chickens, ducks and geese for eggs for the restaurants and for their family. The food and drinks and people at that party were so much fun. They had build-your-own s’mores and I didn’t want to leave because I love roasted marshmallows so much. As I walked down the driveway to leave, still thinking about the marshmallows, I felt like, wow. Binda and his wife Rachel throw amazing parties! (ps. Rachel is an event planner and you should definitely hire her…)

As you may know, Binda’s family sold the Ambassador Dining Room several years ago in order to focus on their two newer places – they also own Peerce’s out near Loch Raven Reservoir on Dulaney Valley Road. I’ve only been once but loved it very much. Food, drinks, service, space – all impeccable. And, it is packed all the time! Keir Singh runs Peerce’s and he is just as warm and kind as Binda. In fact, front and back of house at both restaurants are run by the Singh sisters: Kinday is executive chef at Ananda and Bolay at Peerce’s. How incredibly special.

It was such a joyful thing to have Binda be a part of this very special series of mine. I love letting people know more about the people behind some of their favorite places. As I have always said, food is about people.

Enjoy! (Thanks, Binda)

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Key lime, as tart as possible! 

Your most prized possession?

My children, Ben and Alex. 

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Raw oysters.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Eggs from my ducks and geese in the backyard. 

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Nespresso with steamed oat milk and maple syrup. 

What’s your personal motto?

We’re only on this earth for a short time. Let’s enjoy it as much as we can.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Every Monday is a holiday for me because we close the restaurant for family time. We always do dinner with the whole family, and our staff does a “family” dinner of their own. 

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

My father, who is a very strict Punjabi man, said, “If at first you don’t succeed, do it the way I (expletive) told you!” He also said, “Don’t count on anyone but yourself. If you want something, you have to make it happen.” There’s great value in his experience. 

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Raising my kids to be kind, empathetic, courteous people. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s the best thing I’m trying to accomplish in my life. 

The last text you sent?

I texted one of the guys who works at the restaurant and on our farm to make sure he refreshed the water for the birds and refilled the feed. Typically, I would do that, but I’m away today.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Personal growth, meaningful work, a sense of belonging and contribution to something greater than oneself. “Ananda” is Sanskrit for the ultimate bliss. I don’t believe in perfection, but the ultimate bliss of Ananda and our farm gets me pretty close. 

What do you love most about food?

My childhood was about surviving, so food started out as a way to keep us alive. Now, I have the luxury of experiencing food in a different way. The most enjoyable parts are finding the balance of flavors, bringing joy to others and creating memorable experiences. 

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

The place we affectionately refer to as “Binky’s House.” It’s my brother Keir’s home in northern Baltimore, where we do family dinners as often as possible.        

Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at Charm City Cook.               

When I first heard about Cafe Campli, it was from my friend Lane Harlan. She had met Sam and Paul Mincarelli when they were both working at a restaurant together here in Baltimore. She said I had to meet them because they were doing something very special and she knew I would love it. And, as she often is, Lane was right.

I emailed with the couple about a week before the opening and they invited me to come in and chat. Mind you, this was days before the opening and they just seemed so ready. Maybe it was because they had been dreaming, then planning, then working and fine tuning their dream. They knew what they wanted to be – a comfortable neighborhood place where you could pop in and get a really good, somewhat simple, yet satisfying meal. The restaurant is modeled after the small cafes in their favorite place, Abruzzo, Italy. It’s where Paul’s family emigrated from and there is a town called Campli that inspired not only the restaurant’s name but also the food. Abruzzo is a particularly wonderful place because it enjoys proximity to seas, mountains and pastures, which to me sounds like heaven.

I’ve been to Cafe Campli three or four times and each time I have left so happy. They take such care with you and you feel at ease, never rushed. Everything is made in house (including fresh pasta) and the menu changes seasonally. My favorite dish is the Alla Lanterna – lemon-butter spaghetti alla chitarra (the noodles are like guitar strings with little ridges, not perfectly round), roasted garlic, cauliflower & garbanzo puree and anchovy breadcrumbs. So good. It’s so light and there is a perfect mix of varying textures and bright flavors in the dish. I have a hard time not ordering it every time. HERE is the current menu.

On the drinks side, you will find a lovely selection of Italian wines, beers and house cocktails, including a very nice non-alcoholic drinks menu. They also have a huge selection of amari, which they will happily walk you through. A little glass of amaro is a very nice way to end your meal.

Cafe Campli is such a gift for Lauraville and the surrounding neighborhoods. Lauraville is a community that enthusiastically embraces and supports businesses in the area and the businesses become a vital part of the neighborhood. This dynamic makes it the perfect spot for Sam and Paul’s restaurant – it’s a place to pop in, hang out, have a meal, just like how Paul described places in Campli to me that first time we met. To me, food is about people and creating community first, before the food. Then, the relationships develop over food and I think that’s beautiful.

By the way, these two met at Friendsgiving. It seems fitting that an event centered around delicious food brought them together. Thanks, Sam and Paul for being a part of this series.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Sam: Cake! Smith Island.

Paul: Pie, ideally something flaky and citrusy. 

Your most prized possession?

Sam: It feels weird to call our dog a possession, so let’s call him my most prized little buddy. We have an Aussie named Cesare (Chez-a-ray) who is the sweetest creature, so lovable, soft and happy. I swear one day he’s gonna speak.

Paul: My passport.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Sam: Good oysters (Dylan’s!). We shucked them ourselves a couple of times during the pandemic. After someone who will remain nameless stabbed the shucking knife through his hand, I thought, maybe it’s best to leave this to the professionals.

Paul: That first round of drinks before, what I know will be, a long, enjoyable meal. 

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Sam: I like to see what we have on hand and conjure up a preparation that (I hope) will result in a decent meal. I’ll take stock of what we have before I walk the dog, and ponder over it during the walk. I also love making Neapolitan-style pizzas in our backyard, where we have a brick pizza oven.

Paul: For better or worse, it’s Sunday Gravy. I haven’t made it at home since we opened Cafe Campli (now I get to make it at work a few times a week) but I miss the experience of it! The smell of slow-simmering sauce on a lazy Sunday afternoon is unparalleled.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Sam: Water, room temp, on the nightstand. And then coffee with cream or oat milk. Grapefruit juice. Sometimes a dirty matcha latte. I require a lot of beverages.

Paul: A double espresso in my home kitchen, and then several double espressos at work. Cappuccinos are for the rare day off.

What’s your personal motto?

Sam: Everything is connected.

Paul: “In the service, one must choose the lesser of two weevils.” Not only owing to it being from one of my favorite movies – Master & Commander – but there’s a certain tangible wisdom there: life is full of decisions, often between two bad outcomes, but it’s important to maintain a light spirit.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Sam: Halloween! I begin decorating in September. I love the colors of fall and the smell in the air. I’m a bit into the woo-woo of life, the unknown and unseen, and these things are closer to us during this time of year. Plus it’s fun to dress up in costume and give out candy to the neighborhood kids. I have killer costumes planned for Paul and me this year.

Paul: Easily Thanksgiving: a holiday of pure hedonistic expression without the commercial trappings. Thanksgiving is how I learned to love cooking, and I have to credit my brother for instilling in me that joy since we were tasked with manning the stove each November. It was always something I looked forward to.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

Sam: We pass this way only once. My mom says this and it’s a reminder to make the life we want to live, to pursue what we think will make us happy.

Paul: Before changing careers and managing a new restaurant in Mt Vernon, my friend Alexis gave me some advice that she always followed before a new job: don’t think about what you want to do, think about what you want to learn. That made a huge change in my perspective and any trepidation I may have had.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Sam: It’s a tie between becoming an architect and opening a restaurant. It took years of education and practice to finally feel like a bona fide architect, with a solid knowledge base and skillset, and I love design. I still work part-time for an awesome firm (shout out to SM+P Architects in Mt. Vernon). Opening a restaurant was something I’d dreamed of even before I met Paul, but it didn’t seem possible until we pursued it together. It’s been a winding road and the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, so seeing it become successful and our customers happy is a great feeling.

Paul: Everything Cafe Campli. We have the best staff who show up every day and make it such a fun environment, and our diners “get” it. Seeing a full dining room of smiling faces, bottles of wine, and bowls of pasta is something that will never fully sink in nor get old.

The last text you sent?

Sam: “We def need to have drink options.”

Paul: “Beautiful, thanks” regarding a delinquent liquor delivery that’s finally en route.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Sam: Being in Italy with Paul and – one day – Cesare too. Hiking on a wooded mountain path in the Apennines, or lounging at a beach club in Pescara. Of course, paired with seasonal food and local wine.

Paul: A day at a beach club on the Adriatic in Pescara with my wife.

What do you love most about food?

Sam: That scene in Ratatouille where the curmudgeonly food critic takes a bite of ratatouille and is immediately transported back to a childhood memory of his mom making him the same dish after he hurt himself. Food is a basic human need, yet the reasons for eating vary greatly between providing sustenance to healing us, to even allowing us to experience the sublime. And that to me is remarkable.

Paul: How food tells a story. Not just how cuisines can tell a country’s history and geography, but more intimately, how food can express generations of family history. There’s a certain expression a lot of our guests make when that Sunday Gravy hits the table: they are immediately transported back to their grandmother’s kitchen. It’s a special thing to see.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Sam: Stony Run Park.

Paul: Definitely the Baltimore Museum of Art, which has a criminally underrated collection. It’s a great place to disconnect and be inspired.

Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at Charm City Cook.

I first met Brendan Dorr and Eric Fooy at the bar at B&O Brasserie at Hotel Monaco in downtown Baltimore. At the time (circa 2013), I ran a local food and beverage Instagram and I had enough followers that I would be invited for “media dinners” and other events every once in a while where invited guests could taste new dishes, meet new chefs, enjoy cocktail menu tastings and more. While I have long left the influencer world, I have to say those special dinners and tastings and behind-the-scenes allowed me to meet some of the most talented people in Baltimore hospitality. I have that access and the experiences that came with it to thank for so, so many friendships in the industry over the years. That goes for you, too, local PR professionals who were so kind to me! It just so happens that I attended my last media dinner at B&O Brasserie. Isn’t it funny when you realize at an exact moment that something is no longer working for you?

Anyway…I met Brendan and Eric at B&O and it was such a pleasure to sit at their bar. I always felt welcome. And, it was fun, too, to watch them work and work to eventually open their own spot, Dutch Courage in Old Goucher. It opened to raves in 2019 and boy, we are the luckiest to get to experience Brendan and Eric’s brand of hospitality. They are just so good at it. Making you feel welcome and special – it feels easy. And that goes for the folks they employ. They are seriously some of the nicest people you will ever meet. One thing I have always loved about Dutch Courage is their approach to being a judgment-free and safe place for everyone. From their staff to the guests, everyone can just be themselves. No need for Dutch Courage to shout it, it just is. Also, if you have never been to Dutch Courage because you think it’s all about gin there, you need to go! I remember going once with a friend who had “had bad experiences with gin” and she got a vodka cocktail and I got a Ramos Gin Fizz made with elderflower gin. (They have a very cool machine that shakes it up.) She ended up finishing my drink. As for spirits, they do it all (not just gin!) and serve classic cocktails, tons of creative house cocktails and there are always nice NA options, too. And, the eclectic, stylish glassware they are all served in is one of my favorite parts of the Dutch Courage experience.

I cannot write about Dutch Courage without mentioning the way they responded to COVID and all of its ever-changing rules. They were so creative and smart, offering everything from an excellent bottle shop, bottled cocktail subscriptions, handmade wooden herb boxes for purchase and don’t get me started on that back patio situation! I think that I enjoyed that patio more than any other spot during COVID, and then again after the world became safer, of course. When I was finally feeling ready to venture out, Dutch Courage was one of the places in the city where I truly felt safe. I was working at The GreenMount School during most of COVID and being in a school atmosphere every day made it feel odd being “out” in the world. I remember stopping in to buy a couple of bottled cocktails early on in the shutdowns. There I was, masked and nervous and all I wanted to do was hug everyone! (I held back…) They did it right.

The other way I got to know these two was through the Baltimore Bar Guild’s annual cocktail competition and tasting event, Rye’s Up for Cystic Fibrosis. Brendan is the head of the Bar Guild and the event was held at B&O for many years. I love rye whiskey and this event is one of the best food & beverage events of the year. I was even a judge once, that was so fun and I honestly took my “job” seriously, mostly because I was judging with actual spirit and hospitality pros so I didn’t want to seem like a dummy! (Amie Ward may have been the winner that year, I think there were brûléed bananas?) Anyhow, the event raises money and awareness for CF and that is why I attended for many years, to support my friend Katharine. The BBG has supported the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for so many years, love that. Also, whiskey (in cocktails in teeny tiny tasting portions) is a fave.

You may have heard, Brendan and Eric are opening a second bar, right? I cannot wait! It’s the old Dizz in Remington. I will report on that in a future newsletter. Over the years, I have learned not to bother my industry friends for inside info when they have a project coming down the pike. They always just tell me when they tell me. No question, though, it’s gonna be good.

I often say that restaurant business is so hard that it really should be measured in dog years and the same can absolutely be said for bars. So, I guess I have known Brendan and Eric for about 80 years.

Hope you enjoy this one.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Eric: Cherry pie

Brendan: Apple pie with vanilla ice cream

Your most prized possession?

Eric: I have a few guitars I would have to run into a burning house to save.

Brendan: My wife, my cats. But if it has to be a thing, probably my 1800s Pony Jigger. I’ve only ever seen one other and it belonged to Dave Wondrich. (editor’s note: he is a cocktail legend)

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Eric: Dry martini / escargot

Brendan: One of the first dishes that I go back to every year when tomatoes are in season is Hersh’s heirloom tomatoes on house made focaccia with black pepper aioli and olive oil. First off I’m not the biggest tomato fan, they have to be really good for me to want to eat tomatoes. Also it’s such a good dish, my wife Alex and I have ordered some to start with and then as a “savory nightcap” as Alex dubbed it we have ordered one at the end of our meal. It’s simple and so delicious!

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Eric: Chicken Piccata with fresh pasta

Brendan: Anything off the grill. I love grilling. A beverage in hand, a nice steak, piece of fish or even lately, grilling pizza.  

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Eric: I usually have a soda water to clean out the cobwebs followed by a black coffee, hot or cold.

Brendan: Coffee. Black.  (Sophomore beans) 

What’s your personal motto?

Eric: Be approachable and understanding. Honesty is a very important thing for me as well.

Brendan: Hustle!

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Eric: I enjoy the BBQ holidays, like July 4th.

Brendan: Christmas Eve at my parents house with all my siblings and their kids. I love my family. Close second is Christmas morning at my house with just my wife, our cats, Goldberg’s bagels, lox, cream cheese, whitefish, accoutrement and a couple bottles of bubbles, while binge watching something on Netflix. LOL!

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

Eric: I am going to go with a quote from a movie. “You can not have the sweet without the sour.”

Brendan: “Work hard and good things will happen” – my parents.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Eric: I would have to say opening a bar.

Brendan: Opening my first bar and now, on to the second. 

The last text you sent?

Eric: Checking in with my partner Melissa to see how her day was going.

Brendan: A liquor order to one of my liquor reps telling them how expensive our frozen drink machine costs to get fixed because we have a fancy Taylor drink machine. 

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Eric: A balance between having a plan and letting things happen spontaneously, leaning on more of a plan.

Brendan: Home, wife, cats! 

What do you love most about food?

Eric: The fact that there can be very different ways for it to be perfect.

Brendan: The variety, with the way food has evolved through sharing ideas, food styles, blending of cuisine types. It’s endless!

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Eric: Sagamore farm is a very Beautiful place.

Brendan: My house. 

The first drink Dre Barnhill made for me was a Whiskey Smash – I think it was about nine years ago. I remember that night being a good one, out with really good friends sitting outside on a warm summer night. I also remember Dre as being friendly and knowledgeable and making all of the guests, including me, feel at home. He was also the first person that described a drink to me as “spirit forward.” That means boozay. Once, he made me a drink called the White Noise and while I don’t remember what was in it, it was pleasantly spirit forward and I thought about it for weeks.

When Clavel opened in 2015 and I knew Dre was going to be running the bar there, I was super excited. I knew the bar would be creative and thoughtful without being pretentious, just like Dre. A couple of years ago (pre-Covid) I sat at the mezcal tasting bar inside Clavel with my friend Steve Chu. I told Dre that I didn’t know a lot about mezcal and the ones I’d had, I didn’t love. He proceeded to taste us through four different mezcals and I liked all of them, and really, really loved one. See? You gotta have someone who is clearly passionate about what they’re doing teach you. (If you haven’t done the tasting bar with Dre, I highly recommend it.) The bar program at Clavel has had many, many accolades, yet Dre and his team are still there night after night, just doing what they do – making us happy. Aren’t we lucky?

So thankful my friend agreed to be a part of this series.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

For me, pie takes the cake. Sweet potato pie is the glorious leader of all pies.

Your most prized possession?

Photos of family and friends.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

I’m completely torn, I go to different restaurants to get different things. I would personally forgo most entrees, at most places, just to eat all the littleneck clams, boquerones and or tapenade I could get my hands on.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

I like fermenting pizza dough for this 12” cast iron I have.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

French press coffee, black.

What’s your personal motto?

Never leave a good idea behind.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

I love Christmas and 10x when it snows – there’s a few people I really love spoiling and Christmas is a great excuse!

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

“More than 99% of tequila is chicken sh*t, think about that.” – Carlos Camarena

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

A pair of James Beard Noms for outstanding bar.

The last text you sent?

A photo of the dog being a sass.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Drinking curados and raicilla in Guadalajara with my favorite people.

What do you love most about food?

Sense memory, anticipation, grazing, the extraordinary love that we can give by putting care into ordinary processes.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Pete’s Grille                        

I first met Kris Fulton at LAMILL Coffee at the Four Seasons in Harbor East. God, I loved that place. I think it was 2012 or so and I was very excited to attend my first cupping class. Kris was running it on a live video screen, virtually from California, where he was based at the time. As intimidated as I was to show my lack of real coffee knowledge, even from the West Coast Kris made the class fun and I learned a lot. This began my deep love of all things coffee.

Fast-forward. Lane Harlan tells me about her new project in Old Goucher, Fadensonnen and that there are other businesses attached to it, including Kris’ long dream of opening his own place. The tiny, subterranean Sophomore Coffee was a hit from day one.

Sophomore opened four years ago and is just as warm and welcoming – and delicious – today as it was in the very beginning. I personally love getting an iced coffee and sitting out in the Fadensonnen courtyard, especially once the air gets a little bit crisp.

One reason I think that Kris has been successful is the fact that he creates community and genuine connections wherever he goes. You just want to be in the same space as Kris. He embodies inclusiveness and kindness.

If you haven’t been to Sophomore or it’s been a while, stop by. You deserve a really, really good cuppa joe.

Side note: I always say the best thing about my many years in the food and drink world here in my hometown of Baltimore is the people I’ve met and the relationships I have fostered along the way, to this day. Kris and many others are why I do this.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Cake, Funfetti w/ cream cheese icing.

Your most prized possession?

My record collection.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Oysters.

And, your favorite to cook at home?

Anything on the grill.  

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

I taste a lot of coffee most mornings, but my first beverage is typically water. Love it room temp or ice cold when it’s hot out.

What’s your personal motto?

“Don’t let the bastards get you down” or PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) for short

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Christmas, solely because now it’s the one time a year that my mom will cook for us.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

“Protect your inner circle”, my Pops.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Keeping our business afloat throughout the first years of the pandemic.

The last text you sent?

Provoking a friend to seek new employment.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Being present.

What do you love most about food?

The feeling of enjoyment I have while eating and feeling full afterwards.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

My home with my wife and cats. 

Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at Charm City Cook.

When I started this series, I knew I wanted to include folks I do not know well personally. People whose work, products or ethos I admire. When I first met Nicole Foster of Cajou Creamery, I was struck by her warmth and kindness. And then I had her vegan ice cream and was smitten. (The horchata is my favorite flavor.) Cajou is the first and only plant-based creamery in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia), and the first to use hand-crafted plant milks. That is impressive!

I learned so much about Nicole through her Baker’s Dozen answers and you will, too. Like, the fact that you can get Cajou delivered to you monthly!? Also, make sure you stop in to their shop on Howard Street. Sit, take a load off. You will be happy you did. It’s so good.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Warm pie. I like gooey, caramelized fruity centers with the contrast of a flaky, buttery, crispy crusts. 

Your most prized possession?

My passport!

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Anything I can’t make at home. If I can make it or anticipate the flavor based on the ingredients, then I’m disappointed. I love places with surprising, unique, exotic flavor explosions. 

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Misir wot – Ethiopian red lentils with berbere. Oh, and a tostada with avocado, tomatoes, colima salt, lime and cilantro. Yummm. 

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

An electrolyte tea – hot water with key lime, salt and raw honey. Also, I love to make a good dairy-free chai tea. Also, sometimes a fruit smoothie with maca and sea moss. 

What’s your personal motto?

Live a bold, adventurous, story-worthy life. 

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

My birthday! I think it’s a holiday, and if not, it should be! 

Seriously, Labor Day – because the kids finally go back to school . . .

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

Leap. The net will appear. – Spirit. (Because I can’t remember an actual person.)

Fear not. – A cherished friend told me this during a stressful period, but I use it all the time now as a self-affirmation. 

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

When I turned 50, I looked back on three successful careers – 1) in global public health working in health promotion in West Africa and Latin America, 2) as a prosecutor/criminal defense attorney, having tried 40 jury trials and 3) as co-founder with Dwight Campbell on a successful plant-based ice cream brand, Cajou. Although those periods were intellectually stimulating and deeply fulfilling, I feel most like my authentic self now – having gone from wearing designer suits to an apron in a kitchen, and I couldn’t be happier. The best part is, I’m not finished! 

The last text you sent?

To a journalist thanking her for listening to my practice pitch for a tech platform I’m working on around intergenerational connection. 

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Feeling completely aligned with my purpose, eating fresh fruit, feeling earth under my feet, sun on my skin and sharing laughs with my two sons. 

What do you love most about food?

How you can trace history through it. How you can learn culture from it. How you can share love with it. It’s everything.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Sherwood Gardens. Lush greenery is pure energy. If it were everywhere in Baltimore, not just affluent neighborhoods, the city would be very different. Green space in Baltimore should be prioritized and equitable to all. 

Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at Charm City Cook.

When I grab a seat at the bar at Dylan’s Oyster Cellar, I’m so happy when I see Toni Lopes. She not only shucks oysters perfectly, she’s also warm and welcoming and we always have a good catch up. I’ve known her a good little while now and I’m pretty sure that I first met Toni at The Local Oyster at Mt. Vernon Marketplace. But she’s one of those people you feel like you’ve just always known, she’s that kind of person – very easygoing and thoughtful. She’s also a kind of no BS person, too, and in a world that seems to be so “surface”, Toni is the opposite – she’s real. We need more real.

Back in 2019 (aka in the “before times”), I was lucky enough to go to the National Oyster Shucking Championships in St. Mary’s County. I was invited by my friend John Shields (truly the nicest man in Baltimore) to judge an oyster cooking competition over the two day festival. While we had some time in between events, I was able to go and watch Toni compete in the shucking competition. It was so exciting! She did great, I was very proud of her – the competitors were the best in the entire country. And in a few years later in 2022, she did even better, placing 3rd overall!

Make sure you go to Dylan’s and sit by the shuckers. It’s the best. So thankful Toni agreed to be a part of this series. ps. Even if you are not an oyster fan, you must go to Dylan’s — excellent (non-oyster) food on the menu. My favorites are the potato skins, kale salad and the burger. Daily specials are always a hit, too. The best. Love this place and the people there.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Pie; savory preferably with mushrooms

Your most prized possession?

My Dale German shucking knife.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Dumplings/Any ‘pocket’ food; BLTs; Appetizers; Gyros

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Lentils.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Usually some kind of tea or water (I like iced)

What’s your personal motto?

“It works til it doesn’t work.” And, “Good people find the good people.”

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Thanksgiving, my family makes good food and always too much (plus, my birthday lands on it every few years).

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

“Don’t go to bed mad.”- my grandma

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

I guess graduating college &/or being a nationally-ranked oyster shucker – 2022 3rd place female shucker in the nation! Toot toot!

The last text you sent?

“Love you gals, too – had a lot of fun w you both.”

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Living in peace surrounded by nature.

What do you love most about food?

It’s a universal bond and automatic human connecter.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Druid Hill Park 

Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at Charm City Cook.

I remember following Dana Sicko and Gundalow Juice on Instagram back in the day and messaging her to meet up so that we could have lunch together. It was one of those times when you feel as though you meet someone but it feels like you were seeing an old friend. That’s rare.

Like so many others in my Baker’s Dozen series, I got to know Dana better and better as I followed her career for many years. She eventually stopped making juice (still missing Mainstay Green) and started doing more and more catering with Gundalow Gourmet. A few years into catering, she opened her very own storefront, which is now located at The Shops at Kenilworth. It is a beautiful shop and I love so many things she makes like the massive chocolate chip cookies, mac and cheese and chicken enchiladas. I hope you’ve been shopping at Gundalow, it’s the perfect place to pick up a hostess gift, buy yourself a new cookbook or simply pick up dinner. Like Williams-Sonoma, only Baltimore.

During COVID, Dana expanded into interior design. She’s now available for everything from one-hour design consultations to kitchen and whole home renovations. Check out some of her design work HERE. Another accolade worth mentioning is that Dana was a member of the first cohort of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Program, rubbing shoulders with Warren Buffet and Michael Bloomberg. NBD.

Hope you will visit Dana at her gorgeous shop. Make sure you get the cookies!

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Graul’s Cake: Strawberry frosted vanilla cake, covered in an absurd amount of sprinkles.

Your most prized possession?

I have two and I’m choosing to answer this as strictly as non-moving, non-living, non-breathing objects. An antique Peugeot coffee grinder that my husband and I found in Paris when we went on our honeymoon. The second is a copy of On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee that my AP Bio teacher, Mr. Stranathan, gave me.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Appetizers and Tapas. I only want small bites of everything.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Pizza.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

French-pressed coffee with oat milk.

What’s your personal motto?

Why not?

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

I love the winter holidays and Thanksgiving, which in the Gundalow world really all blur together as one. Give me a cozy, cheesy, Polar Express hot chocolate type of feeling and I am happy as can be.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

I have been a small business owner since I was 21, I have been given sooooooo much advice, a lot unsolicited, some helpful, some not. A woman mentored me early in my career and told me when I get the chance, go work somewhere else, go experience something else. Being self-employed with a team made that hard, but my team allowed me to do that, and Scott and I moved to the New England seacoast for a year. It was the best thing I could have done for my business and happiness. I’m so glad that I broadened my lens, and had the opportunity to get some space and learn.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Continuing through the pandemic and keeping my team intact. This is not an accomplishment that was just me, obviously, but it is my greatest accomplishment. I know this was a rare thing and a lot of it was pure luck (the size of the company we were, we weren’t a full-blown restaurant, the incredibly support of our customers, and so much more) but the fact that we made it through I don’t take lightly at all.

The last text you sent?

I’m the worst, sorry.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

I have a lot:

1. Antiquing with my husband, driving somewhere beautiful, and looking through items with so many stories.
2. Laughing with my little nephew.
3. Reading a book on a rainy day, curled up with my dogs.
4. Watching Barb and Star with my best friend and then talking like Barb and Star for the foreseeable future.
5. The first crisp morning of fall and then the first day of spring when all of the blooms explode.
6. Pushing down my French press in the morning.
7. A room perfectly brought together and styled.
8. Walking around a new town/city and exploring.
9. Singing Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo in the car.
10. Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine. Devol Kitchens in Cotes Mill, Leicester, UK. Magnolia Silos Waco, Texas.

What do you love most about food?

It’s art and science. When I was in college and I got lab anxiety in chemistry and organic chemistry, I simply would think of the chemicals as food ingredients and it took my anxiety away. It’s humbling. Anyone can do it and the best recipes can come from the simplest of ingredients and the simplest of techniques. Most of all it’s an expression of love.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

The part of Shawan Road where Misty Valley, John Brown, and Hedgerow exist. It reminds me of New Hampshire and when I need a bit of escapism, especially in the fall, I go there. I get something to eat, get a pumpkin, get a coffee, and enjoy the air.

Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces at Charm City Cook.

I can’t remember when I first met Lori Yanke, or rather, heard about her via social media and the Baltimore restaurant world. Sometimes those two things don’t equal each other. I mean, isn’t it true that sometimes you follow someone’s work (and social media account…) you feel as if you know them? That happens in my brain all the time. And, then, when I actually meet them, I am all awkward, trying to play it cool and not come off as a complete weirdo. I’d say I’m 50/50 on that.

Anyway, I think I finally met Lori in real life at Modern Cook Shop in Fell’s Point. Remember that place? (Same folks who ran the wonderful Fork & Wrench.) What a neat concept — coffee shop, restaurant, bar, neighborhood grocery shop — but it just didn’t take off. I do remember that I had my first draft cocktail there, a negroni, courtesy of opening bar manager Ian Clark. Of course, it was delicious. I remember chatting with Lori and seeing her work on a visit there and being completely wowed by her talent. She’s also a pretty low-key person, I’m guessing quiet till you get to know her better. (I love your answer to the question about your personal motto, Lori. I can relate!) Whenever we interact, it’s always enjoyable. Whether she’s helping me pick out a steak from the case, telling me a great way to cook something or just having a chat on IG, she’s just nice. I think when we saw each other at Modern Cook Shop, she was working on their charcuterie in-house among other delicious meat and non-meat treats. I do remember having a charcuterie plate and being very impressed! She is incredibly dedicated to her craft and works very hard.

After diving into Lori’s IG, I realized that she worked at Dooby’s (and later, Sugarvale) and also at the first place I had really spectacular charcuterie, Bluegrass Tavern in Federal Hill nearly ten years ago. So, Lori’s been at this a while…which is why she’s so good at what she does. This also made me miss Chef Tim Dyson, one of the best of the best.

Take my advice, drive on out Falls Road — my favorite drive in town — to John Brown and get yourself a steak. Or some sausage, or whatever you love. And get the burger. Sit out back. It’s heaven.

Cake or Pie?

Pie. I get so much delight from food I don’t make myself, and I am not about to deal with pie crust. Cherry, pumpkin, pecan, chocolate cream…I’m not picky.

Your most prized possession?

My plants. I used to kill plants, but now I have over 60 houseplants and a tea garden outside.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Oysters or tartare. Simple fresh ingredients. I will also never turn down an arepa.

And, your favorite to cook at home?

Soup. I make a pot every week, even in the height of summer. 

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Mostly green tea, but I have a coffee about twice a week.

What’s your personal motto?

It involves a lot of swear words.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Christmas Day. All the work is done, the only thing I have to do is hang out with my extended family, eat, and drink wine.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

“When it comes to the most important decisions in your life, don’t think with your head, don’t think with your heart, think with your gut.” My dad told me that twenty years ago.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

I’m incredibly proud of the career I’ve built and the work that I do as a whole animal butcher. It’s taken me awhile to find my path, several different careers, but all the experiences have led me down this weird, twisty road to where I am and what I do now.

The last text you sent?

Of course, dude! Take care of yourself.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A cabin in the woods, by a lake or river, in autumn.

What do you love most about food?

What don’t I love?!

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

I grew up in a rural area outside of Baltimore. It wasn’t until I was a freshman in college that I started spending time in the city proper, and the first neighborhood I haunted was Fell’s Point. I was doing a play at Vagabond Theatre on the square and I would spend hours between classes and rehearsal wandering the side streets and getting my first real taste of city life. So, my favorite place is still the end of the pier, at night, looking at the Domino Sugar sign. It reminds me of how magical I thought the city was all those years ago, and how much beauty is still here.

Read more of Amy Langrehr’s “Baker’s Dozen” series at Charm City Cook.

You probably have a “top five” in your head of places you love to go out to eat and drink. Dylan’s is in mine. They’re actually in my top three now. (The other two, in no order, are Peter’s Inn and Petit Louis.) At Dylan’s, it’s not just about food and cocktails that are executed perfectly, but there’s also warm and friendly service and good vibes all around. And if oysters are not your thing, there are a lot of other options like the potato skins, the incredible smash burger, kale and Caesar salads, oyster stew (in colder months) and more. Don’t not go because you think it’s all oysters! (I’ve heard lots of people saying they haven’t been to Dylan’s for that exact reason.) Go, to Dylan’s (make a res to be sure you’re in). They’ll take good care of you. And know you are supporting nice people. I always say it, nice matters.

It feels like I’ve known Dylan and Irene of Dylan’s Oyster Cellar forever. And it feels like Dylan’s has been around forever, too. It just feels good to be there. Not fancy but still feels like a night out. Best soundtrack, fun, easy and ever-changing. It’s also the perfect sized restaurant. Some of my favorite bartenders and shuckers, past and present. Oysters are always shucked perfectly, the list changes all the time and the shuckers (or Dylan if he happens to be nearby) can tell you all about where they came from and how they’ll taste.

I distinctly remember visiting Dylan at the restaurant while it was mid-build. About half of the flooring was down and I was already in love. Gotta love a classic choice in tile. I also remember going to Dylan’s first pop-up location in Mt. Vernon (where Sugarvale is now) and being so enamored with Dylan’s descriptions of the oysters and tasting my first sardine toast. That spot very well may have been my intro to raw oysters, too. I’ve had so many now, I honestly can’t remember. And, the first time I had the kale salad. That was like, BOOM OMG WHAT IS THIS. What can I say, I have big reactions to food when I love it.

I hope you visit my friends at Dylan’s soon. There is literally not one dud on the menu. So, bring some friends and order the whole thing!

ps. This is my first of many Baker’s Dozens to feature couples running small businesses. Hope you enjoy.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Dylan: PIE! and Atlantic Beach Pie (key lime but with lemon instead and saltine crust…)

Irene: This is a terrible answer because it’s not cut and dry. It’s no slice, if you will. The answer depends on the occasion. I think in general I would choose to both make and eat cake over pie. However, cherry pie with vanilla ice cream or strawberry rhubarb pie – chef’s kiss.

Your most prized possession?

Dylan: My Dale German oyster knife, perfect for finicky & brittle local oysters.

Irene: My kittens. They are a brother and sister. I adopted them from the same litter as my friend last spring, who also adopted a brother and sister! Molly McNulty and I have the same cats! It’s very fun.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Dylan: I usually stick to the classics, whatever that place is known for.

Irene: I usually gravitate toward seafood (go figure) or what the server recommends. They know best. I’m not like my brother who always orders a Caesar salad as a baseline to judge a restaurant.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Dylan: Larb Gai.

Irene: Last year I got a CSA for the first time from Jones Family Farm so I have subsequently gotten into cooking a lot of vegetables at home. I love cookbooks and am starting a cookbook club this year with my friend Laura Beth Resnick who owns Butterbee Farm! 

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

Dylan: A shot of espresso & black coffee, separate.

Irene: I just drink water in the morning usually, but once I get to work I like to hit one of the coffee shops in Hampden. I do switch up my order and my shop from day to day. Most often I order a 12oz drip with a splash of half & half. That’s pretty old school, but it gets the job done.

What’s your personal motto?

Dylan: One day at a time.

Irene: Keep It Simple (Stupid) aka KISS

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Dylan: Thanksgiving – stuffing.

Irene: I’ve always loved Halloween. Spooky season starts in August. I’m that girl.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

Dylan: “If you want to be happy, just be happy!” From my dad.

Irene: To practice ethical reciprocity. It’s easier said than done, but it’s a practice. “Treat other people the way you’d want to be treated- it’s the golden rule”. – Mom 

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Dylan: Quitting drugs & alcohol and remaining in the restaurant business.

Irene: I feel like I have been able to achieve many things I have set out to do. I generally feel like an accomplished person but I feel most accomplished when I am asked to be of service.

The last text you sent?

Dylan: Good morning, I spoke with Doug. He seems like he won’t sell but might. Call when you can.

Irene: Dylan – you were supposed to have an interview with him at 1pm. i did it for you. but he can talk to you too?

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Dylan: Clean sheets & a cat.

Irene: When a cat chooses my lap to sit on.

What do you love most about food?

Dylan: Watching people’s reactions to enjoying it.

Irene: I love everything about food. I love that cultures are defined by food, that our trips are planned around eating food. That our literal survival has been and will always be dependent upon food. Food makes life interesting, communal, nourishing and abundant! 

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

Dylan: The top of the 395 overpass as you come into the city – great view.

Irene: Hampden! My whole life pretty much exists within it!

Read more of Amy Langrehr’s “Baker’s Dozen” series at Charm City Cook.

When I started this series, I knew I wanted to feature Emma Jagoz of Moon Valley Farm. In the often overwhelming world of social media, Emma’s posts are a breath of fresh air for me. She informs, she inspires and she just plain shines. Emma is a mom, a farmer, a small business owner and an advocate for farmers, always teaching the people she encounters. In addition to the actual farming, she wears a lot of hats – engineer, scientist and marketing professional to name a few. And, Emma has a very talented and hardworking team who make so much happen and I love when she highlights them on social media.

I highly recommend following Moon Valley on Facebook or Instagram, or signing up for their newsletter. You will learn a lot and also be inspired to eat locally grown foods, cook with new ingredients and more. Moon Valley has a very active and, might I add, organized and efficient CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and they deliver weekly to Baltimore. In addition to a vegetable CSA (you can also add things like eggs, mushrooms, bread, etc) they are doing a fruit CSA this year. I can attest to the freshness of the produce, since I just did two months of weekly deliveries. They were always on schedule and I received a text when my box was dropped off. You can swap out items and pause your subscription anytime. I think the fruit CSA is going to be very popular, not too many farms offer that. And, just FYI: Emma started farming on ½ an acre in 2012 and they had 12 CSA members – now, they have 600 members and are farming on 70 acres. Wow. 

I love this, just read it on Moon Valley’s Facebook page: Through a $12,000 grant from the Maryland Food and Agriculture Resiliency Mechanism Grant Program, the Enoch Pratt Free Library is launching the Enoch Pratt Free Library Community Refrigerators project. The project aims to distribute 2,000 pounds of food each month in three locations – Brooklyn, Orleans Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue. Moon Valley Farm will deliver fresh produce to these locations, and the library staff and volunteers will organize distribution to library customers and the community. The program will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until it runs out each week, reaching approximately 500 individuals each month.

Be sure to save Saturday, May 18 for Moon Valley’s first ever Strawberry Festival. They are growing certified organic strawberries this year and the festival will feature pick-your-own strawberries, farm tours and more. Stay tuned via social media for more details.

I am so happy to share Emma’s answers to my Baker’s Dozen questions. I hope you enjoy them, I sure did.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

This is hard for me as both are clearly delicious but I’ll go with cake. I like a good coffee cake with a thick crumble with homemade jam swirled into the batter — served with coffee!

Your most prized possession?

Sentimental family things – a small gold necklace made from my grandmother’s jewelry melted down that everyone in my family got a piece of after she passed; a gorgeous wall hanging quilt of sunflowers that my mom made me; my sister’s woodblock prints that are featured all around my house; my other sister’s pottery, especially the full size fermentation crock she made me; the bed frame my brother and brother-in-law made for me after my divorce; my daughter’s drawings.

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

Tom kha soup – Thai food is so delicious!

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

Onions and mushrooms. Easily goes with anything I’m having – or steals the show! – so simple and so so good.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

French press coffee with a splash of oat milk.

What’s your personal motto?

I have so many – I’m a real self-help nerd. Don’t believe everything that you think. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” (Not a direct quote but from Eleanor Roosevelt.) “Your willingness to be uncomfortable is in direct proportion to creating what you really want.” (Brooke Castillo) Those are a few that come to mind. I love mottos, mantras, little sentences of encouragement that help me grow, and I update those that I keep top of mind as I absorb them and find new challenges.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

I love the winter solstice. It’s quiet and reflective and a real marker of time for me as a farmer. Because it’s the darkest day of the year the crops we’re harvesting are limited so it feels like this lovely pause – a rare opportunity for stillness before the switching back to more and more light and an opportunity to reflect on the entire past growing season.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

I’ll go with a quote from Mary Oliver, “You must not ever stop being whimsical. And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.”

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Taking the scary leap – time and time again – to pursue my dream of raising my kids alongside building a business that models for them empowerment, independence, food security, land stewardship and collaboration. Growing Moon Valley Farm from a small seed of an idea to a thriving business while centering the needs of my kids the whole time is something I’ll always be proud of.

The last text you sent?

“Do your math homework!” to my daughter (as I’m not home at the moment).

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Unlearning, making mistakes, learning and growing with the safety and support and love of my incredible community: my boyfriend, our kids, our families and our friends. I’m already living it! (A lot.)

What do you love most about food?

I love food’s capacity to cultivate community and connection. Sharing food can be vulnerable, satisfying, raw, kind, so fun and oh so human. Food has the power to make our differences feel less important and the connection we have to each other stronger.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

I love Peabody because I spent years playing flute there and I especially loved when Red Emma’s was right around the corner too for some amazing books, people and food/drinks.

Read more of Amy Langrehr’s “Baker’s Dozen” series at Charm City Cook.

I first had Chef Tae Strain’s cooking back in 2010. You may have enjoyed it, too. It was at Demi, Tae’s pop-up downstairs inside Crush restaurant at Belvedere Square. My friend Susan and I went and sat at the chef’s counter so we could watch them work. It was just Tae and his sous, Bailey and they made some of the best food (to this day) I’ve ever had. That was early on in my food life, or at least when I really paid attention to what I was cooking and eating. I remember being sort of shocked at the food and how much it stuck with me for days. I remember watching the sous vide machine cooking the eggs directly in front of us, making those perfect 63 degree eggs. See, it’s still in my brain.

Fast-forward to about 2016 or so, I was walking out of a restaurant and Tae was walking in. We both kind of stopped and were like, wait…I know you! We had been following each other for many years and I really admired his work and also that he had a reputation as not only very talented but also kind. We like kind. Anyway, I think we may have met up for a drink or something once, but I’m not sure. Soon after we met one another, he was off to California, working at the Michelin Star and Beard Award winning The Progress. A few years later, he was back on the East Coast working as executive chef at Momofuku CCDC for chef/owner David Chang. I went for a ridiculously good dinner there – still think about the bing, the most perfectly soft, a little bit chewy crepe-like bread that came with the most fantastic dipping sauces. I always love eating with my hands. You should really do that sometime.

Tae realized he wanted to have his own restaurant concept and left Momofuku about a year into his time there. Soon after, COVID hit and Momofuku CCDC closed its doors. Since leaving traditional restaurants, Tae has been running a very successful pop-up series called Ggoma Supper Club. Ggoma means “little” in Korean. I’ve been to two of Tae’s dinners and both were very different from each other and were full of creative dishes, surprising flavors and warm hospitality. He’s doing more of these suppers and I highly recommend signing up for his email list so that you can score seats. They always sell out.

Tae is currently looking for the perfect location for his own restaurant. I hope he finds it soon, but until then, there’s always Ggoma.

Cake or Pie? And what kind?

Tough one for sure, but I have to go cake. I love a super rich, old school devils food cake with chocolate frosting. It’s perfect.

Your most prized possession?

Toss up between my guitar and a photo album/book my father made for me many years ago. He is a very sentimental man. 

What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?

All the desserts. This is not an exaggeration! I was never much for desserts when I was younger, but nowadays I cannot resist sweets. Restaurant specific, I would say my all time favorite dish is mango sticky rice.

What’s your favorite to cook at home?

I love to bake bread.

What’s your morning beverage and how do you take it?

I don’t drink coffee or tea, so it’s just water in the morning.

What’s your personal motto?

Value all your good/bad experiences – be abundant in your gratitude for the people and things that bring you joy.

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

Thanksgiving – multiple varieties of potatoes, desserts, naps, family, etc etc.

Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?

“Pursue what feels honest to you” – a chef mentor from NYC many many years ago

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?

Proud of many things in my life, but I definitely hope my greatest accomplishment is ahead of me.

The last text you sent?

“Beth do I like pie or cake better?”

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Amy how the hell am I supposed to answer this?! I crave simple, peaceful moments in my life, so I suppose that is a start.

What do you love most about food?

It’s ability to connect all walks of life. In the simplest way, ‘deliciousness’ is universal. But it is also fascinating to dig deeper and see the parallels across all cultures and ethnicities in terms of food traditions.

What’s your favorite place in Baltimore?

I used to live in Fells Point and loved walking those cobblestone streets everyday. There was a little bakery on Fell Street and they sold ham and cheese croissants fresh out of the oven late at night and it was the best thing ever.

Read more of Amy Langrehr’s “Baker’s Dozen” series at Charm City Cook.