Cunningham’s Cafe & Bakery – Baltimore Magazine

Cunningham’s Chef Jay Rohlfing Shares Details About Restaurant Rebrand

Jane Marion — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:30:00 +0000

The past year has been a banner one for chef Jay Rohlfing. He took first place on the Food Network’s Chopped in June. His son, August, joined the family, including big sister, Scarlett, in October. And earlier this week it was announced that Rohlfing would take on a leadership role and spearhead the rebranding of Towson’s now-closed Cunningham’s, as well as overseeing the sister spot Cunningham’s Café and the operation’s wholesale bread business.

“It’s a major responsibility to represent something,” he says, “but it’s also a great blessing.” And just in case the always humble chef gets less humble with each accomplishment, his family keeps him in check.

“People ask me how it’s going, and I’ll say, ‘Scarlett is screaming for ice cream, Gus is drooling, and my wife, Lisa, is yelling about how I load the dishwasher. In other words, it’s business as usual.’” Between working on menu development and meetings with Patrick Sutton to discuss the restaurant’s redesign, we caught up with the chef.

What led to the decision to close Cunningham’s and rebrand?
One of the things that put the timing into perspective was seeing the huge cranes outside the building and the fact that Towson is starting to change. The high-rise, high-end condos that are going up hit our demographics perfectly, and we want to be the go-spot for the people living there. Every restaurant has to reinvent itself at some point, and we’ve been in Towson for seven years. We figured it was time to be a part of that renaissance.

What can you tell us about the new space?
We’ve seen such a great bar business, we’re busy on weekends and weekdays. We want to create a more open, larger bar area and then have a smaller intimate dining space. We’re still in the creative process of planning that, but we’re hoping that the restaurant will be more like 80 seats than the 150 seats we had at Cunningham’s. As much as we enjoyed the space, what we want to do is design a space that creates a buzz and a vibe that’s is more intimate and social. We are hoping to double size of the bar that we have now. We will still have around 30 seats with some lounge area, as well.

I know you’re still in the planning stages, but what can you tell us about what the concept will be?
We really want to tell a story. When people go out to eat, they want to be taken away to an experience. Patrick Sutton, who will design the space, is so good at telling stories. Good food is good food, and people will return for that. But for longevity, you have to have a clear vision and a clear story.

Now that you’re running operations, will we still see you in the kitchen?
I’m heading the leadership team, but I will still be the restaurant’s executive chef—that’s where my heart is.

Are there any specifics you can share about the menu?
We’re going to continue to source locally. One thing that really attracted me about being at Cunningham’s was not just the role, but how we became a member of the community using local products and keeping those vendors involved here. What I can say is that the menu will be classic American.

What will happen to Cunningham’s Café during the renovation?

The café will stay open. The fun thing is that, during the renovation, we will have extended hours in the café and be open for dinner every night until 9 p.m., starting next week. I’m going to use that kitchen as a great R&D kitchen to test dishes for the restaurant.

Depending on what we see, most likely, the café will stick to its new hours. The café has turned into this spot where Towson students like to go and do their studying. Instead of getting eggs over easy at the Towson Diner, they’re getting more artisan-created food and free Wi-Fi. We are seeing this great influx of students and people who work remotely. We are also going to enclose the outdoor dining area, which will add about 40 seats.

Please tell me that you’re still going to have that wonderful bread and baked goods.
Upstairs, the restaurant kitchen will become the total kitchen that we use for the café and restaurant. Downstairs, the bakery, where there was a shared kitchen space, will double in size.

How is the county diner different that the city diner?
It’s a different dynamic for sure. We had an amazing New Year’s Eve this year, the best in the history of Cunningham’s, but at the same time, the restaurant emptied out at 10 p.m. There’s also a difference in some of the foods that sell. Octopus, for example has performed really well here, foie gras is a hard sell.

I know you’ve had to let some of your staff go during the transition. That must be emotional.
Monday was a hard day. How do I explain to the employees that this is just a transition? But it was received well by the staff. [Dining room manager] Laura organized a great list for them to find work in the interim with restaurateurs like Linwood Dame and Alex Smith—and some of them are working already. There’s no playbook on having to shut a restaurant down for renovation—it has been a learning process for me. I care about people, and I wanted to make sure that people are taken care of. How can you expect someone to come back and work for you in the future if you don’t care about them in the present?

You won $10,000 in prize money when you came in first place on Chopped. What did you do with the money?
We are currently living in a Cape Cod-style house in Parkville. The goal is to purchase some land a little bit further north in Baltimore County, so we are saving for that.

So, if we don’t see you working in the new restaurant, will we get to see you on the Food Network again?
I’m excited for next opportunity—I’ve been contacted multiple times.

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Thanksgiving Pie Recipes and Tips

Lydia Woolever — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 17:07:00 +0000

This might sound sacrilegious but every Thanksgiving, the turkey’s in the oven, the sausages are on the grill, the potatoes are mashed, and I could care less. All I can think about is the pie.

Okay, maybe that’s a stretch: I'll definitely swing by the stuffing, but the pie.

That perfect, sweet slice of America. That simple, comforting taste of home. That warm, buttery, flakey crust, with a dollop of fresh, whipped cream.

It’s the coveted course in my house. It’s the daintily divvied, carefully allotted leftover for the rest of the long weekend. I love the way we all only take a sliver, even though we really want a cut as thick as cash. I love the way we suspiciously eye each other’s slices, either as a green light for seconds or to keep tabs on our late-night snack. It doesn’t matter if we’re full to the brim—we find room. And why not? Life’s too short. The only thing sacrilegious about dessert is skipping it.

Here, we’ve rounded up some holiday pie recipes (if you’re cooking at home), plus a list of where to buy them (if you’re not), and best of all, two easy, classic cocktails for you to sip on the side.

eat in

Courtesy of Ashley Roop, pastry chef for Foreman Wolf restaurant group.

Foreman Wolf’s Bourbon Pecan Pie

Crust: (makes one pie shell)

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

4 oz. butter, cold, diced in ½-inch cubes

3-4 Tbsp. ice water

In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt? Pulse until evenly combined

Add butter and pulse until mixture forms pebble-size pieces.

Add cold water 1 Tbsp. at a time while pulsing.

Pulse until dough comes into a rough mass.

On a floured surface, shape dough into a disc, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-24 hours.
*If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry cutter or your hands.

Filling:

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

2/3 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. buckwheat honey*

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 lrg. eggs

1 lrg. egg yolk

3 Tbsp. bourbon

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. pecan halves

1/2 orange, zested

*Can substitute other dark honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup.

Roll dough out on a large, flat, lightly floured surface.

Fit dough into 9-inch pie pan, crimp edges, and chill till ready.

In a bowl, whisk together sugars, flour, and salt.

Mix in honey eggs, egg yolk, bourbon, vanilla extract, melted butter, and zest, then store in refrigerator until ready.

Arrange pecans in an even layer in the unbaked pie shell. Pour cooled mix over pecans.

Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.

Turn oven down to 350°F and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until puffed in the middle.

Let cool at room temperature for several hours before cutting.

Courtesy of Rodney Henry, founder of Dangerously Delicious Pies

Dangerously Delicious Pies’ Sweet Potato Pie

Crust: (makes two pie shells)

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 c. vegetable shortening

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. water

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add shortening and water, then knead until it forms a soft dough.

Roll out dough and add to a 10” pie pan. Crimp edges.

Filling:

1 lb. sweet potatoes

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

2 lrg. eggs

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash of salt

Bake whole sweet potatoes on cookie sheet at 350°F for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until fork-tender.
Let cool for about 30 minutes, and then remove the skins.

Mash potatoes until smooth.

Whisk in remainder of ingredients and pour into pie shell.

Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Courtesy of Angie Law, pastry chef at Cunningham's Café

Cunningham Café’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Crust: (makes one pie shell)

8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

4 oz. granulated white sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 lrg. egg

12 oz. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.

Mix in the vanilla, then the egg, then the flour and salt, until dough comes together.

Gently knead dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form into a round patty, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 4 hours.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness.

Lightly grease the tart pan with pan spray.

Transfer the dough to pan then gently press it to the edges of the pan..

Run a knife along the pan’s edge to trim off excess dough.

Place the tart shell in the freezer.

Bake the tart shell at 375°F for 15 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Filling:

2 Tbsp. rum

2 Tbsp. water

2 tsp. powdered gelatin

15 oz. pumpkin puree

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lrg. orange, zested
1 1/2 c. heavy cream

Combine water and rum in a microwave safe bowl, then sprinkle in gelatin and allow to hydrate.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and zest.

Microwave gelatin mix in 30-second bursts, stirring frequently until its melted and clear.

Immediately whisk the hot gelatin into the pumpkin mixture.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the heavy cream to soft peaks.

Fold heavy cream into pumpkin mixture.

Immediately pour into baked tart shell.

Chill for 6-8 hours before serving.

drink up

Courtesy of Aaron Joseph, lead bartender at Wit & Wisdom

Stinger

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. aged rum

1/2 oz. crème de menthe

1/4 oz. orgeat syrup

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass.
Add ice and stir for 20 seconds.

Strain and pour into a double old fashion glass filled with crushed ice.

Garnish with mint and orange peel.

Hot Toddy

Ingredients:

1 oz. Spice Tree Scotch

1/2 oz. lemon juice

1 oz. Earl Grey honey syrup (1/2 oz. Twinings Earl Grey loose leaf tea + 1/2 oz. honey)
4 oz. hot water

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass and stir.

Garnish with lemon peel.

carry out

Atwater’s
Multiple locations and phone numbers. atwaters.biz.
Order by 11/23. $24-28.

Seven pies including classics, plus apple cranberry, apple ginger, and pumpkin cheesecake.

Bel Air Bakery
140 N. Band St., Bel Air. 410-838-6455. belairbakery.com.
Order by 11/26. $14-17.

32 pies including classics plus mince meat, peanut butter, and caramel apple walnut.

Cunningham’s Café
1 Olympic Pl., Towson. 410-339-7730. cunninghamtowson.com.
Order by 11/23. In-store first come, first serve. $28-32.

Cranberry lemon meringue, pumpkin chiffon, and chocolate bourbon pecan.

Dangerously Delicious Pies
2839 O’Donnell St. 410-522-7437. dangerouspiesbalt.com.
Order by 11/20. $28-35.

26 pies including classics, sweet, and savory plus marrionberry, banana cream, Mobtown Brown (pecan with Swiss chocolate and caramel sauce), and Baltimore Bomb (vanilla chess with Berger cookies).

Dooby’s
802 N. Charles St. 410-702-5144. doobyscoffee.com.
Order by 11/21. In-store first come, first serve. $21-25.

“Damn Good Pie,” pumpkin, and apple-rosemary galette with bourbon-soaked raisins.

Johnny's
4800 Roland Ave. 410-773-0777. johnnysdownstairs.com.
Order by 11/21. $28.

Market spiced apple pie with oat streusel; pecan, bourbon, and local buckwheat honey pie; local fairytale pumpkin pie.

KoDee Cakes
822 W. 36 th St. 410-243-0167. kodeecakes.com.
Order by 11/24. $15-25.

Pumpkin latte, ginger sweet potato, orange cocoa, eggnog cream, and salted caramel, etc.

La Cakerie
49 W. Chesapeake Ave., Towson. 443-504-7925. lacakerie.com.
Order by 11/24. $11-22.

Classics including pumpkin, bourbon pecan, apple, and blueberry.

Petit Louis Bistro
10215 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. 410-964-9999. petitlouis.com.
Order by 11/21. $28.

Market spiced apple pie with oat streusel; pecan, bourbon, and local buckwheat honey pie; local fairytale pumpkin pie.

Sweet 27
123 W. 27th St. 410-464-7211. sweet27.com.
Order by 11/23. $18-21.

Pecan, vegan apple streusel, and pumpkin.

Sweet Heart Patisserie
1410 Forest Dr., Annapolis. 410-263-6513. sweetheartpatisserie.com.
Order by 11/22. $28-34.

Maple walnut pumpkin, bourbon pecan tart, and baked apple tart.

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Cunningham’s Café & Bakery Hosts a Pop-Up

Jess Mayhugh — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 15:00:00 +0000

The newest member of the Bagby Group family will be celebrating fall’s bounty of Maryland growers with its first ever pop-up dinner at Cunningham’s Café & Bakery on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m.

In keeping with the restaurant’s traditional farm-to-table vibe, Cunningham’s chefs will be preparing a three-course meal (parts of which are sourced from Cunningham’s own Cockeysville farm) that will begin with artisanal cheeses, house-made pickles, fresh-baked breads, local jams, and porchetta. Also on offer: an amuse-bouche of butternut soup topped with a house-made nutmeg marshmallow. For the main courses, guests will be served Parisian gnocchi with shaved pecorino, and braised short ribs with butternut squash and horseradish whipped potatoes. Seasonal fruit pies and tarts with fresh ice cream are the featured desserts.

The prix-fixe menu also includes The Brewer’s Art and Union Craft Brewing beer pairings to compliment the rich flavors of the fare.

Tickets for the pop-up feast are $39 and can be purchased online in advance.

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