Chef Malcolm Mitchell, however, took a completely different approach when preparing to debut his new Gough Street gastropub last May.

“We literally just opened up the doors,” Mitchell says. “At that point we didn’t even have a Facebook page. People in the neighborhood started coming in and saying, ‘Are you guys open? Can I get a beer?’ and we said, ‘Yeah, and we have food too!’”

Mitchell, a Columbia native who has previously appeared on Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay and Food Network Star, opened Ryder’s in the former home of Cockey’s in Upper Fells Point on May 18. He explains the reasoning behind the quiet opening by saying that he didn’t want the community to be intimidated by a celebrity chef concept taking root in the neighborhood.

“The focus is the food,” he says. “We wanted to see what the reaction was like without the residents knowing anything about me.”

Mitchell realized his love for cooking after spending four years travelling the world in the Navy. He received an Advanced Culinary Arts degree from Stratford University in 2002, and has since bounced around the country, providing personal chef services and heading up kitchens everywhere from Los Angeles to Richmond, Virginia.

He started to become more involved in the local food scene last year—hosting pop-ups at Federal Hill spots Liv2Eat and Blue Agave—and jumped at the opportunity to revamp the former Cockey’s space when he heard about it through the grapevine earlier this year.

In a swift, two-week turnaround, Mitchell enhanced the old Cockey’s interior by soundproofing the ceiling, renovating the bathrooms, replacing furniture and kitchen appliances, and adding a fresh coat of paint. Though the restaurant seats upwards of 50 people, the kitchen is a tight squeeze.

“It’s the smallest kitchen in Baltimore,” Mitchell says with a laugh. “House kitchens are bigger than this. But it’s still got some really great food coming out of it.”

The menu at Ryder’s showcases Mitchell’s fun take on gastropub fare, highlighting dishes such as tequila-braised short rib tacos, macaroni and cheese topped with Cheetos, peach glazed jerk chicken skewers, roasted beet salad with spiced pecans and a sherry maple vinaigrette, and bison burgers cooked in duck fat and topped with smoked gouda.

The beverage program features an array of beer and wine, and a cocktail menu with riffs on an Orange Crush and a classic whiskey smash.

“Food and beverage go hand in hand. You have to hit both marks,” Mitchell says. “You can still be the corner bar and sling the Natty Bohs, but also have great food.”

Mitchell says that opening the new spot has been an exciting homecoming experience for him, and that he hopes Ryder’s (named after his landlord’s dog) becomes a destination for Fells Point locals and visitors alike.

“We want it to appeal to the neighborhood first and foremost,” he says. “But when people come to Baltimore and say, ‘I don’t want to go where the tourists go,’ I want Ryder’s to be that low-key neighborhood spot that comes to mind.”

Source

On the heels of being named a James Beard Award finalist, the Charleston chef and co-owner of Foreman Wolf Restaurant Group will be featured on an episode of Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay this week.

Now in its eighth season, the tournament-style series pits two chefs from different cities against one another in hopes of ultimately going toe-to-toe with famed chef Bobby Flay in the final round.

Although this week’s episode, airing March 31 at 10 p.m., will mark Wolf’s first experience competing on television, she’s no stranger to working with Flay. The duo has collaborated previously to co-host charity events, and Wolf even served as a guest judge on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay that filmed in Baltimore in 2010.

“I know Bobby,” Wolf says. “He’s eaten with us and I thought it would be a lot of fun to compete against him.”

While details about all of the prepared dishes are under tight wraps until the episode airs, a synopsis posted on Food Network’s website reveals that Wolf will be duking it out against Mississippi-based chef Stacie Vande Wetering in the first round.

“It was a new experience for me and I really enjoyed it,” Wolf says. “The high energy made it pretty exciting and I liked getting the chance to interact with the crowd. In my family we’re pretty competitive when it comes to game-playing, so I always enjoy a good, [healthy] competition. Now I really want to do Iron Chef.”

Food Network personalities Anne Burrell and Curtis Stone will keep score during the matchup. Wolf says that she particularly appreciated Stone’s feedback, praising his “good insight” regarding her dishes.

To celebrate the chef’s first televised food battle, Foreman Wolf is hosting a viewing party at Pazo on March 31 at 8 p.m., offering a special selection of wines and passed hors d’oeuvres for guests. A suggested donation of $100 per couple is recommended, and all proceeds from the event will benefit Share Our Stength’s No Kid Hungry initiative.

The episode’s air date comes at a particularly exciting time for Wolf, as she has once again been named a finalist for the 2016 James Beard Awards. The list of contenders, which was released in February, lists Wolf as a nominee in the Best Chef Mid-Atlantic category along with Aaron Silverman of Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia’s Greg Vernick. Her Lowcountry restaurant Charleston was also recognized, clinching a semifinalist nomination in the Outstanding Wine Program category. Wolf was the only chef in the state to make the cut this year.

“We live in an amazing city and I am proud to represent it,” she says. “I’m thankful for any attention that we get about the wonderful things that we have to offer here.”

Source

Our own Sarah Acconcia—executive chef at Bookmakers Cocktail Club—will be featured on tonight’s episode of Beat Bobby Flay, a weekly series that pits chefs from different cities against one another in hopes of going head-to-head with culinary all-star Bobby Flay.

Although the details of the chefs’ concoctions are under wraps until the episode airs, its synopsis reveals that Acconcia—whose resume includes stints at local hotspots like Woodberry Kitchen, Maggie’s Farm, and Le Garage—will compete against Dallas-based Top Chef alum Tre Wilcox in the first round.

Acconcia, who says that Food Network initially approached her about being on the show, first familiarized herself with Beat Bobby Flay prior to when filming began in March.

“I don’t really watch that much TV, but I liked [Beat Bobby Flay] more than other food shows because it was more of a professional competition than a reality TV show,” she says. “Even with the people who lose, they don’t make them look bad, it’s still more about being a good cook and not so much about the drama.”

The guest judges for tonight’s showdown include Food Network veterans Sunny Anderson and Giada De Laurentiis.

“It was really cool to have such well-respected chefs taste my food,” Acconcia says.

She also notes that an added perk of the “fun and challenging” experience included a meet-and-greet with Michelin star holder chef April Bloomfield.

Beat Bobby Flay airs tonight at 10 p.m. on Food Network.

If you find yourself strolling around Federal Hill, be sure to stop into Bookmakers and watch the competition unfold on two screens with sound in the downstairs bar. Acconcia will be whipping up some surprise dishes for tonight’s menu, as well.

Source