From seafood towers to pasta towers to cupcake towers, stacked foods served on tiered trays are the newest version of vertical cuisine.

In Baltimore, one tower that soars above the rest is the Taco Tower at La Food Marketa in Pikesville. With three tiers of tacos, tortilla chips, and fixins’, this $125 architectural creation that feeds four is loaded with tacos (level 3), seven-layer dip, queso, street corn, and hot sauce (level 2), and Buffalo chicken taquitos alongside house-made cheese bread (level 1).

La Food Marketa executive chef Johntay Bedingfield invented the concept a few months back—and it’s been a restaurant bestseller ever since.

“[La Food Marketa owner-chef] Chad Gauss and I always like to do fun plays on food,” says Bedingfield, “and we also like to play with words. I texted him that I had this great idea for a taco tower—and he loved it.”

Within days, the duo was on Amazon shopping for towers and soon settled on a metal stand with three tiers. “We plated the first one,” says Bedingfield, “and
people went berserk.”

Bedingfield makes some 70 of these architectural wonders a week, but sales really spiked when food influencer Chris Franzoni of @EatMoreBeMore posted a reel of the creation, which went viral, leading patrons to flock from all over the state to see it—and to sample it—for themselves.

“Everything that’s on that tower has been on the menu for years—it’s nothing new,” says the former Chopped champion, “but when we presented it all on the tower, it became trendy.”

Bedingfield is hardly complaining. Instead, he smiles when he sees it served. “People have their phones out,” he says. “Here, we’re all about hot food, but they spend five minutes taking photos and spinning the tower before they eat it.”

Corn Soup

DAVID ZAMUDIO, ALMA COCINA LATINA

SERVES 4

If you’re not cooking with corn, it just isn’t summer. “Growing up, my grandmother would make me soups,” says David Zamudio, executive chef of Alma Cocina Latina. “This corn cream soup is inspired by one that she often made.” As soup recipes go, this one is incredibly basic, says Zamudio. “Boil all of the ingredients first, then blend and strain. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!” And if you want to turn this simple soup into more of a meal, you can do that, too. “The soup goes great with crispy cassava [yuca] bread,” he says. To finish it off, “Brush the cassava with butter and herbs to complete the flavor profile.”

INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 large onion

1 leek (white part only)

1 clove of garlic

4 cups of water

1⁄2 tablespoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder

1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder

1⁄2 teaspoon Old Bay

7 ounces corn kernels, preferably cut straight from the cob
1 bunch cilantro, reserving some for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Dice the onion.
2. Slice the leek.
3. Boil all ingredients for about
30 minutes over medium to high heat, with exception of cilantro.
4. Add the cilantro, blend, and strain. 5. To garnish, add additional
cilantro leaves.

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Hottest Day on Record

CHELSEA GREGOIRE, DRINKABLE GENIUS

SERVES 1

“At first I thought about making a cocktail that
could stretch into fall, but then I remembered: August in Maryland is an absolute swelter!” says Chelsea Gregoire, who grew basil during quarantine. “My basil was immediately gigantic. To use some of that beautiful basil, I crafted this summer refresher.”

INGREDIENTS

2 ounces light rum (or any light spirit: vodka, gin, tequila)

1 ounce peach liqueur or peach juice
3⁄4 ounce lemon juice

3⁄4 ounce Campari

1⁄2 ounce green tea syrup, (see below)
2 large or 4 small basil leaves
3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters

For Green Tea Syrup: In a small saucepan, bring 16 ounces of water to boil. Once hot, remove from heat, and add two green tea bags. Once steeped, remove tea bags. Put saucepan on low heat, and add 16 ounces of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cool and store in refrigerator for up to three weeks.

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker
or Mason jar with ice.
2. Close, and shake vigorously.
3. Pour the shaker contents into a Collins glass, adding more ice, if necessary. 4. Garnish with fresh basil.

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Rigatoni with Lobster, Eggplant, Burrata, and Pistachios

JULIAN MARUCCI, TAGLIATA

SERVES 2

For this recipe, Julian Marucci, executive chef at Tagliata, says he decided to focus on the combination of lobster and eggplant. “Eggplant has a natural bitterness that goes well with sweet flavors,” he says. “The remaining ingredients complement the lobster and eggplant.”

INGREDIENTS

Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons shallot, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon celery, minced
2 small eggplants, peeled and medium diced
1 tablespoon capers 1 ounce pistachios, toasted and chopped
11⁄2 ounces honey
11⁄2 ounces aged sherry vinegar
13 ounces rigatoni
2 lobsters, 1 pound each
1 lemon
1 piece of burrata
2 sprigs of fresh basil, small leaves
1 teaspoon chives

DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté shallots, ginger, garlic, celery in extra-virgin olive oil, carefully cooking to just sweat the vegetables without color. 2. Add eggplant to saute pan. Season with salt and pepper stirring frequently, cooking on low to medium heat.
3. Once the eggplant is soft and tender, add capers, nuts, honey, and vinegar. Taste and set aside
to be mixed with pasta.
4. Boil roughly five quarts of water, season with salt. Cook pasta according to package. Strain pasta and mix with eggplant mixture in a large bowl. (Don’t rinse pasta with water). Add some olive oil and stir. 5. Cool pasta in refrigerator.
6. Cook lobster in boiling water
for 9-12 minutes, depending on size of pot and lobster. Once cooked, chill in ice water, then clean and dice meat.

To Serve: Toss pasta with more olive oil, if needed. Add lobster meat, lemon juice. Plate in a large bowl, garnish with torn burrata, a drizzle of oil, basil leaves, and chives. Save tail meat to use as garnish.

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Chipotle Honey Chicken Tacos with Street Corn Salad & Bacon Guacamole

JOHNTAY BEDINGFIELD, LA FOOD MARKETA

SERVES 6

“This is an easy, approachable dish that’s clean and light,” says Johntay Bedingfield of his recipe. “I like to use one ingredient, like cilantro, in more ways than one. You can use stems for marinade and the leaves for the corn salad and guacamole.” And if you want to make the dish a little lighter, he sometimes swaps the mayonnaise for yogurt in the corn salad. “It’s tangy and adds a nice cream component,” he says.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. chicken (preferably thighs)

Chicken Marinade (yields about 12 ounces)
2 cans chipotle peppers
1 tablespoon adobo liquid (from chipotle peppers)
1 bunch cilantro stems
5 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1⁄4 cup white vinegar
2 limes, juiced and zested
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Place all ingredients in blender or bullet. Mix well until smooth.
2. Use 1⁄3 of marinade to coat chicken. (Set aside remainder of marinade.) Cover and let chicken rest in refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours.

TO GRILL CHICKEN:
Heat grill. Oil or spray grill as chicken will stick a little because of the sugar and honey. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill for about 7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Allow chicken to rest 10 minutes before cutting. Dice chicken and toss with about
1 tablespoon of reserved marinade.

Street Corn Salad
4 ears corn (in husk)
1⁄4 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons chipotle honey marinade
1 teaspoon salt
2⁄3 bunch cilantro tops (minced)

DIRECTIONS
With corn still in husk, place corn in a container large enough to submerge in water. Allow corn to soak as long as the chicken.

TO GRILL CORN:
I like to grill my corn in the husk so it steams and keeps the corn tender while picking up charred notes from the grill. You want to burn the husk when grilling. Grill corn for 12-15 minutes, turning every few minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to cool down before shucking husk off the corn. Once cooled and shucked, cut corn off cob. In a mixing bowl, mix mayonnaise or yogurt, marinade, salt, and cilantro. Fold in corn. Set aside for assembly later.

Bacon Guacamole
1⁄4 pound bacon

4 avocados

1⁄4 cup small diced red onion

1⁄3 bunch of cilantro tops (minced)
1⁄4 lime juice

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook bacon at 350 Fahrenheit for 14-16 minutes until super crispy, almost burnt! Once cooled, dice bacon into bits. 2. In a mixing bowl, add avocado, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and bacon. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap.

Tortillas
1. Place tortillas (double stacked) on grill for about 30 seconds on each side. Don’t be afraid of a little color. Wrap tortillas in a kitchen towel to keep them warm until ready to serve.

ASSEMBLY: Start with your tortilla, place a smear of guacamole, add chicken, and top with street corn salad.

Chef Johntay Bedingfield took first place on Chopped in 2019, but getting creative during the COVID crisis has also put his talents to the test.

“Restaurants will survive this,” Bedingfield says. “You go out to eat because you don’t have time to cook or you just feel like getting pampered. People can let go and enjoy the moment and the company of people they are with. That’s not going to go away.”

Bedingfield, who grew up watching his mother and grandmother cook, has been La Food Marketa’s executive chef since 2016. But he didn’t come to cooking right away. He studied psychology at Wesley College in Delaware and became a substance abuse counselor before becoming a childcare worker for the Board of Child Care in Baltimore for several years.

“I was like, ‘School is over. I’m in my 20s and have to figure out a career move. Maybe I’ll just start cooking,’” he says. “I had always liked cooking. I love comfort food and home-cooked meals.”

He decided to enroll at Baltimore International College for a master’s degree in international hospitality management. “I got a job at Sunday River in the Towson mall. I started as a prep cook. Right away, I was like, ‘I love this.’”

And the rest is Baltimore food history.

What has it been like at La Food Marketa throughout the crisis?
On March 16th, the day we officially went into a state of emergency, I worked that day, but we weren’t open for service that evening. We laid off all hourly employees—that was extremely difficult—but with not being able to open to capacity, we had to pull the trigger. We have dedicated management teams, so we just spilt them up between the La Food Marketa, [Hampden sister-spot] The Food Market, and our catering, and it was divide and conquer. That Tuesday, we tried curbside pickup. It was slow that night, but pretty much every week has been different. We’ve tried to stay up on what others states and countries are doing that are ahead of us. Safety has been our first priority. That first week we set a handwashing timer. It was an hourly timer so we could get into the cycle of washing our hands. It was annoying, but it worked. Now we call it “muscle hour.” Since we have no tables now, everyone stops and does 10 pushups in the middle of the dining room and washes their hands. It breaks up the day and its team building.

How is your patio dining going?
We just got through our first week of patio dining. When it was put into effect, essentially, we had only 24 hours to turn over outdoor procedures by that Friday, but we didn’t think it was the right time. There was too much to get moving and execute safely and correctly, so we waited. I think a first impression makes all the difference. There’s a level of accountability there that’s hard to gain back once you lose it. We waited until last Monday and I think it couldn’t have gone better. We had a great night. We sat 60 people throughout the night outside, and carryout was still popping.

“That first week we set an hourly handwashing timer so we could get into the cycle of washing our hands. It was annoying, but it worked. Now we call it “muscle hour.” Since we have no tables now, everyone stops and does 10 pushups in the middle of the dining room and washes their hands. It breaks up the day and its team building.” —Johntay Bedingfield

What safety systems have you put in place?
We shifted gears and moved our pickup to the back side of the restaurant. We are requesting that guests wear masks to the table for the safety and the staff is wearing masks the whole time. We have QR codes at the table for contactless menus and hand sanitizer at each table. We are just trying to stay as up with the trends as possible.

How does this change things for you as a chef?
I could spend hours and hours overthinking what the future is going to bring, but I’ve learned it doesn’t do anything for me. It’s 100 percent under the control of the government right now. We could have 30 ideas on what the next move is going to be, but what I’ve learned over the past 13 weeks is to just wait for them to give the word and then you react. I’ve always been a fan of “the worst decision is no decision,” so once they pull the trigger, we will react to that.

How is your revenue?
Our overall revenue is down. You have three factors when it comes to revenue. You have rent, which is fixed. But you have two things you can control, labor and food purchasing, so we’ve controlled both of those things.

How do you know how much to order?
It’s extremely difficult. My food costs have been at 26 percent each week. The goal is 30 percent to make a 10 percent profit. You get what you need to get in the beginning of the week, and then you have to anticipate what you’re going to need for the weekend and keep spending as tight as possible.

Have you had to change the menu?
As a dish comes to me, I just throw it on the menu and see if we can sell it. One thing that has helped a lot is cross utilization of a product, so you’ll see ground turkey across a few dishes. We have it in our house-made turkey chorizo, or you can add it to queso, or get Turkey chorizo tacos, or get a ground turkey taco salad. So you know that you will always be moving the product, which definitely helps. Other than that, it’s all about seasonal for me—cooking with what the farmers have. I recently got these fresh soft shells from J.J. McDonnell and made soft-shell arepas.

Are you finding that diners are more appreciative now?
The diners have absolutely been extremely grateful. They thank us for being here. That makes our job less stressful to know that the community has us and we’ve made the right move by being there for them.

I know that a lot of chefs have had more time to cook at home. Have you?
The restaurant is closed earlier and opening at noon. I’ve had some more time in the morning cooking breakfast, which is really nice.

Do you think fewer people will want to go into hospitality now that they see how hard a business it is?
I joked with my wife, Alexa, that everyone, including all of those people making their sourdough, is a home cook right now. I’d love some of these people to take their passion and come to the restaurant kitchen. I feel like a lot of people have found the simplicity in life. The hustle and bustle have slowed down a little bit. I don’t know what that will do for the restaurant industry if people are cooking at home more, but there will always be a place for restaurants—no question.

“I joked with my wife, Alexa, that everyone, including all of those people making their sourdough, is a home cook right now. I’d love some of these people to take their passion and come to the restaurant kitchen.” —Johntay Bedingfield

I know that Hoopla Hospitality, which includes La Food Marketa, The Food Market, Quality Snowballs, and Hoopla Catering is very community-minded. Have you done anything in the wake of the recent protests for racial justice?
Last Wednesday, we sold gift certificates and 50 percent of gift card sales went to the NAACP.

On a personal note, you recently lost 50 pounds. Can you tell us about it?
I saw myself on Chopped and didn’t like the way I looked. I had a complete lifestyle change.
I just switched my mind to think of what I enjoyed eating. It was easy as a chef to just throw something in the fryer—it cooks super fast and a few minutes later it’s ready to eat. But I told myself that I get the best fruits and vegetables and meat. We work with these local farmers, and the beauty of being in the restaurant is that everything is already set up—your lettuces and tomatoes and cukes are already cut. I just changed my eating habits.

I have this thing that I call, “walking the line.” I start on the cold side and I’ll grab a bowl and start with a base of vegetables, which is going to be lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. Then I walk over to the sauté station and add some onion. And then I throw turkey chorizo on there and add pico de gallo and guacamole. And it’s a one-minute meal. I’ve had this mental switch. I live for a really good salad now.

Chef Dave Thomas, owner of the modern soul food spot Ida B’s Table in downtown Baltimore wowed judges Ted Allen, Martha Stewart, et al for a Thanksgiving-themed episode of Chopped on The Food Network, while chef Johntay Bedingfield of Pikesville’s La Food Marketa bested the competition for a recent tailgate-inspired episode.

Both chefs took home $10,000 in prize money and plan to travel with their winnings—Thomas and his wife, Ida B’s co-owner Tonya, are hoping to taste test their way through Africa this fall; chef Bedingfield is making plans to take his soon-to-be-wife, Alexa Pancza, on a honeymoon to Italy in May.

The wins were well deserved, as both “cheftestants” trained in their own way for the competition. “I did two training sessions here in my restaurant,” says Thomas, whose dishes included mac-and-cheese with fried turkey liver, deep-fried turkey breast with kouign-amann pastry and spoonbread stuffing, and spoonbread hand pie with port and cranberry reduction.

Thomas invited Ekiben’s Steve Chu (who himself recently won $16,000 on the Food Network’s Guy Grocery Games) to two “training sessions” at Ida B’s. “We did a head-to-head to get ready,” says Thomas. “We brought in some local judges and did a whole competition. For me, the cooking wasn’t the problem, it was the clock. I was more concerned about time constraints than not knowing the ingredients. But practicing certainly helped.”

Thomas also heeded to the advice of Tonya. “She said to me, ‘When you go up there, don’t be anyone other than yourself.’ Often, what seals the fate of some of the chefs who go on is that they try to go above and beyond to impress the judges—and they lose their souls while they are doing it.” Inspired by his grandmother’s soul-food cooking, Thomas kept it real by invoking his ancestry. “I found my calling in southern food,” he told the judges. “You take that first bite and you can taste the history. My grandmother had a 13-acre farm. I grew up watching her cook. I’m chasing her recipes to this day.”

Chef Bedingfield took a different tact. Instead of cooking on the clock, he prepped for the competition by watching episodes of the show. “The night before I went to New York for the competition, I binge-watched a few episodes to see if there was anything that the chefs were doing wrong,” says Bedingfield. “I knew to stay away from the ice-cream machine, for instance—that’s one thing I caught on to right away. Things go really well or really horribly at the ice-cream machine.”

Bedingfield’s father, a fan of the show, also warned him about kumquats—ironically, an ingredient that ended up in his dessert basket. “When I told my father that I was going to New York to be on Chopped, he said, ‘Watch out for the kumquats.’”

Each of three courses presented different challenges for the chefs. “The first round was the most intimidating,” says Bedingfield, whose dishes included potato chip nachos, a red cabbage taco, and soft pretzels stuffed with mascarpone cheesecake. “As soon as I opened the basket, I saw pickled avocado, cheesecake, nachos, and wagyu beef and I assumed that the wagyu was a whole piece of steak, but instead it was ground beef. I wasn’t anticipating having to render it down and the time on that round is only 20 minutes as opposed to the 30 minutes on the second and third rounds—I wasn’t trying to win the first round, I was just trying to get on four ingredients on the plate and not be last.”

The dessert course was particularly taxing for Thomas. “I was struggling with this puff pastry,” says Thomas. “When I went to remove it from the paper, it just stuck. It was warm, but it should have been refrigerated.”

For both cooks, their star turns on the show have left them with a renewed sense of purpose and energy.

“Being on the show made me unafraid to take risks,” says Thomas. “If you’re able to cook on the fly with a bunch of ingredients that you didn’t see before you started cooking, and you’re able to cook a dish with these great chefs from around the country tasting your food and judging you while you’re on national TV, it feels like there’s no risk you can’t take.”

Bedingfield, similarly, says that the experience was a major confidence booster. “I’ve always been fairly confident anyway,” he says. “But it has been heightened. To compete and have a stint on The Food Network, which I’ve watched as a kid, was just so cool.”

COMING SOON

Orto Baltimore: After Bottega owner Adrien Aeschliman recently moved out of state, former Food Market partner Elan Kotz stepped in to take over the Station North restaurant earlier this month. In a quick turnaround, Kotz has transformed the space into Orto—an Italian concept whose name translates to “vegetable garden.” The team also includes executive chef Stefano Porcile and pastry chef Jaime Hacker, who both worked in the space when it previously housed Aeschliman’s French concept Colette. “We were really fortunate to take on a couple of people who love the space and have a passion for it,” Kotz says. “It’s great that they’re able to bring that same energy.”

Orto officially opens this Saturday (it will be closed on Super Bowl Sunday) and will offer dinner service daily. Consisting of everything from small snacks to larger entrees, the locally sourced menu will feature house-marinated olives with fennel, a bibb salad with hazelnuts and radish, sweet onion and burrata flatbread, winter root vegetable polenta, and a whole grilled branzino with charred broccoli and mint salad. Hacker will serve sweets like a blood orange tart and tiramisu creme brûlée.

The Italian slant is also reflected in the interior renovation, which yields classic marmorino plaster treatment, large mirrors, marble accents throughout, and a new bar that has been lowered from standing height. Overall, Kotz is looking forward to being a part of the neighborhood, offering dining options for theater- and cinema-goers and commuters traveling to and from Penn Station. “I’ve always loved this neighborhood,” he says. “I want to make it a place where you can come in for a glass of wine on a Monday and then come back over the weekend on a date or with family.” 1709 N. Charles St.

TigerStyle: Next week, chef/owner Chad Gauss of The Food Market in Hampden is launching yet another spinoff project. In addition to the Mexican-influenced La Food Marketa in Pikesville, Gauss now operates TigerStyle—a wok-influenced carryout located around the back alley behind Avenue Kitchen & Bar on West 36th Street. Named after the popular Wu Tang Clan song, the spot will offer Asian-inspired appetizers (think spring rolls and Korean fried chicken wings) as well as DIY stir-fry dishes with customizable bases ranging from quinoa and salad greens to cauliflower rice and classic lo mein noodles.

Though he’s excited to get creative with the Asian ingredients, Gauss says that the eatery will also feature more local flavors like Maryland corn and crab meat in the summertime. “We’re not trying to be the next Momofuku,” he says. “We just want to have fun, please people, and not take it too seriously.” Expected to open on February 9, the casual spot decorated with old-school, hip-hop posters will offer 16 seats, but mostly focus on delivery service using apps like GrubHub and UberEats.

The project is a partnership between Gauss, The Food Market’s executive chef Nick Pasco, former Food Market general manager Patrick Rainey, and La Food Marketa’s executive chef Johntay Bedingfield—who was recently crowned a Chopped champion on an episode of the Food Network show that aired earlier this week. “He started as a grill cook and worked his way up to being a Chopped winner,” Gauss says. “These guys have all been with me for a long time, and this is a great outlet for everyone to get a little creative.” 911-913 W. 36th St.

Rise Biscuits Doughnuts: Columbia diners will soon get a taste of this chain eatery that has had Towson locals raving since it opened in the 1620 York Road shopping center last year. Coming this March, the new spot will debut on McGaw Road across from the Wegmans in Columbia. Open until 2 p.m. daily, Rise offers its namesake biscuits filled with savory ingredients like country sausage, fried green tomatoes, and buttermilk fried chicken. To satisfy sweet tooth cravings, the shop also features apple fritters, cinnamon rolls, and its famous maple-bacon doughnuts. 8872 McGaw Rd., Columbia.

CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

The Corner Pantry: For the second year in a row, this Mt. Washington favorite is celebrating the Chinese New Year in style with a full-fledged Asian pop-up on February 5. Stop in to sample authentic dishes including duck spring rolls, kanpachi tartare, lemongrass pork sausage, miso black cod, and a “pig plate” with pork belly and barbecued char siu. Desserts will include Instagram-worthy bubble waffles and lychee-glazed doughnuts. The event overlaps with a big birthday for the restaurant, which turns 5 on February 14. 6080 Falls Rd. 667-308-2331

Ekiben x Clavel: Take a long lunch for this New Year’s pop-up at Ekiben from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on February 5. Chef Steve Chu (more on him later) is teaming up with Carlos Raba of Clavel to serve up his signature Asian-fusion dishes for the occasion. Though the menu hasn’t been finalized, we can only imagine there will be plenty of pork plates on deck in celebration of the Year of the Pig. 1622 Eastern Ave. 410-558-1914

NEWS

Steve Chu Wins Guy’s Grocery Games: Speaking of Ekiben, co-owner/chef Chu is feeling the love this week after he took home $16,000 on a Super Bowl-themed episode of Guy’s Grocery Games that aired on Food Network Wednesday night. Chu raced around the aisles of Fieri’s makeshift grocery store and won over judges with his tailgate-inspired dishes including a tempura vegetable basket with nacho cheese vinaigrette. After winning, Chu even whipped out a business card for Fieri, which he displayed on-air. (Talk about great promotion for the city.)

EPICUREAN EVENTS

2/2-3: Groundhog Day Sale at Bin 604
Regardless of whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow this Saturday, Bin 604 in Harbor East is making the official prediction that we’re all going to need six more weeks of wine. To help locals stock up, the shop is throwing a massive Groundhog Day cellar raid. Hundreds of wines around the store will be available for $1 over wholesale cost all weekend long. Plus, the tasting bar will offer samples of some of the best discounted bottles. The two-day sale runs from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. 604 S. Exeter St. 410-576-0444

SHUT

Ristorante Firenze: Reisterstown diners were saddened when the Leonardi family announced that their Main Street staple closed for good. “It has been our pleasure to serve the Reisterstown community for the last four years, and we are grateful for the support of our loyal customers,” the staff wrote in an announcement posted to its website. “Many thanks to our fantastic staff for their hard work and dedication.” In addition to its cozy bar with flickering fireplaces, the Italian spot in the former home of Tonino’s was best known for its Boot Country pizzas and pastas. 2 Hanover Rd. Reisterstown

Courtney’s Bagel Cafe & Deli: Breakfast runs in Owings Mills won’t be the same after the closing of this institution across from the Stevenson University campus. Owner Susan Leeming recently told The Jewish Times that, after running the business for 20 years, she decided not to renew the building’s lease in hopes of giving herself some downtime. But we haven’t seen the last of Leeming: “I might end up with a Courtney’s tuna truck, you never know!” she told the JT. “It’s in my blood. I don’t think I’m finished.” As for the shop, the lease has been turned over to the team behind Quarry Bagel & Cafe in Pikesville, and is expected to reopen under new management in March. 11000 Owings Mills Blvd., Owings Mills