Japchae and bibimbap, anyone? Starting July 2, those craving Korean cuisine can find both at Peabody Heights Brewery.  

Earlier this week, the Abell brewery announced that it was launching The Concession Stand, the first Peabody Heights-owned food truck. With plans to serve Korean-fusion fare, its name, as Orioles fanatics may have guessed, pays homage to the team’s old stomping grounds.

“We’re located on Old Oriole Park number five, which was a historic stadium that hosted the Orioles and also the Negro Leagues,” said Amy Reid, the brewery’s events manager.

“We have a really cool history where we physically are. We wanted to stay on the theme of baseball history, and The Concession Stand is our way of doing that.”

One motivating force behind the launch of the new truck was to obtain a full liquor license, which, in Baltimore City, means a percentage of a brewery’s bar sales must happen through food. Another goal was for Peabody to establish its own culinary presence, which required a unique menu. 

Chef Anthony Lanasa, who says he was inspired by the Korean heritage of Peabody Heights co-owner Eddie O’Keefe, was the one to make that happen. 

“We got loads of applications from some very qualified people, but [Anthony] just had a really great vibe and just gels really well with the whole Peabody community,” Reid says.

Lanasa’s menu features shareables like mini scallion pancakes, spicy pork belly, and tteokbokki, seared rice cakes in a gochujang and garlic glaze with sesame seeds, mozzarella cheese and scallions. Fans of kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish made with salted and fermented vegetables, can order kimchi-spiced popcorn or kimchi dumplings served with sweet potato noodles as a satisfying snack. 

Entrees, most of which are customizable with ribeye, fried or grilled tofu, or chicken, include japchae (sweet potato glass noodles with veggies), a Korean-style smashburger, and sourdough grilled cheese with kimchi.

“Although these are simple dishes, we thoughtfully prepare them with small unique twists,” said Lanasa, who can’t wait for guests to order the Korean-style fried hotdog (or tofu dog) and bibimbap.

Made with white rice, lettuce, bean sprouts, and a rainbow of fresh veggies with one sunny side up egg, and served with gochujang aioli, “the bibimbap is such an approachable dish,” he said. Lanasa’s adaptation is traditional, with one unique exception: his own housemade scallion vinaigrette utilizes Peabody’s Old Oriole Park lager. He suggests pairing the dish with the brewery’s Butch Garden wheat ale.

Though Lanasa’s use of flavors are extravagant, his price points are within the ballpark limits, with all appetizers priced from $4-10 and entrees ranging anywhere from $10-16. Reid, who has her sights set on the fried Korean tofu dog, applauded Lanasa’s efforts to make sure the menu offered gluten-free and vegan options. 

“I feel like there’s something for everybody with dietary restrictions, and also just in terms of the variety of foods,” she says.

In addition to a full bar in the future, Reid says diners can look forward to collaborations with Baltimore eateries including Ekiben and Toki Underground. For now, she and Lanasa are excited for Peabody Heights to make its culinary mark.

“It’s really exciting, and I think it just makes a lot of sense for us. Food is such a part of all of our events, so it’s cool to have our own branded entity,” she says.

The Concession Stand will coincide with brewery hours. 

The post Peabody Heights Brewery launches first food truck, building toward a full bar appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Baltimore has so many incredible restaurants, and in this list of places to eat and drink, we highlight and disparage— from the magnificent to the messy.  

Messiest Closings: Anchor Tavern, Duck Duck Goose, and Osteria Pirata 

Baltimore has long been a revolving door for restauranteurs. That’s old news. But Ashish Alfred’s departure from Fells Point this summer left a foul aftertaste. In June — in tandem with Fox 45’s reporting (if we can call it that) on alleged crime concerns throughout the neighborhood — the chef announced the temporary closure of his eateries on South Broadway and Thames Street, along with his two restaurants in Bethesda and D.C. He cited his growing safety concerns for both patrons and staff, but failed to mention the various lawsuits impacting his businesses: one alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, and discrimination at the hands of Alfred, and another claiming Alfred terminated an employee for discussing payment issues.

Best Restaurant that Feels Like Home: Little Donna’s 

It’s not open on Sundays, but a trip to Upper Fells Point’s Little Donna’s for a cocktail and pierogies drenched in brown-buttery lobster sauce is sacred. We don’t take this restaurant lightly, sometimes waiting outside fifteen minutes prior to its opening to snag a high-top table. And the wait is always more than worth it. Everything chef/owner Robbie Tutlewski touches — from crab pancakes to smoked trout dip to persimmon pizza — turns to gold. Both regulars and newcomers are treated like old buddies. We suggest making a reservation yesterday, if not sooner. 

Best Ice Cream Flavor: Taharka Bros’ Honey Graham 

Year after year, Honey Graham takes the cake as the most talked-about ice cream flavor in town. If you’re picturing a pint of plain vanilla with a few sprinkles of crushed graham cracker pieces in the mix…try that on steroids. The Taharka Brothers team was thinking way outside the carton when they took a rich, graham cracker-flavored ice cream base and paired it with a buttery graham cracker swirl we wish that we could bottle. It’s a sweet-and-salty homage to a snack we all grew up with. And it’s from a Black-owned ice cream shop, so, technically, it’s good for you. 

Best Remix/Remodel: The Royal Blue

When The Royal Blue opened in the space that once held the beloved Black gay bar – Gallery One, also known as “The Gallery,” it almost immediately established itself as a new fixture in Station North and one that provided an updated opportunity for folks to seek food and entertainment.

With its disco pit and stellar menu, especially the tater tots and frozen rosés, it opened the door to a new place for people to congregate and unwind, with industry nights, bingo nights, and a jam-packed dance floor all weekend and every weekend. 

It hosts baby showers, wedding receptions, and comedy shows — it’s an eclectic, modern, and utterly cool place to be. It is the perfect update/remix of the past while paying homage to it (check out the bartop of collaged flyers from Charm City Art Space) and also provides a space for artists and creatives to work and play. 

Best Place to Take Your Sneaky Link: Coral Wig

The Coral Wig is sexy. This tiny bar is packed with ambiance — a chic interior, elegant and knowledgeable staff, a menu of cocktails including mango margaritas, martinis, and daiquiris, and a great happy hour. And with its lights always turned down low and a soundtrack that ranges from ambient to bossa nova, it’s the best place to take the affair you want to remember.

The Coral Wig is located adjacent to, and kind of underneath, Hotel Ulysses. Unlike Blooms, which I consider the place to see with your friends with its 1980s mirror and velvet interior, The Wig offers a sumptuous alternative. It is a place where you can slip under the cover of sensual darkness, drink a strong cocktail, and stare into the eyes of someone scintillating. 

Best Restaurant: Rooted Rotisserie 

Last year, we suggested that TikTok food star Keith Lee come to Baltimore and pay a visit to BLK Swan. He ignored us, as is his right, and instead visited Rooted Rotisserie. Even before he stopped by the Hollins Market restaurant, leaving a $4,000 tip, Rooted Rotisserie was already quickly becoming a city favorite. Husband and wife team Amanda and Joe Burton told us that the magic in their food (dishes like rotisserie chicken, confit potatoes, and charred shrimp) is in their intentionality and their commitment to keeping it simple.

“Everybody now feels like you have, like, a star thing on the menu,” Amanda told us. “No shade to that… but we eat out a lot, and sometimes we just want regular food.” 

Best Vibe: Mama Koko’s 

There’s something about Mama Koko’s, which opened this summer, that feels very neo soul. Like if 2002 Erykah Badu walked in, wearing a headwrap and carrying some incense, nobody would bat an eye. 

“​​Think grown and sexy meets casual neighborhood hub with small plates, craft coffee, artisan cocktails, and mocktails at reasonable prices,” Angela N. Carroll wrote about the Old Goucher establishment.

Their bar bites are our favorite part of the menu. They offer wings (lemon pepper or rum buttered buffalo), liberian meatballs, roasted sweet potatoes, and more. 

Best Late Night Food: Glizzy’s Wagyu Dogs

There’s no dog like a Glizzy dog. Glizzy’s Wagyu Dogs have developed a cult following in Baltimore, popping up outside bars and clubs late at night and at artisan markets and block parties. When their truck was hit by an 18-wheeler, fans jumped at the opportunity to buy Glizzy merch to support owner Casey Jarvis and keep his food cart going. They’ve got a variety of inventive Wagyu beef hot dogs and a vegan option, so everyone can indulge. 

Best Food Neighborhood: Highlandtown

You’re going to want to linger on the stretch of Eastern Avenue that runs through Highlandtown. It’s a vibrant, bustling thoroughfare of the city that’s adopted cuisines from every generation of immigrants that have made their home in the historic neighborhood. Try the pupusas at Diner Latino, pho from Indoviet, empanadas from Francesca’s Empanada Cafe, or sausages from Snake Hill Tavern. 

Most Inconsistently Open: Club Chuck

Club Charles’s propensity for randomly shutting down is something we can’t explain, but we love them anyway. You’ll always find strong cocktails, great conversation, and sometimes John Waters at our favorite watering hole. 

Best Cocktails: Wet City 

Of course we’re giving our Best Cocktails award to the bar that invented the Spaghett. While you can’t go wrong with that classic, Wet City is always bringing new delicious cocktails to their menu that’ll become your go-to. The Purple Marg is a year-round favorite of ours, but with the weather getting colder, give their hot cider a try. 

Best Brewery: Peabody Heights 

Peabody Heights Brewery is a place we always associate with joy. The spacious brewery in Abell brings together Baltimore residents with its flea markets, dance parties and weekly trivia, karaoke and chess nights. They reflect the beauty and authenticity of Baltimore with homages to Memorial Stadium and former Orioles legends painted on the walls. The bartenders are always warm and the beer is always cold.

Biggest Glow Up: The Mount Royal Tavern 

Mount Royal Tavern might be the best bar in Baltimore City. If you are looking for a quintessential night in Baltimore, look no further than the West Mount Royal Avenue corner. 

When it was announced that the bar would be sold to new owners, I was hesitant that my beloved bar would transform into something else. It’s nice to see it become a slightly more sophisticated but no less fun place to be. If you’re attempting to celebrate or commiserate, try one of Chloe’s apple pie shots.

Some changes have been made — primarily cosmetic. The bathrooms have been renovated, and MRT now takes electronic card payments (but still bring dollars for the jukebox and cash to tip your bartenders).

And now you can drink outside on their newly renovated outdoor patio during limited hours. But these changes haven’t changed the spirit or soul of The “Dirt Church” (go look up at the ceiling next time you’re in there).

MRT is also the best place to watch the Ravens in all their glory. 

Best Instagram: Ekiben

Ekiben is already a beloved brand, but whether they’re dunking on the NFL team the Ravens beat that week, having one of their employees try and hype up new menu items, or photoshopping an Ekiben bag into the background of a viral photo, their Instagram is a must-follow. 

The post Best (and Worst) of Baltimore 2024: Food and Drink appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

I’m lounging on a sexy golden sofa, sipping something robust, sweet, and rum-forward. The cocktail is a work of art, crimson-tinged with a crisp stroke of blue algae brushed along the inside curve of the coupe glass to accentuate its cool. The category is classic beauty. I soak in the quiet chatter and sweet giggles of young professionals and artsy peers dressed in their best fits, enjoying the respite of the workday’s end. The scene could have been clipped out of a spread for Ebony photographed by Anthony Barboza or Kwame Brathwaite. Our collective joy buzzes off the wood and brick walls, beams like the sunlight shining through the towering windows. The ceilings are high enough for us to stand tall, lofty as the peace we feel in each other’s company. Rum and laughter warm my chest. There is nothing like being nourished by community and sharing space with those who see you and want you to feel seen.

Have you visited Mama Koko’s yet? The concept cafe and cocktail bar is the latest venture from veteran restauranteurs Ayo Hogans and Angola Selassie located on the first floor of the historic James E. Hooper House in Old Goucher. If you’ve lived in the region for a while, you would likely have visited their flagship eatery, Grind House Juice Bar, later rebranded The Green House Juice Cafe, in Charles Village, grabbed a bite at their sister location at Towson University, or popped into Flourish (now on Harford Rd), a boutique managed by Nilajah Brown that once operated at the front of The Green House Juice Cafe.  Soulful plant-based cuisine has long been a staple food option on the St. Paul corridor for decades. OGs will remember Chef Skai’s venture, The Yabba Pot, which occupied the same venue in the early 2000s.  Hogans and Selassie’s spin on vegetarian cuisine presented a straightforward, eat-on-the-go plant-based menu with fresh smoothies and vegan treats. Mama Koko’s offers a culinary and conceptually elevated experience. The added perk is that the cafe is located just a few blocks from their previous address. 

Think grown and sexy meets casual neighborhood hub with small plates, craft coffee, artisan cocktails, and mocktails at reasonable prices. The menu and the layout, which hosts two bars, a lounge, and covered outdoor seating, are designed to suit a broader palette that pays homage to southern Creole, French, and West African flavor profiles. The venue is inspired by Angola’s mother, Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie, lovingly called Mama Koko, and celebrates her iconic style, incredible world travels, and their family’s powerful legacy.

“We wanted a space that would allow an experience for people to be able to slow down, sit down, socialize, show off their fits, meet some new folks, and that way, we could have a platform for an exchange of ideas.”

“Our last location was quite small, and because of the size constraints, it only allowed a to-go experience,” Angola shared. “We wanted a space that would allow an experience for people to be able to slow down, sit down, socialize, show off their fits, meet some new folks, and that way, we could have a platform for an exchange of ideas.”

The 33-room mansion was initially constructed for James Edward Hooper in 1886, who made his fortune by manufacturing duck cotton fabric in Baltimore. After he died in 1908, the house hosted various businesses until it fell into disrepair. It was purchased in 2018 by co-owners Matt Oppenheim and Mick Mier, who sought to turn the valuable property into a mixed-use space for artists and small ventures. The building survived a fire in 2022, and after years of critical renovations to maintain the original charm and historic architecture, the Hooper House recently reopened to the public. Hogans and Selassie leased the first floor for Mama Koko’s and a room on the second floor for The salon. Since last month’s soft opening, both projects have been very well received.

The couple wanted the space to feel like home. Their attention to detail is what makes sitting for a spell at Mama Koko’s such a treat. Their familial archive is the foundational decor. Cotton plumes and eucalyptus bundles billow out of vintage vases tucked into the corners of windowsills and set as intentional centerpieces on tables. Archival black-and-white ancestral portraits line the built-in bookshelves and overlook the nooks of both bars.

“All of these elements are my mother’s favorite elements,” Selassie continued. “They reflect her stories, travels, aspirations, and our family history in a very individual-specific sense, as well as a larger, collective sense… We wanted to promote global and African solidarity and internationalism as a whole. And we wanted the cotton to acknowledge those in the North American continent, the children of the cotton, and then place them in conversation with those in Brazil and Jamaica and Martinique, the children of the sugarcane, the rum.”

The recipes they feature in their evening rotating menu are intergenerational staples that have fed the cafe’s namesake and Mama Koko’s kin for generations: delicious small plates of red beans and rice, collard greens, roasted sweet potatoes, vegan and meat protein options. I cleaned my plate of greens and red beans and rice, humming and rocking as I ate, which we all know is the universal language for, “damn, this is good.” Their lunch menu reflects some of the dishes that made The Green House Juice Cafe famous, including yummy smoothies, yogurt bowls, and kale salads, and their new offerings include po’boys, smashed burgers, and Cajun shrimp and grits.

Mama Koko’s offers something to appeal to most palettes and lifestyles. During the day, teleworkers can bring their laptops, take meetings, and luxuriate in a relaxed environment with artisan offerings. When the clock strikes 6 p.m., the cafe transforms into an appealing bar and lounge; lights are dimmed, and candles are placed on each table. If you are still working at that hour, don’t be surprised if a member of their staff politely taps you on the shoulder and asks you to put the laptop away. They want to set a mood that inspires connection, community, and conversation. 

What a novel idea.

“I was a vegan for over 20 years, and in the last few years, for personal reasons, I am no longer vegan,” Ayo noted. “So, I wanted to offer more diverse food that is still healthy, fresh, and well-prepared food. But we still have many vegan options as well,” she added. “If you and your friends come and somebody is pescatarian, and someone else eats meat or is vegan, you can all get something here. The menu is definitely diasporic. It’s light bites. The food is good, but we’re not focused solely on the food,” Hogans continued. “We are focused on the whole experience, the vibe, the feeling you feel when you come in. It’s simple but delicious.”

Upstairs, on the second floor of the lush mansion, you will find The Salon at Mama Koko’s. If you peek inside, you will likely find Mama Koko sitting on her settee, surrounded by threads, beads, and books, calmly working on her coveted bracelets, writing her memoir, or reading. Lounge chairs are arranged in the round in front of her so visitors feel welcome to converse while shopping. Many will visit The Salon because they recognize the matriarch from the celebrated documentary “In Our Mothers’ Gardens,” directed by Shantrelle P. Lewis.

Others will visit to sit at the feet and learn from Dr. Kokahvah Zauditu-Selassie, a literary scholar, friend and colleague of Toni Morrison, retired professor of English at Coppin State University, and author of countless essays and seminal books, including “African Spiritual Traditions in the Novels of Toni Morrison” (2009) and her recent novel, “The Second Line” (2024).  

Those unfamiliar with who she is or her esteemed legacy will visit because of the beautiful space she has curated for herself and her community. 

“I have always made and sold things, and I have always been literary,” Mama Koko shared. “I was thinking about Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own,” and I always wanted a space where I could create. So, I created a literary salon as a place where I could leave my house and write without the interference of distractions. And when I came back from the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, I decided I wanted to open up a store like the Salon de Clamart that the Nardal sisters founded in Paris in the 1930s.”

Her clothing line, Yacine Diouf, is prominently featured in the intimate boutique. Mama Koko named the collection after her 10-year-old mentee, who resides in Dakar, Senegal, and hopes the gesture will inspire the child to achieve great things. The Salon includes many rare items sourced worldwide from Black women artisans, including raw fabric, dresses, bags, and Issa Gray’s exclusive jewelry line, IRE AJE. 

Mama Koko’s and The Salon pride themselves on being family-operated businesses dedicated to curating uplifting, community-oriented experiences. 

“I think people are deprived of love,” Mama Koko counseled. “People don’t really care about people in the ways that they should care. We work hard, and we are very intentional and very protective of having a space where people come in and feel welcome… We are maximizing their feeling of comfort. It’s not an industry model. We have a different business, aesthetic, and cultural model here. They not like us.”

The post Have you visited Mama Koko’s? It’s a vibe. appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

If you peek into Rooted Rotisserie’s compact kitchen, you’ll see a big metal oven that, with its rows and rows of silver spikes, looks a little like a medieval torture device. When husband and wife owners Amanda and Joe Burton take me into the kitchen so I can see it, I can feel the heat from it radiating onto my face.

The Burtons say the oven is central to what makes their food so special — and it’s also a symbol of the determination and serendipity that helped make the restaurant happen. 

“The one thing that I had to find to make this place real was that I couldn’t get, like… the typical rotisserie oven that you might find at a Peruvian restaurant or Costco. So I really did my homework to find an actual, traditional French rotisserie,” Joe tells me as we sit inside the Southwest Baltimore restaurant. 

The couple did their research and tracked down the oven they wanted — the problem was that it was in New York, it was too expensive, and the seller was not super enthusiastic about parting with it.

“When we got there, he was like, ‘oh, you shouldn’t have come,’” Amanda remembers, laughing.

Joe tried to soften the seller up by telling him about his dreams for the restaurant, and eventually, the seller gave in — and at a price they could afford.

“One day he just called me out of the blue and said, ‘I’m ready to sell the oven,” Joe says. “The very next day, we rode the bus to New York to check out this oven, and it was in one of the sketchiest places that you will ever see. I thought I was walking down into this place to get robbed!” 

The couple says the oven produces the French-style rotisserie chicken that they are looking for. 

“The French-style oven is a flatter oven,” Joe says. “And instead of a giant wheel turning, the spits turn, which leaves it to more even cooking, faster cooking, and the flames hit it in a way that the juices are kind of pushed back into the meat.”

When the lockdown hit, Joe was working as a sous chef at a restaurant in the Horseshoe Casino. Out of boredom, the couple began cooking meals at home and posting the process on Instagram. That turned into a small soup delivery business. The soups turned into dinners, and soon they were doing pop-up events. 

They were shopping for a spot inside one of the markets in the city, when one of their customers told them that he’d spotted a place that seemed perfect for them. They fell in love when they walked in. 

Rooted Rotisserie doesn’t just offer chicken. Their menu also includes dishes like confit potatoes, pan-roasted salmon, and braised collard greens. The couple says they want to cook simple food, prepared well. 

“Everybody now feels like you have, like, a star thing on the menu. Something that maybe is gimmicky and you have to have a grass wall and neon lights before people want to come. No shade to that… but we eat out a lot, and sometimes we just want regular food,” Amanda says.  

Joe is from West Baltimore, and Amanda is from Randallstown. I asked them how it felt to sell rotisserie chicken in a city so loyal to the chicken box. Amanda says that although the city isn’t huge, there’s room for several things to exist at once.

“I just feel like Baltimore’s like an underrated foodie city. I think the landscape is big enough for a chicken box to exist alongside French-style rotisserie chicken,” she says.

She mentions that their restaurant is next door to the popular clothing store City of Gods, where people can also buy things like wings and fried fish from Oh Honey, On the Bay!, a vendor stationed just outside the store.

She said the two businesses have a friendly relationship, and she’ll often encourage her guests to try their food, too.

“I feel like just us being right next door to them and us having that kind of like symbiotic relation with them is really what Baltimore is about.”

Rooted Rotisserie is located at 1116 Hollins Street. Give them a call at 443-401-6329 or find them online at rootedrotisserie.com.

The post Keeping it simple appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Darryl Collins reevaluated his relationship with alcohol when he stopped and counted how many drinks he’d had in a week: 20. He switched to non-alcoholic beers during the week and only drank alcohol on the weekends.

Although he’d initially only planned to open a cat cafe when he moved here from D.C. in 2021 (Flattery Cattery will open in Federal Hill early next year), he pivoted and instead opened a place where people could buy non-alcoholic drinks. 

Hopscotch opened in Fells Point in August. The shop offers non-alcoholic and zero-proof beer, wine, and spirits. ‘Non-alcoholic’ means they contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, while ‘zero proof’ means they contain no alcohol at all. He also sells zero-proof bitters and garnishes. Every bottle on display is selected and curated by Collins with intention and care.

Collins has designed the space to be jovial and welcoming, and this extends from the bright colors on the wall to the name of the space, which also recognizes sobriety as a journey. “Some people have one foot in. Those are people who are sober-curious, who might drink alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages,” he told Baltimore Beat. “Then you have other people who have two feet in — those are sober-serious, who don’t drink any alcohol at all. But, at the end of the day, it’s about maintaining your balance and having fun, however that looks to you.” 

The shop currently offers in-store tastings and browsing, and in January it will begin shipping online orders. Collins also plans to open a non-alcoholic speakeasy, also in Federal Hill, next year. 

“We’re not here to judge anyone,” he says, “We’re not here to ask your reason for not drinking. We’re just here to provide an option for those who are not looking to drink alcohol at the moment.” (Teri Henderson)

Hopscotch is located at 520 South Caroline Street, Suite 101. Find them online at hopscotchbottleshop.com. 

The post Hopscotch into the Holidays appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

The Neopol Savory Smokery location on Hollins Street was buzzing with activity when we shot the photos for this story. I noticed several hospital staff stopping in to buy lunch, along with other people who were also at the hospital to visit relatives. Neopol staff made it a point to take time to speak with each person, ask them their preferences, and offer them samples. The restaurant was warm, enveloping, and comfortable. 

My first visit to Neopol Savory Smokery was over 15 years ago at their Belvedere Square location. I was visiting my cousin Nettsannett that summer. When I moved to Baltimore in 2016, I started going more frequently. The quality of the food is as spectacular, as is the level of customer service.

Neopol Savory Smokery specializes in smoked meats and sides. You may have seen their smoked mussels and lobster rolls at a local farmers market. It is co-owned by mother and son duo Barbara Lahnstein and Dorian Brown. Whether at Belvedere Market, their location at Union Station, or on Hollins Street, Neopol makes you feel special. When setting up the shoot for this issue, Brown was adamant that we included every member of the team, not just the more public and familiar facing parts of the crew, like he and his mother. 

I met with Brown over Zoom. Brown has been working in food service since the early ’90s. We talked about sandwiches, the importance of quality customer service, and how he and his mother have built a business that is known for making people feel welcome and well-fed.

Holidays can be difficult for people with non-traditional backgrounds, and for those who are grieving, those who are marginalized, these last few months of the year can be lonely and isolating. One of my favorite things about this time of year is the opportunity to be still and reflect about the things that I am grateful for, including my friends and chosen family. Here are some recipes from Neopol Savory Smokery that you can make at home for your friendsgiving or more traditional Thanksgiving celebrations. If you don’t feel like cooking, I suggest stopping by one of their locations, which will make you feel like you are at home. Happy Thanksgiving!

Teri Henderson:  Where are you from? Where are your roots? Where are your people from?

Dorian Brown: I’m from Baltimore. Like 100%. And when I say 100%, I’ve lived all over Baltimore. I went to three different high schools. My mother [Barbara Lahnstein] is from Germany. She came here when she was 21 years old. 

My dad is from Lawton, Oklahoma. I don’t have a relationship with my dad, but later in life, I found my grandmother. Having an old grandmother from the South is cool.

Obviously, my mother is a white lady from Germany, and my dad is a Black man from Oklahoma. There’s no genetic crossover.

[both laugh]

But that’s pretty much where I come from. 

TH: How do you describe your role at Neopol Savory Smokery? What do you do?

DB: I make sandwiches. Often, when people ask me what I do, that’s what I lead with. That is one of my favorite things to do. I’m the co-owner of a local small business that happens to specialize in smoked foods, and we’re most known for our smoked salmon. Essentially the retail spaces operate as a deli.

Our very beginnings, our roots, are from the farmers’ markets. [Those] are still a significant part of our business– both financially and emotionally. I grew up in farmers’ markets. My first business was selling lemonade at a farmers market; they’re very special to me. I love participating in them, and whenever you’re traveling in any city, a farmers market is a good place to go and check things out.

TH: When you talk about your retail locations, are you talking about the one in Belvedere Square or the one on Hollins Street? 

DB: They’re all essentially set up the same. There’s the one in D.C. at Union Station, the one at Belvedere Square, and the one with the production kitchen. The difference in the [location] with the production kitchen is that it’s just us. When you come in, you’re in our space and retail setup, unlike the other two in food halls. But the setup is the same. You order at the case, you pay at the register, and the sandwich should be the same at any location. 

TH: When did y’all open the production kitchen? 

DB: We got in there in 2018, we had a couple of transitional months, with just the process of moving everything from one location to another, and we couldn’t afford to be closed for a couple of weeks. It was bit by bit, and we were smoking at both places, and then on one Sunday night, we finally got everything moved over, and by Monday morning, we were all set. I love it down there. Southwest Baltimore is a place that I did not spend a lot of time in as a kid, but it is a cool neighborhood. It has a little bit of everything down there. It’s dope. 

TH: What are some of your favorite things about working at Neopol? 

DB: People have given us a lot of their time, a lot of their effort, a lot of their talents, and made Neopol better. When people say, “Oh, Barbara, I can’t believe you made all this food” or “Oh Dorian” It really takes away from acknowledging what I think is the most important part of why the food comes out that way. It’s a hard thing to do, because sometimes people don’t really want to jump in front of the camera, but at the same time, everybody likes to be acknowledged for what they’re doing. 

I love food. I really do. I found something that I really enjoy making food, and then we have built a business around it. But as that happened, I realized that the thing that I love even more than making the food is putting the food in somebody else’s hands.

Like when somebody comes from across town, and they’re like  “I have been waiting for this sandwich all week” or when someone says: “Oh, I got a family member that is sick and I want to take them something.” That is not a small thing to me. You show up in people’s homes, at their special events. That’s a very special thing to me.  That’s a very good feeling. 

We’ve got people that have walked in the door with no food experience and learned how to do things they didn’t know how to do before. And those skills, they can take somewhere else, or they can share in my appreciation for food and things like that. So that’s really wonderful too.

TH: I think that definitely translates. I’ve seen so many businesses leave Belvedere Square. Neopol seems to be a staple. 

DB: It’s based on the support of the people who keep coming. That’s another thing about taking an interest in the customer service aspect of it. You should have good customer service. Right? It’s a thing you should have, but every once in a while, you know, you slip a little bit. If you have a relationship with folks, they might say, “Hey, Dorian, I just wanna let you know this wasn’t right. So I’m going to come back next week.” Because people want to support you, and it’s not just about coming in the door and spending some money. It’s about telling a friend, and it’s about giving real feedback. We have that, and we are very, very grateful for that.

TH: What’s your favorite meal to cook at home? 

DB: Funny enough, because we order so much salmon, sometimes it’s cheaper than going to the grocery store to cut a piece off.  I make a lot of pan-seared salmon and things like that. We’re getting really quality raw salmon, so it’s better for me to sneak a couple of pieces from Neopol rather than going to the grocery store and getting something that’s been sitting there for a few days. I also really like making sandwiches, still. But simple sandwiches. Like three-ingredient sandwiches. 

TH: What are some of your hobbies? When you do have time outside of work how do you spend it? 

DB: That is a point of interest because I am working on my work-life balance. I got married recently. 

TH: Congratulations!

DB: Thank you! It changes the dynamic of needing to be home. Not that that’s a hobby. Spending time doing things with family, also my mother is getting older. You have to realize that there’s more than just work. 

Although the relationship that I have with work is not just work, I really love it. It never feels like I’m at work, so I never feel like I need to clock out. But when you share a life with someone else, sometimes you have to clock out. I have two wonderful dogs. So just taking them out on trips and things is kind of where I’m at right now. 

TH: How are you and your family spending Thanksgiving? 

DB: I have a very small family. It’s basically just my mother and I. But my wife has a much larger family. So my mom and I are going to go to her family’s house and have Thanksgiving. We also have another chosen family with my godson. Jess and I are godparents to [Jinji Fraser] ‘s son Stokely; he’s two. We have yet to figure it all out, but we are going to Jess’s parent’s house and Jinji’s house for Thanksgiving dessert.

TH: Jinji has a space at Belvedere Market, right? So you’ve both been holding down the spot there. 

DB: Our parents were friends. So we’ve known each other for about twenty years.

TH: What are some of your favorite Baltimore spots that you’d like to shout out? 

DB: My favorite food person in Baltimore is Damian [Mosley] from Blacksauce Kitchen. I like how he and his team make food. The menu changes up a lot, and you can always get something different. Even if it’s something that I don’t fall in love with, I always think, “I’m glad I ate that. Let me see what’s on tap for next week.” Blacksauce is great. I love the drinks at Clavel.

TH: What is the best way Baltimore Beat readers can support you and your work?

DB: I think the best thing readers can do, not just for us but for food businesses in general, is to go out and buy some things. 

Exercise a little bit of patience as people are still adjusting, and tip your staff whenever you can. To support us – I think of it as supporting all of us. Like if you come to us, or you come to Blacksauce or another place, as long as you’re out and keeping us all moving, it’s good because we all want to do well. 

Let’s maintain that culture of still going places and not just DoorDashing. Let’s keep coming through doors; let’s keep those interactions going. We are on DoorDash, but let’s not make everything about delivery. 

______________________________________

RECIPES

Smoked Shrimp

1 lb 10 shrimp (cleaned)

Marinade

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves fresh garlic (diced)

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp chili powder

• Combine all ingredients for marinade

• Toss shrimp in marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour

• Smoke shrimp for 25-30 minutes at 275 degrees

• Serve right away

Smoked Pulled Pork

4lb pork shoulder

Dry rub

3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp cumin

3 Tbsp granulated garlic

2 Tbsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp chipotle power

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp black pepper (ground)

5 cups pork fat

• Coat the shoulder with the dry rub and refrigerate for 12-24 hours

• Place shoulder in a deep pan with pork fat. Cover and cook for 5 hours in a 250 degree oven

• Remove pork from fat and place inside smoker for 1.5 hours at 200-250 degrees

• After cooking the meat should be fork tender and fall apart

Smoked Salmon Cakes

12 ounces hot smoked salmon  

⅕ cup panko bread crumbs

2 tablespoon mayonnaise 

1/4 cups roasted sweet corn 

2 tablespoons white onion 

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 large egg

Pinch of salt and pepper 

1 tablespoon of olive oil 

1 lemon 

• In a medium-sized bowl shred the salmon using your hands or a fork until it is finely chopped. Mix flakes salmon with all ingredients except the bread crumbs. After everything is mixed, fold in bread crumbs.

• Divide the mixture into 4 even cakes or 8 mini-cakes.
• Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Cook the cakes for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

• Enjoy! 

The post Talking family, food, and customer service with the folks at Neopol appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

It’s getting colder and the evenings are beginning earlier, so why not have a drink? We decided to ask a few local bartenders to give us some recipes for tasty fall cocktails, and to tell us a little about themselves, too. Here, you’ll find drinks to warm you from the inside with flavors of bourbon, apple, and, of course, pumpkin spice.

SUGARVALE – Collin Schnitker 

4 W. Madison St.

Baltimore, MD 21201

Tue-Thu: 5pm-12 a.m.

Fri & Sat: 5pm-1 a.m.

Happy Hour: 5-7 p.m.

Sugarvale has just introduced a new cocktail menu and the offerings are sure to warm your spirit. Sugarvale is an intimate cocktail bar fit for every occasion, from a business meeting, date night, to drinks with friends.

Teri Henderson : What is your zodiac sign?

Colin Schnitker: My sign is Gemini.

TH: What are your hobbies outside of work?

CS: I like to unwind by listening to music or making videos, working on projects with my friends – any artistic outlet I can find time for!

TH: What is your favorite spirit? 

CS: My favorite spirit is Mezcal.

TH: What is your go-to cocktail to make when you get home?

CS: My go-to cocktail at home or when I’m out is a Mezcal Negroni with Bruto Americano. It’s Smoky, bitter, and a little sweet. It’s perfect.

TH: What do you like about bartending?

CS: What I like about bartending are the social and creative aspects. I love being able to talk to new people or host familiar faces. On the other end, I love being able to come up with concepts and trying to make them fit into a glass. Getting to collaborate with my coworkers is always fun.

TH: What is the best cocktail you’ve ever had, and where did you drink it? 

CS: It’s impossible to say what the “best” cocktail I’ve ever had was, but a bartender named Harry made this smoked garlic drink I had at Dutch Courage. He loves making psycho-savory drinks, and he really pulled it off with that one.

RECIPES:

Dirt Spiced Latte

1.5 oz McClintock White Whiskey

.75oz house-made pumpkin spice syrup

.5oz fresh lemon juice

.25oz St George NOLA coffee liqueur 

1 dash of Angostura bitters

Egg white

Phantom Space Ramen, Baby

1oz dashi-washed white rum 

1oz curry-coconut

.75oz yuzu liqueur 

.5oz grapefruit

Alvin Row

1.5 oz fennel-infused vodka

.5oz Neisson agricole rhum

.5oz dry vermouth 

.25oz Mastiha

.25oz Don Ciccio & Figli Finnocchietto

2 dash lemon bitters

B.SIDE – HOTEL REVIVAL – Dyyo Faccina

B.Side is located on the first floor of Hotel Revival (look for the jukebox and bowl of gold coins). They recommend you make a reservation, and the adjacent karaoke rooms are also serviced by the bar. 

101 West Monument Street

Teri Henderson: What is your zodiac sign? 

Dyyo Faccina : I am a Capricorn. My birthday is December 24th.

TH: What are your hobbies outside of work? What do you like to do to unwind? 

DF: Making art helps me unwind. Whether it’s music, film, or painting, expressing myself always feels good and relaxing.

TH: What is your favorite spirit?

DF: Mezcal. I love smokey flavors.

TH: What is your go-to cocktail to make when you get home?

DF: Margaritas. That’s what I usually offer guests whenever I have people over. Everyone loves margaritas. It’s always hard to have just one.

TH: What do you like about bartending?

DF: I love to keep the party going. I like to provide and fun and safe environment. Bartending is more than serving someone a drink. It’s about providing an experience.

TH: What is the best cocktail you’ve ever had, and where did you drink it? 

DF: I’ve had a lot of cocktails, so this is a hard one. I had a drink at Copycat Company in D.C called the Double U Old Fashioned, which had Rye whiskey, sherry, and port wine. I love Old Fashioneds so it was especially delicious. 

Recipes:

“Buzz Me In”

1 oz Bar Hill Gin

.75 oz Dry Vermouth 

.5 oz Apricot liqueur 

.5 oz Rosemary infused honey

.25 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

4 Dashes Of Lavender Bitters

*Garnish With Rosemary wrapped in lemon.

“The Party After The After Party”

1.5 oz Monkey Shoulder Scotch 

.5 oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac

.75 oz Cardamom Liqueur

.25 oz Sfumato Bitter Liqueur 

.75 oz Ginger Syrup

.25 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice 

2 Dashes of Fig Bitters

*Garnish With Burnt Star Anise

SAGAMORE PENDRY, BLUESTONE + H3IRLOOM – Lola 

The Sagamore Pendry Hotel

1715 Thames Street

Bluestone Restaurant 

1 W Aylesbury Road
Timonium, MD 21093

H3irloom Food Group

3425 Sinclair Lane

Teri Henderson: What is your zodiac sign? 

Lola: Leo Sun Scorpio Moon and Aquarius Rising.

TH: What is your favorite spirit? 

Lola: Whiskey. Definitely Crown Royal for my Poppa Diddy Pop

TH: What is your go-to cocktail to make when you get home? 

Lola: Either Rosè or some tequila shots.

TH: What do you like about bartending? 

Lola: I absolutely love the importance of the job. We see people on their very best days, like weddings, graduations, new job celebrations, and promotions, and we see them on their worst days: funerals, heartbreaks, and medical diagnoses. And the human connections I get to make by just making people feel celebrated, heard, and uplifted is something I couldn’t find doing anything else.

TH: What is the best cocktail you’ve ever had, and where did you drink it? 

Lola: I would say the very first time I had a French 75, which is NOW my favorite cocktail ever. It had more to do with the person I shared the cocktail with, my bestie boo. She ordered it like the classy lady she is. I had no idea what to order at this fancy ass restaurant, so I copied her, and I’ve been drinking them ever since!

RECIPES:

(I have no names for these cocktails. I usually just make things and name them for the people I’ve created them for. I’m not super fancy with cocktails, to be honest. Basic is the best I’ve found)

FIRST COCKTAIL

2 oz Bourbon

1/2 oz lemon juice

2 bar spoons of apple butter

add cranberry

shake & strain over ice or serve it up.

THE OTHER COCKTAIL

2 oz Gin

pour over ice

top with apple cider and ginger beer.

The post A Few Fall Cocktails appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

Even before Leah Chase took over at Dooky’s Chase, the New Orleans restaurant founded by her father-in-law in 1941, it was already a bustling, casual eatery where people came to talk about the serious issues of the day. It was Leah, however, who made Creole food its specialty and decorated the walls with art by Black artists. Chase turned Dooky’s into a sit-down restaurant where a members of the community—black and white—could come to talk about race and the fight for civil rights. That was a huge deal in Jim Crow’s America. She fed among many others, Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, and Barack Obama. Chase earned the acclaim and respect in a white, male dominated food industry that she enjoyed all the way until her death at beginning of this month at the age of 96.

Chase and her Creole cooking became staples in New Orleans and across the country and in recent years, was even entering the realm of popular culture. She was the inspiration for the first Black Disney Princess—Tiana, the New Orleans girl who dreamed of opening her own restaurant and had a cameo in Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” seated regally among other notable Black women like the mothers of Mike Brown and Erik Garner.

We asked local Krystal Mack, who visited with Chase, to discuss Chase’s significance and the legacy she left behind. Mack, who formerly owned BLK//SUGAR at R. House and before that ran Karma Pop/PieCycle, is a wizard with food offering unique frozen treats—and as our coverage yesterday of the Lexington Market Town Hall showed, is unafraid to speak out about issues of inequity and food justice. (Lisa Snowden-McCray)

Baltimore Beat: You went on a New Orleans trip a while back that included a visit with Leah Chase. How did that come about? What did you do? What did you learn? 

Krystal Mack: I attended the Radical Exchange summit Resistance Served in New Orleans this February. Resistance Served was like no other food or hospitality conference I’ve ever attended. There was a tour to Whitney Plantation, a dinner with Michael Twitty and panel discussions that really dived into issues black food professionals face. One of the dinners was at Dooky Chase and it was a collaboration between Leah Chase and Carla Hall. Shrimp and grits, red snapper, biscuits. We had so much food! Miss Chase spoke before the meal and it was amazing to experience the energy of dining at Dooky Chase with Carla Hall and Leah Chase.

BB: How have chefs like Chase influenced the kind of work that you do? 

KM: Chefs like Miss Chase are so special because they really were about community. We hear a lot of people talking about building community but it is often times just for praise or recognition or the power that comes from being seen as a space provider and savior. Chef Chase was a true community builder and an educator. She taught me that the type of work that she did, real community organizing, is not for the faint of heart but that Black women do have it within us if we want to commit to doing the work. She instilled excellence within me and is actually the reason why I am considering going to culinary school. She believed that if you loved to cook you owe it to yourself to better your skills and hone your craft. 

BB: How did you feel when you learned that Chase had passed away? 

KM: I really felt like the food community, especially the black food community, lost a source of love, comfort, and history. Her words will live on in her writings and teachings. I hope her lessons will not only live on in those who learned them but also be put into action in each of our lives. I was speechless when I saw she had passed but I also felt honored to have had a meal at Dooky Chase this February in her presence. I had met her once in 2017 at a book signing and discussion at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. and honestly thought that was the one time I would meet her. Being around legendary black women who are elders in food is a rarity. To have the opportunity to do so twice felt surreal. It was truly an honor to get some of that light.

BB: To me, it feels like Black women chefs are getting more shine than they have in the past. I see people like you and Chef Cat here in Baltimore and all over the country I see Black woman chefs convening and talking about the work they do. Is this something you have experienced? If so, what do you think is the cause. If not, what’s the work that needs to be done?

KM: The convening is something that I have seen but not had a lot of first hand experience with in Baltimore if I’m being honest. I’ve connected with other black women in food and hospitality across the country and grown really special relationships with women like Gabrielle Carter of Revival Taste Collective and Ashtin Berry of Radical Exchange. But at home I struggle with building community. I’ve always felt somewhat like an outsider in both the white food community and Black food community here. Even when I created things for my community I don’t believe they are received well. It’s taught me to not just create things that I would want for my city and others but to continuously focus on the things that I truly want to create for myself. In fact that realization of not having food community or more of a connection to the work is what gave me the bravery to pivot into art. 

In my experience the arts community in Baltimore has been more welcoming than the food community. The closest I’ve gotten to having a sense of genuine food community in Baltimore is when I worked at Real Food Farm and met women like Myesha Taylor and Aleya Fraiser. My local food family has grown more with connections to Chefs like Amanda Mack (no relation) but it is still a very small one for me. I think the food disconnect is mostly because I don’t identify as a chef. I’m not rocking a jacket or working in a restaurant any longer so most people don’t know how to process exactly what it is that I do.  

This is something I find interesting because there are literally white women in Baltimore on the same path as me and it is accepted. They are allowed to be mediocre and flourish. They are not required to prove their worth. However as a Black woman, there is already a bias, conscious or unconscious, tied to the work I create. Proof of this can been seen in the segregated food and arts scenes here in Baltimore. Blackness is not a monolith and so I believe that there needs to to be more of an understanding, by all people, of the intersectionality of Blackness as it pertains to food and the arts. And also an acceptance of pride in being cooks as well as chefs. There are a ton of people calling themselves chefs when they are just really strong home cooks. A chef has knife skills, the ability to manage a team, mentor, cost ingredients, teach and lead a team of professionals. They consistently execute visually flawless work. 

I have never liked being called a chef. If you can’t do all of those things I just mentioned consistently well, then you are not a chef and that is okay. It bothers me that there has been such shame in identifying as “just” a cook because so many black cooks have laid the foundation for American cuisine as it stands today. Enslaved cooks are a perfect example of this. To me it is almost disrespectful to the culture to not want to self-identify as a cook. Chef is the default role. But when you look at the history of kitchen hierarchy it is rooted in Eurocentric views of power which has always been troublesome to me because it leads back to white standards and whiteness as the default. And if we’ve learned anything at this point it’s that white standards do not benefit Black, brown, and yellow people. If anything, they divide each respective community and pit people of color from each other. I think that there should be praise of all roles: Food Artists, Home Cooks, and Line Cooks. We should aspire to take up space in all roles of the industry, not just as the chef. However, if it is the role of chef that we are aiming for, we need to come correct with no half-stepping from recipe development and plating to focus and creativity. It’s more than just a title, it’s a responsibility.

BB: What are you currently working on?

KM: Currently, I am mostly working on programming that will celebrate the national legacy of Black women in food at a local museum. I’ve been working on this since last June and I’m really excited for its premiere in the fall. I can’t give all of the details just yet but I’m looking forward to honoring Baltimore’s history of Black women in food while also celebrating our present state and future. 

I just announced my food zine project “PalatePALETTE.” “PalatePALETTE” is a zine project that examines our varied relationships to Baltimore foodways at the intersection of art and design.  I’m curious about both the history behind and future of Baltimore foodways and this project is just my way of exploring that curiosity. The first issue is on the chicken box and I’m currently accepting submissions on the topic. Submissions can be emailed to AbsenceOf.Studio@gmail.com. 

This August, I will be heading to Marble House Project in Dorset, Vermont for a Culinary Artist residency. My work during that time will focus on healing from all of the loss that I have experienced in the past five years. This work will be some of my most vulnerable and honest work to date. I’m really excited but also really nervous to execute it. If anyone would like to support me, I have created an Amazon wishlist of items I will be in need of during the residency.

The post A Source of Love: Baltimore Culinary Artist Krystal Mack Remembers New Orleans Chef Leah Chase appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

“Fentanyl patches, fentanyl patches,” Joe said, selling, walking a zig-zag pattern in front of Lexington Market yesterday afternoon a few hours before the Seawall Development-hosted “Transform Lexington Market Town Hall” which put the company radically redeveloping the embattled market before the public.

“I heard they’re tearing down the market and so on and so forth,” Joe said. “Then the yuppies can come in and all of that.”

Joe (probably not his real name, seeing as how the first name he gave me was “Perry Mason”), in his 50s, here his whole life, selling because he uses and using because he sells is pretty much right, that does seem to be the plan.

Seawall, the developers behind R. House, Remington Row, and Miller’s Court, will reimagine the market by demolishing the arcade of the East Market (where all the vendors currently are) and turn it into an outdoor area and also build a brand new South Market which will house less vendors than the East Market currently does and likely, newer, bougier ones.

“Me? I’ll, well, I’ll just go somewhere else,” Joe said and then went back to hawking his wares, bored with a reporter, a pocket full of patches to move.

That is probably how some of Lexington Market’s current vendors and shoppers and Seawall Development would prefer it: Out with guys selling drugs outside and in with, well, that isn’t entirely clear but vaguely, something “better” and newer, less deep-fried, “cleaner,” and all the rest.

See, everybody involved would rather tip-toe around this “transformation,” and claim, as town hall host Pickett Slater Harrington, the head of Seawall’s Community Engagement Team, told the crowd, that it is all up to the wonderful people sitting here on a Wednesday night in June—The Community.

“We’re working with the communities to co-create a vision,” Slater Harrington said. “Seawall is part of the community of Baltimore and we’re working hard to figure out ways that we could share your vision of Lexington Market and that’s the only way that we’re going to be successful.”

Right away, Slater Harrington addressed two concerns: the ongoing ability for SNAP benefits to be used at the market and concerns about equity and diversity.

“We’ll make sure that SNAP benefits remain at Lexington Market,” he said. “We’re also working really hard to figure out how do we increase the amount of diversity and inclusion in the market.”

Some light applause followed. SNAP benefits, a serious issue many assumed would be put off to the side and ignored, hd been acknowledged.

Slater Harrington knows the right things to say and how to say them, and you might, in a moment of unbound optimism, imagine that Seawall would drop something radical on everybody’s heads if the community demanded it.  If drugs are a problem at the market, they could get a safe consumption site in there, right? And if safety is such an issue, counselors could be present to help folks process trauma, no? The sense was the sky’s the limit if the community said it enough times (and wrote it on the sticky notes and stuck it on dry erase boards as requested at the beginning of the town hall). In reality, most of the decisions about the market have been made already and at the town hall, a bill of goods but woke was being sold.

Early on, Slater Harrington posted a Harriet Tubman quote on the screen behind him: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, the passion to reach for the stars to change the world,” a whole-ass slide read.

Was the dream the new market? Is the community the dreamer? Or Seawall? Doesn’t matter of course, it sets the tone—social change, racial reckoning, and the rest, all of it a nice segue into a quick acknowledgement by Slater Harrington of the market’s role in the slave trade. 

By the way, a quick Google reveals that the Tubman quote on the slide is, according to Tubman scholar Kate Clifford Larson, not something Tubman ever actually said.

The platitudes continued and community members and vendors were handed a microphone by someone in a Remington Row t-shirt (where the cheapest rent is currently $1,228 a month) and took that mic to push back as Slater Harrington took it on the chin on behalf of Seawall.

“You tear down schools, you tear down community centers, you tear down the recreation centers…but you build more businesses. Businesses require people to spend money and in order for people to spend money that means they need more opportunities to make money, so with that being said, how many jobs will we actually allot to people with certain kinds of backgrounds?” Kevin Sherman, a carpenter said. “What are you going to do to actually help the community? I understand you all are gonna gentrify things.”

“I’m here to find out what Seawall’s plans are for the non-food merchant vendors,” said Nova Thomas, the owner of Sole Surviving, the t-shirt design stall at Lexington Market.

“It is what the community decides and comes up with,” Slater Harrington told Thomas. “That’s what we need input on.”

“What are you guys going to do to implement that?” Thomas said. “I don’t want to just leave that up to the community, I want to see that it’s in the plan, that I can come here and be able to get my check cashed or get a shirt made.”

“Thank you so much,” Slater Harrington said.

Nearby, Seawall Development’s Jon Constable stood, arms crossed, standing near the audience not exactly among them, nodding his head approvingly at Slater Harrington’s optimism and when someone who stepped up to the mic suggested something like say, involving Baltimore youth in the market or bringing live music in. His face got a little bit red and he’d shoot an “oh well” look at some other Seawall folks when comment turned too critical or got a little too real.

“When Seawall establishes a business in your community, they’re bringing people from outside the community to come in and raise the price of everything about it,” said Dylan Ubaldo, who used to work at R. House, and is a musician and chef who runs Calasag Pop-Up. “The businesses in the neighborhood that I’m around, they have to increase the price…they have to do so much just to survive.”

Krystal Mack, who formerly ran BLK//SUGAR, a stall at R. House, named Constable and Peter DiPrinzio of Seawall by name.

“These are people who will say they are about the community but they will implement things that are not to the community’s benefit,” Mack said. “How are you going to ensure that in this new development that people have been here and built and maintained this market when others have forgotten about it—the city in particular. How are you going to ensure that the people will still be cared for?” 

Then Mack told Slater Harrington the aside about the market and slavery was “awkward,” and did not give the topic, “the respect it deserves.” Slater Harrington maintained eye contact and nodded his head.

“It is easy to say the responsibility is on the people, but it is not fair to the vendors and it is not fair to the community,” Mack continued. “You guys have the money and the access and the political power.”

“I love that sentiment,” Slater Harrington said.

“Don’t love it,” Mack said. “Be actionable.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Slater Harrington said. “Responsibility!”

The post At town hall, developers behind a new Lexington Market want the community to do all of the work appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

As a kid growing up in Philadelphia and later in South Jersey, I’d hide my mother’s hummus whenever she’d packed it for lunch because kids were relentless. As I’d open my lunch bag, I’d hear, “That looks like vomit” and “Ewww, what is that stuff Susan’s eating?”

Now, thirty years later, those same kids are parents themselves, packing hummus for their own children, lovingly tucking in carrot sticks and chia-seed whole-wheat crackers to use for dipping.

How the tables have turned.

Recently, I was in the supermarket when I saw a display of tubs of hummus, in the refrigerated section. Earlier that morning, I’d seen single-serving Sabra containers, with pretzels, in my college’s cafeteria. As an Arab American, I should be happy that my country has finally embraced this staple of the Middle Eastern diet, right? Americans love this vegan-friendly, high –protein, gluten-free food – and, even though the store-bought stuff really doesn’t taste very good, consumers are willing to pay a lot of money for it.

And this is probably what bothers me the most. In addition to the fact that Sabra and other brands simply do not taste good or authentic, these companies have “gentrified” a common and inexpensive staple of the Middle Eastern diet (Sabra in particular is problematic for some consumers as it has long been on the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement’s list). Hummus is not gourmet food – it’s a delicious, but essentially cheap, source of protein, and when combined with the essential tahine (sesame seed paste), provides healthy fat in your diet as well. It’s not supposed to be expensive. It’s not supposed to be packed with preservatives so it can sit on your supermarket shelves for a month. It’s most definitely not supposed to be combined with ingredients like chocolate, or taco seasoning, or pumpkin (although, hey, who am I to judge?).

April is Arab American Heritage Month (really, look it up). I thought to myself last week that many people will probably buy hummus as part of their office events, class parties, or other celebrations. But they wouldn’t be getting real hummus. So I tweeted out, as a joke, “April is Arab American Heritage Month. Please celebrate it by NOT buying Sabra hummus. Message me for the super-secret, super-authentic recipe.”

My Twitter message inbox was quickly flooded as people took me up on the offer. Over four hundred people, and many of them have responded that their efforts led to success – it was easy and fast and delicious, just like I’d promised. In exchange, several offered me their own family recipes, and I am now thrilled to be in possession of authentic recipes for Irish soda bread, Mexican flan, Hawaiian poke, and champorado (a Filipino chocolate rice porridge), among many others.

We need to have a party, y’all.

Here’s the recipe, for you. Feel free to experiment and make it your own. And Happy Arab American Heritage Month. Sahtein!

Super-Authentic Hummus Recipe (Credit for this recipe goes to my Mother, Grandmothers, and Great-Grandmothers who will be upset that I am recommending canned chickpeas instead of fresh ones)

-8 oz. can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

-2 tbsp tahine (sesame seed paste)

-2 tbsp lemon juice

-pinch of salt

-1 tsp ground cumin

-½ cup of water

-1 tbsp olive oil

-pinch of paprika

-pita bread, wheat crackers, or vegetables

I recommend using a food processor or Nutri-bullet style appliance; a blender works fine too, but you might have to add more water to thin it out.

What To Do:

1. Combine the chick peas, tahine, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and water in the processor. Blend the ingredients together until you have a creamy texture.

2. Use a clean spoon to taste your hummus. Add anything else that seems to be missing. Maybe more salt? More lemon? It’s your hummus, so make it the way you like it!

3. This hummus is now your “base.” You can add anything else you like. Roasted red peppers? Black olives? Shredded carrots? Walnuts? Garlic? Do it!

4. Remove your hummus and spread onto a flat plate. Drizzle the olive oil over it and sprinkle with paprika to decorate. Eat with pita bread, crackers, or veggies!

Susan Muaddi Darraj won the American Book Award in 2016 for “A Curious Land: Stories from Home.” Her children’s chapter book series, “Farah Rocks,” stars a Palestinian American girl as the lead character; it will be published by Capstone Books in January 2020. Visit her website and follow her on Twitter: @SusanDarraj. Check her out at the CityLit Festival on April 27.

The post An Authentic Hummus Recipe For Arab American Heritage Month appeared first on Baltimore Beat.