Bodega & Vino Forges Community Connection in Locust Point

Until recently, Rob and Angela Wainwright and their five children were a military family. But after Rob retired from the Air Force, and the kids were grown and gone, the couple, who moved to Maryland in 2016, felt like it was time for their second act.

Angela had spent much of her career working in hospitality for large corporations (Red Lobster, Starbucks), mostly because of the flexibility it afforded as the couple moved from state to state; Rob always enjoyed cooking and had a creative side. So, when it was time to figure out that next chapter, the duo decided to open Bodega & Vino, an all-in one convenience store/breakfast spot/wine bar/hangout space in Locust Point.

“This our empty nest phase,” says Angela, whose family is from Puerto Rico. “We’ve always wanted to do some sort of business. And this was something that spoke to us, since I’m from New York with all its bodegas.”

What they missed most was having a sense of community. “Even after several years of living here, we didn’t feel connected like you do when you enter a bodega in New York,” says Rob. “Having a wine bar allows us to entertain all the time without it being at our house.”

How would you define a bodega for anyone out there who doesn’t know?
Angela: A bodega is all things morning, all things afternoon. You can get a pastry or smoothie for breakfast or get a salad or sandwich for lunch. And we have a happy hour menu for the evening. We also have a grocery side with fruit and veggies and Taharka Brothers ice cream. A bodega is all the things that you need without having to go to the grocery store.

Tell me about the menu.
Rob: We went with simple fare like empanadas, tostones, and mojo potatoes. We also have something we call Brazilian beef sliders topped with plantains—they’re a play on what Anthony Bourdain showed in one of his videos when he was in Brazil. Also, since we had a double-deck pizza oven, folks kept telling us we needed to make pizza, so we created flatbreads and we call them Spanish-style flatbreads.

Angela, tell me more about how the space is reflective of your heritage.
Puerto Ricans are very welcoming and loving. I love being able to share my Puerto Rican culture. When you’re young, you don’t think about it—your culture is just the way you were raised. Now I’m sharing how I grew up with other people. People say they love the arroz con gandules (Puerto Rican-style yellow rice). I grew up eating it, so I didn’t think much of it until now, but the fact that my daughter is making it for the bodega makes it special.

What else do you want people to know?
Rob: We have the large Under Armour parking lot next to us. When you look at the folks in the parking lot, they are very digitally focused, as they beeline to the ferry. We wish we could grab their attention to say, “Take a break Baltimore Water Taxi comes every 15 minutes. Miss the ferry, come down—you don’t even have to buy anything. Don’t start your morning in a rush.” We want the bodega to be the living room for the neighborhood where you can hang out.