The trees were little saplings then. Now, tall and strong, they make up the quiet grove where Baltimoreans will gather at 3 o’clock this afternoon, as they have gathered on every Mother’s Day since 1920, to pay tribute to the living and dead of the nation’s war.”

—Mrs. Henry F. Baker, Baltimore Sun, May 8, 1955

 

Nestled on a hilltop in Druid Hill Park, the Grove of Remembrance, whose century-old pin oak trees now stretch 70 feet, was planted by Gold Star Mothers who had lost sons in World War I.

Dedicated less than a year after the armistice, it was a poignant tribute: One sapling was put into the earth for each of the 48 states then in the Union, another for the city of Baltimore, another to represent our allies, and one to honor wartime president (and Johns Hopkins University graduate) Woodrow Wilson. More than 62,000 Marylanders, the bulk from Baltimore, joined in The War to End All Wars. Nearly 11,000 African Americans from the state served. More than 1,700 Marylanders lost their lives.

Twenty-three-year-old Highlandtown bank clerk Henry Gunther of the 313th Infantry Regiment—nicknamed “Baltimore’s Own”—was the last American soldier killed. Just outside a French village, the grandson of German immigrants made a tragic charge one minute before the armistice famously took effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. (A VFW Post in his neighborhood was later named in his honor.)

The original ceremony, not far from the Maryland Zoo, was attended by Mayor William Broening, Cardinal James Gibbons, Rabbi Morris Lazaron, Governor Emerson Harrington, and the French ambassador. Some 1,000 schoolchildren, each carrying an American flag, led the parade into the park, followed by 20 war mothers, a detachment of Maryland veterans, a group of Red Cross workers—all Maryland women—and wounded men “whose serious faces bespoke remembrance of comrades” buried near overseas battle lines.

It was the country’s first memorial of its kind and is believed to be the oldest living memorial in the U.S. Subsequently, trees were planted to memorialize World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War veterans.

Two stone markers along Beechwood Drive point the way to the footpath entrance to the largely forgotten grove, which seems to be visited by more deer than people these days. A pair of bronze plaques highlight the location of each state’s tree, planted 25 feet apart from one another, providing ample room for growth and space for reflection.

For decades, as Mrs. Baker noted in her short essay, titled “I Remember,” the Grove of Remembrance hosted events on Mother’s Day, which already had an anti-war origin story when the modern holiday was first celebrated in 1907. Deeply affected by the agony of Civil War veterans, Unitarian suffragette Julia Ward Howe penned her “Mother’s Day Proclamation” in 1870 as an appeal to mothers to spare their boys and the sons of others from the horrors of war. Howe and Ann Reeves Jarvis, a like-minded peace activist who had cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, subsequently campaigned for the creation of a “Mother’s Day for Peace,” and it was Jarvis’ daughter, Anna, who was credited with hosting the first commemoration after her mother’s death.

On Mother’s Day 1927, former first lady Edith Wilson participated in the groundbreaking of a memorial pavilion at the Grove of Remembrance, which also remains to this day. Designed by architect Edward L. Palmer, the rustic pavilion is dedicated to First Lieutenant Merrill Rosenfeld, a prominent Baltimore attorney of German-Jewish ancestry. Serving in the 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, Rosenfeld was leading his men during the Meuse- Argonne Offensive when he was killed on Oct. 16, 1918. (Argonne Drive in Baltimore is named for France’s Argonne region in recognition of some of the deadliest battles for local servicemen.)

The stone-and-slate pavilion, which opens to an amphitheater, has been long in need of repair. The trees, however, appear to be thriving wonderfully, a nod to the ceremonial dedication that some 100-plus years ago was described as “one of the most beautiful ever held in Baltimore.”

Flowers from Green Spring Valley, in memory of that community’s fallen young men, had been placed around the Maryland tree that spring afternoon. Cardinal Gibbons, during his benediction, was moved to pay tribute not only to the fallen soldiers and the budding new grove that would live on in their honor, but the assemblage of mothers from around the country gathered at the shrine as well. An appropriately titled poem, “Tree,” written by a sister of a war mother, was read just before the French ambassador tossed the first spade of dirt on a recently planted baby oak.

The next day, it was reported that the silence of the solemn occassion was “broken only by the sobs of the ‘Gold Star mothers.’”

The day Parker was born was remarkable. Of course, all births are pretty spectacular, but his was notable for a variety of reasons.

His mom, Kate Rowe, 36, has survived ovarian cancer—twice. In between her two oophorectomies—the surgical removal of her ovaries—she went through IVF to retrieve her eggs, in the hope that she would be able to get pregnant when her body was healed.  A first pregnancy ended in a heartbreaking miscarriage, but luckily her second resulted in Parker, a red-headed, blue-eyed ball of brightness and joy.

Two weeks before her due date, Rowe was diagnosed with preeclampsia and her husband Tom, tested positive for COVID. She tested positive a few days later too. That meant a quarantine stay at Johns Hopkins Hospital as the “COVID mom,” says Rowe. They checked in on March 23, 2022, Parker was born via C-section on March 27, and they were finally discharged home on April 1.

Five weeks later, on Mother’s Day, Rowe was back at the hospital, after passing out from blood loss connected to the delivery. A few days later she’d be recovering from another surgery.

“I told Tom all I want for 2023 is just boring contentment,” says Rowe. Last year was filled with extreme highs and lows, and she could use a little normalcy. “Joyful, intense life-giving moments are amazing—you don’t not want them—but just having this good day
is a win,” she says. It’s been a struggle to trust her body again. “I’ve just had all these situations that feel like my body is attacking me.”

But she’s trying. Right now, that means avocado toast from Atwater’s and a happy, babbling, toothy-grinned Parker inside their cramped Canton apartment—soon to be traded in for a new house in Baltimore County’s Phoenix.

As Rowe can attest, being a mom is a wild ride. There’s bliss and exhaustion, laughter and failure, and that’s just in a 15-minute span.

Allison Banks became a first-time mom at age 42. “She has black curly hair and came out screaming,” says Banks of Ava, now three and a half months old. “She’s a real baby now,” laughs Banks. “She’s plumped up and we’ve started seeing a personality. But I’m frightened every day. Am I doing this right?”

One thing that Banks has realized is “nobody knows what they’re doing”—no matter what age someone becomes a mom. “We are all just figuring this out.”

Lane Harlan, one of Baltimore’s most successful restaurateurs with Clavel, Fadensonnen, WC Harlan, and the upcoming Coral Wig bar, met her match this year. Brune Charo was born “fast and furious” on the last Sunday in August. “It’s been amazing, it’s been hard, it’s been nebulous,” says Harlan, now eight months into this motherhood voyage, drinking her coffee black on a Tuesday afternoon at Artifact. “I think nebulous is a really good way to describe it. As soon as you sort of get a rhythm everything changes the next week.”

The first year is slippery, she says. “I can’t get a grip on it. And I don’t think you are supposed to get a grip because the second you get it down it changes.” It’s been hard, she admits, for someone who likes—okay, needs—organization and systems. “It’s really challenging to release some of that control, and I understand she’s teaching me as much as I’m teaching her,” Harlan says.

She’s also learned to rely on her intuition. Those first few weeks you’re just dropping in and out of hysteria, says Harlan, 36, who went back to work when Brune was just three weeks old. You have all this doubt creeping in “to totally freak you out,” especially in the newborn phase. But “most babies make it to the adult phase,” says Harlan. “I just kept telling myself that. Most babies grow up to be adults. Why am I sweating over all these little details so much?”

Banks, from her Patterson Park rowhome, had similar feelings. “I’m responsible for this whole person,” she kept telling herself through the fog of hormones, exhaustion, self-doubt, and days that never seem to end but also manage to go by too quickly. “The first four to six weeks are still kind of a blur. It honestly felt like three long days.”

And now that Banks has started back at work, she’s learning how much capacity she has to “do everything.” She’s been putting off finding childcare, she admits. “I’m not ready for anyone else to take care of my baby. Three months is not a lot of time.”

 

“AS SOON AS YOU SORT OF GET A RHYTHM EVERYTHING CHANGES THE NEXT WEEK.”

 

For Rowe, a ceramic artist and teacher at ClayGround Studio & Gallery, having a nanny for Parker a few hours a week, “lets me breathe air that he isn’t breathing.” Pottery was essential to her healing after her second oophorectomy —“it saved me in a time when I needed saving.” And it was there for her again when she was happily pregnant with Parker but still needing to mourn and process the miscarriage.

“I really enjoyed being pregnant. It was beautiful, it was hard. It was all the things I wanted it to be,” says Rowe. “But I definitely held myself back from feeling some of the joy I know I felt but didn’t want to let myself have.”

Since having Parker there’s been a lot of pure delight. And a lot of other feelings, too. Something happens when you become a mom. You have all these competing thoughts. You want to teach them to walk, but don’t want to ever let go. You dream they’ll be the best of you, but somehow completely their own person, too. You want them to experience the world, but from the safety of your arms.

“It’s changed my perspective,” says Harlan. “I think in the past I had been more nostalgic and looked backwards and now I look forward. It makes me think about the future.It makes me think about what the world is going to be like for her. I think my perspective
on the world has changed because I am now caring for the future.”

Recently while flying to Spain with her husband, Matthew Pierce, Harlan found herself emailing all her passwords to her parents, who were watching Brune—“in case we’re lost at sea.” She suddenly finds herself thinking about life insurance, because “for better or for worse it puts me face to face with mortality.”

Harlan has started a Dear Brune letter, in the Notes app on her phone, typing usually in the wee hours when she takes the overnight shift for a baby who does not like to sleep. “There is so much I want to tell her now.” Sometimes it’s profound thoughts, other times it’s, “We went on a walk today, this is what you looked at, this is what you loved, this is what I saw.” It’s for both of them. “The practice helps me cope with the anxiety of not knowing what tomorrow will bring,” she says.

Rowe is also at a crossroads. “Something is shifting. Maybe it’s because he’s not a baby baby anymore,” she says. She feels an emotional change within herself. “I wanted a baby so much and now he’s becoming a kid and it’s really shifting my brain. It’s beautiful and it’s brutal every day. It’s so amazing to see him grow and it’s so hurtful to know that every day he’s bigger. He’s taking steps. Like cool, you’re taking steps to walk away from me,” her voice cracks. “It’s a lot.”

But for now, there’s still walks in the stroller to Bark Social with their pup, Murphy, sticky hands full of puffed snacks, and naps that allow Rowe to prep a few dozen mugs for the kiln.

For Harlan, it’s no surprise that introducing food to Brune has brought a lot of bliss. There was an abundance of food in her childhood, mostly due to her Filipino-born mother, who would always “cook way more food than you could eat.” Harlan says she remembers eating “rice and bananas with soy sauce” and Spam. And though Brune’s first foods have been slightly different, Harlan did start her eating very young.

“The process is really fun and funny and messy. I have this long list of every single thing I want her to taste, and I want to see her experience.” That includes things like lemons and tinned fish. Anything with “really intense flavors.” And yes, she knows at some point even her child will only want chicken fingers and cheese quesadillas.

“Basically, as soon as she crawled out of me, I was like, ‘You’re your own. I need to get to know you. What do you need?’” So far, they have logged countless miles walking from their Tuscany-Canterbury home to Sherwood Gardens, Linkwood Park, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. While Brune takes in the world, Harlan can revel in not having to be the constant source of entertainment. Often, she has one hand on the baby in the carrier, and the other wrapped around a cup of coffee.

Banks, who now expertly maneuvers her stroller up and down her steps and the narrow entranceway to her home, also loves walking to ice cream shops, grocery stores, and to pick up dinner with the baby. She’s constantly thinking about her own mom, whom she lost when she was 11, so she makes sure to take plenty of photos of herself with Ava. She never wants her to wish there were more pictures of them together—like she does with her own mother.

Another friend, who also had her first after 40, told Banks she was putting her baby in every ensemble she wanted—even multiple changes a day. “I waited this long; he is going to wear every one of these outfits,” her friend joked. Banks realized she could also allow herself that freedom. “I waited this long and I’m dressing her up in everything I always wanted to—including bows. I don’t care. I’m just enjoying all of it.”

She pauses. “I was waiting for her. Out of all the babies, this was my baby. This one’s mine. I know she was meant for me. I’m just grateful. I am feeling all the feelings.” Banks laughs—motherhood will do that to you, turn you into a sappy person who didn’t exist before. Into someone who says, “feeling all the feelings.” And she admits that when Ava is in her room napping, when there is finally a fleeting moment of quiet, “I miss my baby.”

 

“I WAS WAITING FOR HER. OUT OF ALL THE BABIES, THIS WAS MY BABY.”

 

After what can be years of thinking about a baby, getting pregnant, being pregnant, and then being the baby’s entire world for the first year, it can be hard to let go. Harlan knows she must work extra hard to be in the moment and not control the moment.

“I hope that Brune feels supported in her interests,” she says. “And I hope that I can approach motherhood less like a manager, as I do with a lot of my businesses, and more like a supportive witness.”

She pauses, knowing how hard it is to unteach yourself something you’ve been doing for over a decade. “I have had a career and managed a lot of people, but I don’t want to fall into the pattern of doing that with her. I hope she can teach me how to sit back and be more of a spectator versus a manager.” Harlan is learning how to get out of the way a bit: “I want her to be free to find her own voice.”

As she approaches her second Mother’s Day, and with a newly minted one-year-old, Rowe is realizing just how fast it goes. She’s emotional. Her baby is getting older, and they are starting to pack up the only home he’s ever known. “Everyone has very sweet input,” she says. “They say, ‘This age is so good. The next thing is going to be so great.’” Her voice breaks. “But it’s so hard to let go of the part that you like so much. I loved when he was a little loaf of bread and fell asleep on your chest. That was a really hard time in the hospital, but it was just us and it was a beautiful time we had.”

Parker is busy in his little fenced-in play area, banging on his walker with one chubby hand and holding onto “his” remote with the other. Naptime is approaching. You can’t stop time. “Change is so good and so hard,” says Rowe. “It seems like it’ll either be so hard or so great, but it is all of those things at the same time.”

From to-do lists to poetry writing to journaling, it feels like the handwritten word is more important than ever. And hey, if you’re going to be writing down your deepest thoughts, why not do it in a beautiful notebook?

As they say, April showers bring May flowers. Welcome the change of season with notes of well-wishes in vibrant stationery and messages of love in these fun Mother’s Day cards.

Although the lockdown is certainly putting a damper on traditional Mother’s Day celebrations this year, treating mom to breakfast (or brunch) in bed has never been easier. Dining destinations all over town are whipping up special brunch—as well as lunch, dinner, and dessert—offerings that are all available for contactless pickup in advance of the big day on Sunday, May 10. Here, we’ve rounded up a few spots to choose from. And if you’re really looking to score some extra brownie points, hit a local farmers’ market and grab a bouquet of fresh flowers to brighten up your table this weekend.

Atlas Restaurant Group: Most of the Atlas restaurants scattered throughout the Harbor East area have been closed since stay-at-home orders went into effect. But for one day only, Azumi, The Choptank, Ouzo Bay, Loch Bar, and Tagliata are reopening with curbside takeout for all of the moms. Each restaurant is offering two separate packages that feed 2-3 people. (Think seaweed salad and lobster fried rice from Azumi; crab dip and fried chicken from The Choptank; shrimp cocktail and crab cakes from Loch Bar; hummus and lamb shank from Ouzo; and rigatoni alla vodka and New York strip from Tagliata.) The group has also teamed up with Flowers & Fancies to throw in colorful bouquets for an additional $50. Orders can be placed by emailing atlasathome@atlasrestaurantgroup.com.

Cake by Jason: Pastry chef Jason Hisley and the team at his Timonium bakery have dreamed up a special line of Mother’s Day cupcake flavors that can be ordered online for curbside pickup. Mix-and-match varieties like dark chocolate, lemon bar, mixed berry cheesecake, and pina colada to sweeten up the day.

The Charmery: Leave it to this fan-favorite ice cream parlor to take breakfast in bed to a whole other level. For dessert-loving moms, The Charmery is releasing four limited-edition breakfast flavors as part of its $50 holiday pint package. Among them are the vegan “Mimosa Sorbet”, “Chocolate Croissant” with croissant flakes mixed in, “Whole Bean Coffee” infused with roasted beans from the shop’s Union Collective neighbor Vent Coffee Roasters, and “Chocolate Bouquet”—a Tahitian vanilla base with bits of rub, caramellia, and dark chocolate.

Citron: This Pikesville spot has got you covered with brunch, dinner, and a la carte sushi rolls for the occasion. Choose from dishes such as bananas foster French toast triangles, Norweigan salmon with lemon beurre blanc, wild rockfish, and filet mignon. Pair the eats with quarts of raspberry mimosas, vodka lemontinis, or red sangria.

Cosima: Swing by this rustic Italian gem in Hampden’s Mill No. 1 to pick up a dinner for four that includes starters, entrees, sides, and dessert. Treat mom like a queen with dishes such as baked shrimp penne, herb-grilled salmon, saffron risotto, lemon blueberry cobbler, and even her own personal chocolate cake.

The Corner Pantry: Adding to its menu of catered meals, this Mt. Washington cafe plans to offer lamb kebabs and a DIY eton mess (a traditional English dessert that mixes strawberries with meringue and whipped cream) kit for customers to make as a family. Orders can be placed online to pick up Saturday.

Eddie’s of Roland Park: This mainstay market is making it super simple to surprise mom this weekend. A $100 “Mother’s Day in a Box” package serves four and includes assorted mini fruit scones, a 10-inch roasted vegetable quiche, salad, tomato gazpacho, and jumbo lump crab cakes. To complete the feast, Eddie’s is also featuring a DIY cake kit that comes with an eight-inch yellow cake, white buttercream frosting, pink decorative icing, sprinkles, and a topper.

The Food Market: Hoopla Catering, the catering arm of this Hampden hotspot, is offering a $125 package that feeds four. Enjoy the famous “Beets by Chad,” sliced filet mignon, crab cakes, whipped potatoes, roasted asparagus, coconut strawberry shortcake, and chocolate chip cookies. Orders can be picked up at The Food Market or at its Pikesville sister spot La Food Marketa.

Four Seasons Hotel: Keeping tradition alive, the Four Seasons in Harbor East is offering a holiday staycation deal, as well as brunch to-go. Call ahead to order a contactless carryout meal that serves two, four, or six people. Dig into dishes such as crab deviled eggs, smoked salmon avocado toast, braised beef short ribs, seared salmon in lemon butter sauce, or spinach and artichoke-stuffed chicken medallions. Mimosas and bellinis can also be added a la carte.

Magdalena: There’s nothing quite like the full experience at this posh restaurant inside Mt. Vernon’s Ivy Hotel, but, with the help of a few recipes provided by the Ivy staff, you can try to recreate the luxurious atmosphere at home. To really go above and beyond, whip up the chef’s fluffy ricotta pancakes, serve a few classic tea scones, and toast the special woman in your life with the bar’s traditional Bee’s Knees cocktail. The hotel’s spa is also highlighting a Mother’s Day gift bag with luxe products including body lotion and bath truffle.

Nick’s Fish House: If your mom is a hard shell kind of gal, take advantage of the steamed crab package from this South Baltimore spot, which comes with a dozen medium crabs, steamed shrimp, two sides, and dessert. Similar meal deals swap crabs for crab cakes, beef tenderloin, and grilled salmon.

Orto: Choose from a full-blown brunch spread or Sunday-night dinner for pickup from this Station North gem. Brunch includes a dozen bagels, house-cured smoked salmon, cream cheese spreads, fruit salad, and optional sparkling cocktail kits. Dinner features a whole roasted chicken glazed with basil honey, a spring vegetable medley, house-baked focaccia, and cinnamon coffee cake.

Sotto Sopra: Open from 12-9 p.m. for pickup and delivery on Mother’s Day, this Italian haunt in Mt. Vernon is offering four-course bundles that serve two or four people. Look out for fried calamari, ricotta gnocchi, veal saltimbocca, baked eggplant parmesan, and lobster spaghetti.

The Urban Oyster: Chef Jasmine Norton has created a menu inspired by recipes passed down from several generations of mothers in her family. Paying homage to her own traditions, Norton will serve rosemary-garlic lamb chops, stuffed chicken, lobster imperial, potatoes au gratin, and creamed spinach throughout the weekend.

The Walrus Oyster & Ale House: Fresh flowers, sparkling rosé, and bubbly Cava are all available to customize your dinner package from this Columbia seafood spot. Diners can order three courses with flowers and house-made strawberry cheesecake for $49 per person, or add bottles of bubbly to the order for $59 per person.

With the mandated stay-at-home orders still in place, it looks like Mother’s Day is going to be a little different this year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate your loved ones from afar.

In fact, local shops have come up with thoughtful presents to make contactless gifting easy. We’ve put together a handy gift guide to help you celebrate the important women in your life while supporting local businesses. These shops offer online ordering for delivery or contact-free curbside pickup, making for a seamless transaction while still practicing safe social distancing.

B. Willow

The storefront might be closed, but that hasn’t stopped B.Willow from staying true to its Mother’s Day tradition. Owner Liz Vayda has packaged two options: a seasonal bouquet or tropical potted plant—both of which come with a dried-flower card and a half-dozen rose shortbread cookies from Bramble Baking Co. Curbside pickup is available Monday-Friday from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. and local delivery with a minimum order of $50 is available on Monday, and Wednesday-Friday.

Becket Hitch

We all know these times are stressful, so why not gift mom a calming, self-care package? Becket Hitch’s Old Whaling Bath Co. Kits include body butter, salt scrub, and a bath bomb in an array of scents like coastal calm, magnolia, and “Sea La Vie.” To top it off, add an all-natural sea sponge, candle, or pajama set from their extensive Mother’s Day gift section. Free delivery is available within 10 miles of the Baltimore County shop.

Brightside Boutique

Offering gift packages for the new mom, the young mom, and the best-friend mom, Brightside Boutique has options for ladies in any stage of motherhood. The various boxes include products such as mugs, candles, lotion, and trinket trays. To make the gift even more special, they are offering handwritten notes so you can leave a loving message to your gift recipient. Shipping is free when you spend more than $50.

CF Interiors

The interior design experts of CF Interiors have gone into full mask-making mode so you can give a timely package that includes two adult tailored face masks, a Dog Lover notepad, and a candle. Local delivery is available in the Baltimore-Metropolitan area, as well as curbside pickup. Call 410-583-8086 or email info@cfinteriors.org to place an order.

Hon’s Honey x Wight Tea Company

The “Healing Hive” partnered with Wight Tea Company this year to bring a wellness-inspired gift package for all moms who enjoy their tea time. The package includes locally-sourced, handcrafted honey and tea, a mug, and a tote. Not only will you be making mom happy, but you’ll be supporting a women-run social enterprise that gives at-risk women steady, reliable work and hope for their future.

Trohv

Build your own Mother’s Day gift package with a few of Trohv’s mom-inspired products. From witty cards and trinkets, to a prayer candle dedicated to Saint Exhaustia—the Patron Saint of Tired Moms—Trohv’s gifts are sure to make your mom laugh. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on their online store, send a direct message on Instagram or contact hellobmore@trohvshop.com to place your order.

MAY 6: KIDS CLUB: FLOWERPOT DECORATING FOR MOMMY

Whole Foods Market, 200 Harker Place, Suite 100, Annapolis. 11-11:45 a.m. $10. 410-573-1800. wholefoodsmarket.com. Decorate a flowerpot for mommy and enjoy complimentary snacks. For ages 3-5.

MAY 10: MOTHER’S DAY TOUR

Mount Clare Museum House, 1500 Washington Blvd. 2 p.m. $15. 410-837-3262. mountclare.org. Half-priced tours are available for mothers, grandmothers, mothers-in-law and all special ladies.

MAY 10: MOTHER’S DAY TEA

Mount Clare Museum House, 1500 Washington Blvd. 2 p.m. $15. 410-837-3262. mountclare.org. Take a tour of the museum house before enjoying afternoon tea with finger sandwiches and baked goods.

MAY 10: MOTHER’S DAY TEA, SCONES & GARDENS

Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Old Frederick Rd., Woodstock. 10 a.m. $5-10. 410-465-8877. hcconservancy.org. Stroll through the numerous niche gardens at the Conservancy and learn about their design and plantings. Refresh yourself with bottomless tea and fresh Scottish scones.

MAY 10: MOTHER’S DAY MARKET

Carroll County Agriculture Center, 706 Agricultural Center Dr., Westminster. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. 410-848-6704. carrollcountyagcenter.com. Indulge in local homegrown fruits and vegetables, handmade jams, jellies, dips, candies, and baked goods.

MAY 10: ANIMAL MOTHERS

Cromwell Valley Park, 2002 Cromwell Bridge Rd. 1-2:30 p.m. $2-4. 410-887-2503. cromwellvalleypark.org. Learn how four-legged moms take care of their children in this meet and greet with wild animals, including the only marsupial mother in North America.

MAY 10-11: MOTHER’S DAY PLANT SALE

TALMAR Gardens at Cromwell Valley Park, 2002 Cromwell Bridge Rd. Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. 410-887-2503. cromwellvalleypark.org. Flowers, vegetables, herbs, started planters and more will be available at the annual sale.

MAY 10-11: MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND PICNIC

Boordy Vineyards, 12820 Long Green Pike, Hydes. Sat.-Sun. 1-5 p.m. Free-$15. 410-592-5015. boordy.com. Make Mom feel special with a picnic out in wine country. Enjoy wine samplings, live music, and food from Carl’s Catering and Prigel Family Creamery.

MAY 11: THE PROFESSIONAL DIVA PRESENTS, “A MOTHER’S DAY EMPOWERING BRUNCH”

Hyatt Place Hotel, 4730 Painters Mill Rd., Owings Mills. 2-5 p.m. $35. 410-992-2114. the-professional-diva.com. Branding consulting firm hosts holiday brunch.

MAY 11: MOTHER’S DAY BIRDWALK

Marshy Point Nature Center, 7130 Marshy Point Rd. 9 a.m. Free. 410-887-2817. marshypoint.org. Explore the park and learn about the estuary with Marshy Point’s expert bird watchers.

MAY 11: 43RD ANNUAL HISTORIC HARBOR HOUSE TOUR OF FELLS POINT

Fells Point Visitor Center, 1724 Thames St. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. $15-20. 410-675-6750. Take a self-guided tour of the quaint streets and darling domiciles of our historic maritime community.

MAY 11: ANNUAL MOTHER’S DAY TEA

Tea on the Tiber, 8081 Main St., Ellicott City. 12 & 3 p.m. $45. 410-480-8000. teaonthetiber.com. Head to Ellicott City for tea, soup, salad, appetizers, sandwiches, dessert, and a special gift.

MAY 11: CARRIAGE RIDES AT HAMPTON

Hampton National Historic Site, 535 Hampton Ln., Towson. 12-4 p.m. Free-$10. 410-823-1309 ext. 251. nps.gov/hamp. Take mom on a spin around the grounds of stately Hampton National Historic Site in a horse-drawn carriage.

MAY 11: A MOTHER’S LOVE: THE SHOW

Baltimore Arena, 201 W. Baltimore Ave. 5 p.m. $50-90.95. 800-653-8000. ticketmaster.com. Don’t miss this spring’s premiere soul and gospel concert, featuring Gladys Knight, Marvin Sapp, Tamela Mann, James Fortune, and Tasha Cobbs.

MAY 11: “SIGNS” OF SPRING

Irvine Nature Center, 11201 Garrison Forest Rd., Owings Mills. 1-2:30 p.m. Free-$10. 443-738-9220. explorenature.org. Take Mom on a hike through Irvine’s beautiful trails and learn some basic sign language along the way.

Mother’s Day is more than just cleaning the house and buying flowers (though we’re sure she won’t object to it). It’s a way to celebrate the love moms give us, and to give that love right back. “Mother’s Day is a day of nurturing,” says Lashauna Jones, who runs The Sporty Dog along with her daughter, Daejonne Bennett. For Jones and her family, it’s fitting the holiday has always revolved around food. “People nurture their children through different things,” she said. “For me, it’s always been through food.”

This year, Jones and Bennett will be at the Baltimore Farmers’ Market on Mother’s Day offering Sporty Dog’s savory roasted tomato dog with basil. Here are some other Baltimore favorites that are serving up delicious morning deals for mom.

B&O American Brasserie: Head to this eatery inside the Hotel Monaco to treat mom to a buffet spread with a raw bar, carving station, customizable omelets, and a DIY crab cake slider bar with tons of toppings. Bottomless dishes will include turkey sausage, breakfast potatoes, Belgian waffles, and yogurt with house granola. 2 N. Charles St. $15-50

Blue Hill Tavern: This upscale Brewers Hill spot is offering beet-cured salmon, chicken saltimbocca, and blood orange sorbet as part of its Mother’s Day brunch menu. 938 S. Conkling St., $29.99, 443-388-9363

Cinghiale: This trendy Harbor East eatery is serving Italian-inspired items during their holiday brunch, including poached eggs on toasted brioche, pan-roasted orata, and strawberry semifreddo. 822 Lancaster St., $10-29, 410-547-8282

Citron: With its beautiful view of Quarry Lake and subtle sophistication, brunch at Citron will definitely be one for mom to remember, especially with sweet and savory dishes like caramelized banana and pecan French toast, Baltimore chicken and waffles, and pan-seared Norwegian salmon with spaghetti squash. 2605 Quarry Lake Dr., $6-46, 410-363-0900

Cosima: This swanky restaurant is offering tasty Italian eats like grilled asparagus with duck, Sicilian doughnuts, and a variety of pizzas made in a wood-fired oven for a unique and filling mid-morning meal. 3000 Falls Rd., $5-26, 443-708-7352

Emma’s Tea Spot: For the entire holiday weekend, the charming Emma’s Tea Spot in Hamilton is hosting a Mother’s Day High Tea. Take mom for a “proper British experience” close to home (no passport required) where she’ll be served delicious teas and chooses from three tiers of delicacies like boiled quail eggs, sweet and savory scones, chicken and mushroom vol-au-vents, and homemade truffles. 5500 Harford Rd., $38-42.50, 410-444-1718

Flamant: Head down to this intimate Annapolis spot for fresh takes on brunch classics like banana French toast terrine with blueberry salad, tarragon fried chicken, and omelettes with spring mushrooms and scallion tempura. 17 Annapolis St., Annapolis, $9-25, 410-267-0274

Gunther & Co.: This Brewers Hill favorite is offering fried Chesapeake oyster lettuce wraps, Gulf shrimp and cheddar grits, glazed citrus pound cake with passionfruit cream, and dishes with eggs from their family farm. 3650 Toone St., $28, 443-869-6874

Johnny’s: For the Maryland-loving mom, this Roland Park restaurant will feature a buffet of mini crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, and a customizable omelette station. 4800 Roland Ave., $19-33, 410-773-0777

La Cuchara: Take mom on a three-course, Basque-influenced journey at this Woodberry restaurant that will be serving dishes like grilled corn talos, patatas bravas, house-smoked salmon, and berry shortcake. 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., $39, 443-708-3838

Minnow: For a more savory start to your day, take the family down to Minnow for a three-course brunch featuring items like avocado toast with tomato vinaigrette and grilled zucchini, fried duck egg with chorizo and corn polenta, and spinach omelettes with piperade and raclette. 2 E. Wells St., $38, 443-759-6537

Orto: This Station North newbie is launching its first-ever Sunday brunch service on Mother’s Day. Start things off with a house Bloody Mary or bellini before digging in to dishes like charred sourdough avocado toast, grilled flatbread with prosciutto, and an Italian meat-and-cheese breakfast plate. 1709 N. Charles St. 443-759-7200

Red Star: In addition to their tasty s’mores pancakes, house made chilaquiles, and feta omelettes, this Charles Village hangout is hosting an exclusive champagne brunch featuring bottomless mimosas, Bloody Marys, and screwdrivers (and a whole lot of bubbles). 3224 St. Paul St., $1.50-18, 443-948-5539

Rusty Scupper: Take advantage of this deal and the views of this Inner Harbor staple for an all-you-can-eat brunch with items like ham with rum raisin glaze, blackened chicken Florentine with lump crab meat, an assortment of desserts, and complimentary champagne and mimosas. 402 Key Hwy., $28.95-56.95, 410-727-3678

The Turn House: This golf course go-to is hosting an entire family-friendly weekend with half-price dinner entrées for mom on Friday and Saturday nights and a buffet brunch on Sunday. The morning menu will consist of a granola and yogurt bar, a ham and tenderloin carving station, and (the best part) complimentary mimosas. 11130 Willow Bottom Dr., Columbia, Free-$50, 410-740-2096

Eric Michael sandal ($108) at Poppy & Stella.
Brilliant Ideas journal ($10) at In Watermelon Sugar.
QRTZ watch ($30-$40) at Poppy & Stella.
Bloomingvale palm plate ($12) at Su Casa.
Crap Eyewear sunglasses ($58) at Brightside Boutique.
Mama mug ($13.50) at Trohv.
Miya mini plate ($7) at Curiosity.
Mother’s Day Card ($4.50) at Bmore Babe Design.
Canteen bag ($165) at Bosom Buddy Bags.
Turkish towel ($29) at In Watermelon Sugar.
Instax mini pink camera ($57.95) at Service Photo.
Blush No. 2 ($11.01) at Boordy Vineyards.
Apricot Jam ($16) at Trohv.
Miya mini plate ($7) at Curiosity.
Beatle dish ($4) at In Watermelon Sugar.
Palm Server ($34) at In Watermelon Sugar.
Aromatic Savory Salts ($13.50) at In Watermelon Sugar.

Few holidays provide us with as many warm fuzzies as Mother’s Day. After all, who better to honor than the lady who packed all those school lunches, wiped all those runny noses (even involuntarily, and on her sweater hems, no less), and listened to the same senseless knock-knock jokes over and over—and laughed every time?

Maybe it’s time to return the favor. Not that she probably needs (or wants) her nose wiped, but you could make her a nice meal to start her Mother’s Day out right. Serve it gathered around the dining room table with candles or on a little tray in her cozy bed, but leave Mom out of the cooking and cleaning up—you’ll make her day.

We asked some of Baltimore’s female chefs for their favorite Mother’s Day brunch recipes and got some great suggestions. Most of these would be a cinch for Dad to whip up with the kids before Mom gets up for the day—you were going to let her sleep in just this once, right? So find your whisks (ask Mom where they are the night before) and get those aprons on. Time to spoil Mom a little!

Chocolate Challah French Toast

Meredith Jacobs
Author,
The Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat

Meredith Jacobs is a parenting columnist and runs the website ModernJewishMom.com; she frequently speaks at local synagogues. Her favorite memory from a past Mother’s Day was when her husband Jonathan spent all afternoon the day before with their kids, Sofie and Jules, recording a video for her. The video had the kids telling funny jokes and all the reasons they loved her. They presented the video, along with breakfast in bed, to her on Mother’s Day in their home in Rockville. She calls this the “perfect brunch” for that special breakfast with Mom.

“I bake fresh challah every Friday,” she adds.  “It’s so delicious when it comes hot out of the oven—my family and I just pick at it throughout dinner. Thank goodness I make a large enough loaf that there’s always extra for French toast.”

• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt
• 1 loaf challah
• chocolate chips
• sliced fresh strawberries and whipped cream (optional)

To prepare:

1. In a large bowl, stir together eggs, milk, cocoa, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
2. Slice challah 1 inch thick. Soak slices in mixture for 10 minutes.
3. While bread is soaking, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a large pan over a low flame. When butter melts, add slices (only enough to fit in pan) and cook. Using a spatula, press down on the slices to flatten them as they cook. Flip over once to brown both slices evenly (about 3 minutes per side). Sprinkle some chocolate chips over the top of the toast.
4. Remove from pan, and top with sliced strawberries and whipped cream for some extra decadence.

Southern Salmon Cakes

Sarah Monroe
Hyatt Regency, Baltimore

Sarah’s mother first served this recipe on Mother’s Day, 1957. Since then, it’s become a family tradition, and all Monroes from North Carolina to Washington, D.C. serve it on that special May Sunday.

• 8 ounces pink salmon, cooked
• and chilled (canned works best)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoon Old Bay
• seasoning
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ounce oil

To prepare:

1. Mix chopped salmon, flour, onions, Old Bay, and black pepper. Add eggs and mix well. Let stand in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
2. Form mixture into six equal portions.
3. Heat a skillet—Monroe says cast iron works best—and add the oil. Pan-sear each salmon patty on each side (about two minutes per side), until golden brown. Remove from heat and drain excess oil.
4. Serve with grits and scrambled eggs.

Cherry Fruit Squares

Lynn States
Pastry Chef, McCormick and Schmick’s, Baltimore

Lynn’s mom used to make this for her, and she says it’s a great, tasty recipe for a Mother’s Day Brunch. “The kids can make this with some help, and you don’t have to go to a specialty store for the ingredients,” she says.

States says she’s worked in the restaurant industry for the past 22 years, which means she works on Mother’s Day. But when she finishes feeding hundreds of other Baltimore-area moms on their special day, she returns home to her 8-year-old son, and they spend the afternoon together.

“He usually makes me a card and he has a treat for me,” she says. For the past few years, the treat has come in the form of jewelry—earrings and necklaces. “It’s really nice,” she says, and then laughs. “He has really good taste!”

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or
• pecans (optional)
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• (any flavor pie filling can be used)

To prepare:

1. Cream butter with sugar. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour. Add nuts.
2. Spread three-quarters of batter in a greased 13-inch-by-9-inch pan. Cover batter with pie filling. Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls on top of filling. Spread out as much as possible—batter will be very sticky and the filling will show in spots.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool. Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Pancakes

Tracey Watson
Watson Caterers, Timonium

This recipe was developed to provide a healthy—but still sweet and tasty!—approach to the celebration of Mother’s Day. Why not honor the ones we love by offering them a more wholesome form of nourishment?

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup milk
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 bananas, sliced

To prepare:

1. Combine eggs, oil, milk, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix well. Add flour and mix again. Allow mixture to stand for 15 minutes.
2. In a hot skillet, melt enough butter to sparingly cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon scoops of batter into 4-inch rounds. Immediately place banana slices and walnuts on tops of cakes and press down lightly with the back of a spoon.
3. As soon as the cakes begin to form bubbles, flip them gently and continue to cook for an additional minute or two.
4. Serve hot with warmed maple syrup.

Makes about a dozen.

Courtney Casas, stay-at-home mom: Never owe more on your credit card than you have in your savings account.

Alicia Sneed, homemaker and exercise instructor: Three words: Pick your battles. That advice has worked with friends, enemies, husband, children, bosses—and even her.

Eric Seeley, hospitality sales representative: “Do the right thing” kind of covers everything.

Jennifer Alonso, account manager: Appreciate every moment as a parent, even the messy ones. Two weeks later, our newborn managed to poop all over the walls of his nursery and my husband’s face. All we could do was laugh and cherish that disgusting moment!

Jillian Peterson, dancer: If it’s wet and it’s not yours, don’t touch it!

Jasmine Simms, owner, Scrub Nail Boutique: “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I don’t care who tells you: me, your father, anyone. You’re in control of your own life.” And I was only 8!

While some of the area’s top chefs are laboring over ambitious presentations like saffron-poached sea scallops and red-wine-braised veal cheeks, they often experience pangs for more familiar foods from their youth-basic dishes that mom cooked. And every now and then, they’re happy to put aside the duck confit and black truffles and go home to mac and cheese or pot roast-and reconnect with mom all over again.

Michel Tersiguel, Tersiguel’s

With parents like Fernand and Odette Tersiguel, who are longtime restaurateurs, it was inevitable that their only son, Michel, would land in a professional kitchen one day. From the time he was a small child in New York playing with pots and pans and, later at age 10, making lunch on Saturdays, Michel was surrounded by a family who loved to cook and garden.

“I’d make exotic stuff,” he recalls. “Well, Thousand Island dressing was exotic to me.”

But he grew up with fare that might seem a little strange to many American children: periwinkles, frog legs, crêpes, radish sandwiches, and dandelion salad. He moved to Maryland with his parents when he was 8 and got his first job as a dishwasher at 11.

“For me, it was always fun,” says Michel, now 43, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1984.

Now, he heads up the kitchen at Tersiguel’s in Ellicott City, taking over most of the cooking duties from his semiretired dad. And while his father may have been the professional chef in the kitchen, his mother also cooked.

In addition to dandelion salad, Michel also enjoys eating her buckwheat crêpes and apple fritters. He remembers living in New York and his mother making and selling crêpes to other transplants from her hometown, Brittany, France. She met her future husband Fernand, also a Brittany native, while both were picking green beans in a field there.

Now, his mother has other ideas about what she likes to eat, Michel says. “She wants to go out for Chinese food and an action movie,” he says with a laugh.

Dandelion salad

• 4 ounces apple-wood bacon, cut into small dice
• 3 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 handfuls of freshly picked
• dandelion greens (before they have flowered), washed 3 times
• 1 cup freshly made croutons (see recipe)
• 2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and roughly chopped

1. Cook bacon in sauté pan slowly until slightly crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and reserve on paper towel. Use bacon fat to sauté shallots and garlic until they color slightly. Add vinegar and salt and pepper. Add dandelions and toss.
2. Place greens on plates and garnish with croutons, crispy bacon and hard-boiled eggs. Serves 4.

Fresh croutons

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 stale baguette, 1/4-inch diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. In medium-size sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil. When pan sizzles, add all croutons. Sauté gently until croutons are browned evenly, stirring every few minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove croutons from pan and reserve until needed. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Croutons will keep for one week in an airtight container after cooling. Makes 4 cups.

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Christian DeLutis, The Wine Market

Executive chef Christian DeLutis turns out sophisticated fare at The Wine Market in Locust Point, but his interest in all things culinary began much earlier. He grew up in central Pennsylvania surrounded by an extended family-Italian on his father’s side, German on his mother’s.

One of the biggest influences in his cooking was his Italian grandmother, Jeanet. “She was a pretty good cook,” he says. “She would make a traditional Sunday supper. There was always pasta-that wasn’t the main dish-but other things, too.”

It wasn’t until he was in college studying English and took a job as a cook at a small Italian restaurant that he realized his destiny was food. “I just went nuts. I thought, ‘This is awesome,'” says the 29-year-old chef, who went to the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh.

It was at the Culinary Institute that DeLutis developed a taste for more rarified fare. But make no mistake. DeLutis still very much craves his mother Maria’s home cooking, especially her cookies and braised meats like goulash and pot roast. His mother’s food is simple, he says, but he savors it when he heads home to Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, not far from Hershey. “It’s food I like to eat, like tomato soup,” he says.

His mother says there were no early indications that her son would become interested in food. “He was the pickiest eater you can imagine,” she says with a laugh. “I can remember him in his high chair screaming because he didn’t want to eat.”

Obviously, that’s not the case now.

The chef especially likes his mom’s kiffel, a family recipe for a sugar cookie filled with ground walnuts and cinnamon that’s been passed down for generations. “I always look forward to them,” DeLutis says.

Kiffel 

Dough:

• 3 sticks margarine (Blue Bonnet recommended), softened
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 lemon, grated zest and juice
• 2 egg yolks Filling:
• 8 ounces brown sugar
• 1 pound ground walnuts
• 1 stick margarine, melted
• Small can evaporated milk, enough to moisten mixture
• Powdered sugar, to dust cookies

1. For dough, mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Form into ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
2. For filling, mix together all ingredients. Filling can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out chilled dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a glass or cookie cutter with a 2-inch diameter to cut circles. Place 1 teaspoon nut filling in each circle. Pinch edges to seal. 
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. Cool on rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

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Bill Crouse, Sotto Sopra

As an executive chef, Bill Crouse is responsible for the fine Italian cuisine at Sotto Sopra. Turns out it’s a job he’s been prepping for since he was a little kid watching his mom, Lois, in the kitchen at their Aberdeen home.

At 13, he began working at a sub/ice cream shop in Churchville and was hooked. “I realized I wasn’t an artist, but I could be creative in other ways,” he says about his discovery of the world of food.

When he made his first beurre blanc sauce, he gained an appreciation of the skill and passion it takes to be a chef, he says. He earned three associate degrees from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh and worked at several high-end Baltimore restaurants before landing at Sotto Sopra.

His mother said she loves that her son became a chef, adding in true mom fashion, “He’s so enthusiastic. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

And while you may be able to put the boy in a fancy restaurant, you can’t take him too far away from the kitchen that weaned him. “You can’t beat mom’s pot roast and meatloaf,” says the 28-year-old chef. “She always had good food on the table.”

His favorite dish, though, is his mom’s creamed chicken and rice. “It’s hearty and soulful,” he says, with sudden longing in his voice.

Creamed Chicken 

• 4 large chicken breasts
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth plus additional broth, divided use 
• 2 (10 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup 
• 1/4 pound mild cheddar cheese, grated 
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms, optional
• 1 cup cooked peas
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed 

1. Place chicken in large pot, and add can of chicken broth and enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and continue to cook chicken until it is tender and falling off the bone. Let cool. Cut into chunks and set aside.
2. In another pan, combine cream of chicken soup, cheese, onion, mushrooms (if using), peas, salt, pepper, and dried rosemary. Cook until heated through. Thin with chicken broth, if needed. Add cooled chicken and heat through.
3. Serve over cooked rice, slices of toasted, buttered Italian bread, or biscuits.

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Jesse Sandlin, Abacrombie

After honing her cooking skills in California and Australia, Jesse Sandlin came back to her home state and is now wowing diners with creative cuisine at Abacrombie in Mt. Vernon. At a recent Baltimore Foodies dinner at the restaurant, appropriately titled “A Celebration of Female Chefs,” Sandlin was joined by the ladies in her kitchen, sous chef Jackie Torres and pastry chef Sarah Acconcia, and other local women chefs to turn out a stellar dinner, which included a hefty, red-wine braised lamb shank.

It’s a bit of a culinary jump from the Steak ‘Em sandwiches she used to eat as a kid. “My mom didn’t cook,” Sandlin explains. “She baked.” The plus side was that Sandlin got in the kitchen at early age to make dinner for her working parents. “I made a lot of roast chicken,” she says with a laugh.

But then after the family dinner, Sandlin, now 29, would watch her mom, Kathy Caverly, bake cookies and cakes. She treasures a Christmas Eve ritual where she and her mom would bake 12 different kinds of cookies in a marathon baking session. The tradition changed when she became a chef and worked long hours, though she recalls getting home at 11 p.m. one Christmas Eve and baking cookies until 4 a.m. with her mother.

Now, mother and daughter are split by geography-her mom lives in California. Sandlin stays connected by baking her favorite mom recipes at home-carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies.

Carrot Cake 

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups finely grated carrots (the finer, the better; use the smallest hole on the grater; see note) 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Add oil and sugar, mixing with an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Fold in carrots by hand.
2. Pour equal amounts of batter into three eight-inch cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until tester inserted in center is clean. (You can also use a 13-by-9-inch pan. Bake for about one hour, checking for doneness with tester.)

Note: The secret to this carrot cake is to grate the carrots really finely, so they retain their moisture, and the cake doesn’t dry out.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

  1 box powdered sugar

  1/2 cup butter or margarine

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla. 
2. Add chopped nuts, and mix well by hand. 
3. Spread evenly over top and sides of cake layers.

If using a 13-by-9-inch pan, make only half the recipe.

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Jenkins, Darker Than Blue

Casey Jenkins, chef/owner of Darker Than Blue in Waverly, owes some of the restaurant’s menu items to his stepmother, Sandra Jenkins. “We have salmon cakes on the menu because of her,” he says. He speaks fondly of the woman who raised him in White Plains, New York, with his dad, Sammie Jenkins, and encouraged him to go to the Culinary Institute of America after he got out of the U.S. Marine Corps and tried his hand at odd jobs.

“He really enjoyed cooking,” his stepmom recalls. “When your child has a dream, never kill it. You should push them along.”

Casey found the CIA experience humbling, he says. “I thought, ‘This is great. I cooked for 4,000 Marines. This will be the easiest degree I ever got.'” What he wasn’t expecting was the level of cooking sophistication. “I never made velouté in the Marine Corps. I thought, ‘What’s a velouté?'” he says, with a laugh, about the white stock and roux mix that is the foundation for many classic sauces.

Still, even with a prized diploma from the CIA, Jenkins, 39, found some gaps in his cooking knowledge. “I didn’t know how to properly fry chicken,” he says, incredulously. “My stepmother had to show me how to fry chicken the proper way.”

Sandra Jenkins is a casual cook-a dash of this, a splash of that (see recipe). She doesn’t have exact measurements, but the finished dish is to drool for, according to her chef son.

The results of her hands-on tutelage can be found in the Southern fare at Darker Than Blue. “It’s amazing,” his stepmom says of the modest storefront restaurant. “Casey has an eye for decorating. I was so impressed. It reminds me of places in Greenwich Village.”

But the chef always looks forward to going home to New York to visit his family and savor his stepmom’s cooking, especially her fried fish, spaghetti, and those amazing salmon cakes. “She always has them waiting for me,” he says.

Salmon cakes

As mentioned, Sandra Jenkins adapts her recipes as she goes along. “Everything is to taste,” she says. Here is her recipe for salmon cakes: Mix together a little mayonnaise, a little mustard, seasoned salt, pepper, onion powder, chopped onion (which has been sautéed), egg (if needed to bind ingredients), some flour, seasoned bread crumbs, hot sauce, and two or three cans salmon. Shape mixture into patties and coat with flour. Heat oil in frying pan and cook salmon cakes until golden brown, turning once. Makes six patties per can of salmon.

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. debated with Mama Ripken over whose eyes were bluer. Ace of Cakes’ Duff Goldman curled up on a sofa and playfully placed his head in his mother’s lap. Fox 45’s Jennifer Gilbert read potty-training passages from her mother’s diary, and Governor Martin O’Malley and his mom tussled over how often he keeps in touch.

To mark Mother’s Day, we checked in with some of Baltimore’s best-known citizens and the remarkable women who raised them. As Duff Goldman put it, “If my mother was a cake, she would be a seven-tiered wedding cake, and I would be a little cupcake sitting next to her.”

Jeffrey “Duff” Goldman & Jacqueline “Jackie” Winch
Photographed at Charm City Cakes Bakery, Baltimore

Duff Goldman’s childhood was a little sugar and a lot of spice.

“There was no middle ground,” says his mother, Jackie, a West Coast-based stained-glass artist. “I figured he’d either be a success or end up in jail.” Chimes in Duff, “I did both.”

To hear the star of Food Network’s Ace of Cakes and his mom tell it, Duff’s childhood was punctuated by a series of events including cracked-up cars, graffiti, and fisticuffs. “I always knew I’d be okay,” says Duff, who is known for his edible works of art, “but to the outward eye, people would think, ‘This kid is headed for disaster.'”

“I was very, very worried,” admits Jackie. “But I kept saying, ‘Duffy, one day you’ll find your passion.'”

With a hit TV show, a popular local band (Soihadto), and an upcoming book (Ace of Cakes: The Book)—not to mention a request to make birthday cakes for the Obama girls—Jackie revels in her son’s success.

“I watch every episode of Ace of Cakes at least three times,” she says.

“I have memorized some of the episodes; they are just incredible. I love the one where he is riding in a limo [to meet] Daniel Radcliffe. I still see him as a boy, and there he is on TV with Harry Potter!”

Still a boy, perhaps, but one now grown up enough to be able to send his mom on a cruise to Hawaii and splurge on her when he wants to. “I’ve put this poor woman through so much,” says Duff. “This is not spoiling or showering. It’s repayment that will never, ever be replaced—I don’t owe the bank, but for the rest of my life, I owe my mother.”

Governor Martin & Barbara O’Malley
Photographed at Maryland Government House, Annapolis

“The two things in our household that we’d never dream of skipping were an election and Mass,” says Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who attended a rally for former Democratic Presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey with his mother when he was just two. “My mother taught us that the only thing wrong with politics is that not enough good people get involved.”

The rich political environment of the O’Malley household—late father Tom was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; mom Barbara was a National Committee Woman for the Young Democrats from Indiana—made a lasting impression on Baltimore’s former mayor. “My parents raised us all to believe we could make a difference in this world and that we could help other people,” he says.

Whatever his endeavors, Barbara, who now works as an aide to Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, has always offered her oldest son support, from encouraging him to run for student council in his middle school days to dragging the family to watch his early performances with his Celtic rock band. (“We would sit at separate tables to make it look like there was a crowd,” she says with a laugh.) Her maternal support even extended to helping him get in some much-needed shut-eye on the bus during the last day of the 2006 election.

“By that time in the campaign, you are utterly and totally depleted, and you want nothing but to sleep,” says O’Malley.

Knowing that his mother would never let him sleep through a stop, he felt comfortable enough to nap. And she knew just how to wake him: “The bus driver would click on Springsteen’s ‘Land of Hope and Dreams,’ and mom would say, ‘It’s time to wake up!'” O’Malley recalls. Chuckles Barbara, “If I had just had a Bruce Springsteen record when he was little, it would have been a lot easier to wake him up.”

Jennifer & Grace Gilbert
Photographed at Jennifer’s two-bedroom apartment, Baltimore

February 3, 1968. I entered into this world at 8:09 and weighed 6 lbs., 10 oz., 20-inches long at the West Grove Community Memorial Hospital. A sunny day but rather cold.

So begins the first diary entry of Fox 45 weekday anchor Jennifer Gilbert, “ghost written” by her mother, Grace, in a small, blue leather journal. Today those diaries—one for each of Jennifer’s 41 years—are still going strong, though Jennifer (now the mother of 21-month-old Michael) assumed her own writing responsibilities when she turned 12. “I kept a diary from the day she was born,” says Grace, “and I gave them to her after Michael was born so that she can compare herself to him.”

Says Jennifer, “It really is incredible to have these. I’ve been following along my development with my son’s development—when I first crawled, when I said my first word.”

Although Jennifer juggles a demanding, high-profile job with being a wife and mother, the Emmy award-winning journalist still writes in a journal almost daily.

“Sometimes, when I’m just sitting on the set and there is nothing to do, I will make notes,” says Jennifer, an only child. “I hope it’s as meaningful to my son some day as my mother’s entries were to me.”

Grace has passed along other traditions to Jennifer, including baking Christmas cookies, making preserves from scratch, and taking hikes on the 36-acre grounds of the Chester County, PA farm where Jennifer grew up.

“Whenever life gets busy, my mom and I go on hikes together,” says
Jennifer. “Our closest times together have always been going for walks.”

Despite Jennifer’s success, Grace is proud that her daughter still makes family her number-one priority. “She has a great job,” says Grace, “but she has never forgotten what life is all about. She has kept her roots—family always comes first.”

Joyce J. & Elizabeth Talford Scott
Photographed at home, Baltimore

Joyce Scott sits in the living room of the Baltimore home she and her mother, Elizabeth, have shared for 33 years. This vibrant space, brimming with beaded baskets, African masks, and Mexican folk art, mirrors Joyce’s technicolor life as a world-renowned multimedia artist and educator. Elizabeth, an artist in her own right—her sense of beauty was born of a childhood spent picking cotton and living in a one-room South Carolina cabin with 12 siblings—was her daughter’s first art teacher.

“My mother was always making things prettier and artier,” recalls Joyce. “She didn’t just mend a hole in a towel or pillowcase, she made an appliqué. If there were a nick in your garment, she would embroider it or add beads to it. That came out of a place of not having and wanting to elevate her environment.”

Elizabeth always encouraged her daughter’s artistic endeavors, even some of her more off-the-wall creations (such as a Hula Hoop Joyce once sewed into the hem of a skirt and wore to school). “My mom was always supportive of me,” says Joyce, “no matter how silly I was.”

When Joyce told Elizabeth that she wanted to pursue a career in art, “She taught me the quest to live a creative life—to always have flowers or a garden or to have the house painted or wallpapered in a different way,” recalls Joyce. “She taught me to not settle for the status quo or a less accomplished life.”

Although Elizabeth, 93, is now bedridden with dementia, Joyce—whose dining room has been converted into a bedroom she shares with her mother—is still learning from the woman she affectionately calls “pooty” (“Southern for fart,” Joyce cracks). “I was showered with love,” says Joyce. “Caring for my mother has brought out that side of me. Your heart opens up in a different way—it changes color. It is the easiest thing to give back.”

Hilary & Anne Hahn
Photographed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore

“When I was growing up, I always wanted to take lessons whether it was horseback riding, painting, or dance,” says Anne, mother of two-time Grammy-winning classical violin phenom Hilary Hahn, 29. “But my parents didn’t believe in giving [all those] lessons. I used to say, ‘When I have a child, they will get what I didn’t have!'”

True to her word, Anne enrolled her only child in swimming, ballet, and gymnastics. But it was upon registering Hilary in a Suzuki violin program at The Peabody Institute (one month shy of her fourth birthday) that her daughter found
her lifelong passion.

By age 10, Hilary showed so much promise that her father, Steve, gave up his career as a librarian, so that Hilary could attend Philadelphia’s famed Curtis Institute of Music. Anne, now controller of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, continued to work full time, joining the rest of the family on weekends while fortifying her daughter and husband with big batches of homemade beef stew for the freezer of their Philadelphia apartment. The decision to let her daughter go to
Curtis was a difficult one.

“There was a lot of pressure to know I was making the right decisions for her,” says Anne. “We decided it was worth the risk.”

Cleary, it paid off. At 12, Hilary debuted as a soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (she will perform a newly commissioned concerto with them June 4-7). Today, she appears with orchestras all over the world.

“On the one hand, I am in awe of what she can do,” Anne says of her daughter. “But I’m so proud that she is an ordinary person who is kind and loves animals.” The admiration is mutual. “As time passes, I understand what my mom did for me,” says Hilary. “I can see how difficult it must be to be a parent and raise a child and feel like you’re doing it the right way. She has been an amazing mom and so great to have in my life.”

Cal Jr. & Violet “Vi” Ripken
Photographed on the Club Level of Cal Sr.’s Yard, Aberdeen

“Growing up, my mom was mom and dad,” says Hall of Fame baseball
player Cal Ripken Jr. “Baseball took my dad away from us.”

Vi accepted the rigors of rearing four children on her own as something that was
part and parcel of being married to a minor-league manager. “Our life was no different than someone who was a truck driver or someone who was in the service separated from their husband,” says Vi. “You just step up to the plate. I was the pinch hitter all the time.”

When Cal Sr. was on the road, Cal Jr. and his siblings often piled into the family car, and Vi drove great distances (including one trip as far away as South Dakota) to reunite the kids with their dad.

“Mom says you just do what you have to do, but certainly she kept us all together,” says Cal, now president and CEO of Ripken Baseball Group (which owns three minor-league baseball teams and runs youth camps, among other ventures). “We relied on each other a lot because we left the structure of friends back home and went to a new environment. We did everything together—we played cards, we laughed, we fought. Mom put us in bowling leagues and youth activities in different places, and, wherever we went, we invented a game of baseball based on our space.”

These days, the 48-year-old former shortstop and third basemen can’t go anywhere without exposure to adoring fans. But neither Cal nor Vi can make sense of all the adulation.

“It’s hard for me to understand why someone would be overjoyed with me,” says Cal who shattered Lou Gehrig’s record with 2,632 consecutive games and spent his entire 21-year career with the Orioles.

Adds Vi, “I know why I’m proud of him, but I don’t know what the fixation is. His job when he went into baseball was to play, to bat, and to field balls. His job was to work at getting better, but if he hadn’t achieved that greatness, it wouldn’t have meant anything less to me.”

Kevin & Jayne Plank
Photographed at his weekend retreat, Sagamore Farm, Hunt Valley

Kevin Plank learned his earliest business lessons from his mother, Jayne.

“I was the youngest of five,” says Kevin, who traveled with his mother for her work in the State Department and was frequently forced to mingle with the children of other elected officials. “I’d have to figure out how to walk up and say, ‘Hi, my name is Kevin.'” Says Jayne, who was also a four-term mayor of Kensington: “He has the same theory I have, which is that there are no strangers, just friends you haven’t met.”

Kevin also adopted his mother’s strong work ethic: While other kids slept in on a snowy day, he looked for ways to make money. “I’ve never been much of a sleeper,” says the 36-year-old sports apparel mogul, “so I’d shovel snow—10 dollars a driveway—and make a hundred bucks.”

In 1996, with little more than a bolt of compression fabric, Kevin began Under Armour in the basement of his grandmother’s Georgetown home. In the company’s first year, it made $17,000. Last year alone, the company’s net revenues totaled $725.2 million.

Not that the road to success was without hurdles: “Should I tell the story of coming home after one of your high school parties?” teases Jayne.

“You mean when you couldn’t find the rugs because I had rolled them up and sent them to the dry cleaner?” asks Kevin. (Yes, that story.)

“Well, I would have put them back, but I couldn’t afford the bill to pay for the cleaning,” Kevin confesses.

Today, Kevin can afford the dry cleaning bill and much more—Jayne proudly sports a stunning pair of turquoise earrings that he bought her. “Growing up, my mother was the most important person in my life,” says Kevin. “It wasn’t an athlete. It wasn’t Michael Jordan. It was my mom. She was always my inspiration and my idol.”

Mickey & Sandi Cucchiella
Photographed at the Perry Hall home of Mickey’s sister, Gina

Even before birth, Mickey Cucchiella made his mother, Sandi, smile. “I laughed through my entire pregnancy,” says Sandi. “When he was born, he was like, ‘Here I am world.’ He came out ready to go and has never stopped since.”

Though teachers found him charming, the 40-year-old host of 98 Rock’s Mickey, Amelia & Spiegel Show played the part of the disruptive class clown. “By third grade, it had gotten so bad that my teacher called my mom and said, ‘If you can get him to be quiet until the school day is almost over, during the last 20 minutes, I will let him come up and entertain the class,'” Mickey laughs. “I was getting 20 minutes of stand-up in third grade!”

Home life, however, was no laughing matter. Mickey’s mother had Hodgkin’s disease and by ninth grade, Mickey had called it quits in school. “I didn’t know why it mattered,” he says. “I knew what I wanted to do, and [school] was getting in my way.”

Laughter became Mickey’s medicine for the whole family. “He was my go-to-guy who had a calming effect on everybody,” recalls Sandi. “He had a way of making situations that were bad funny.”

Tough times only got tougher. In 2005, Sandi contracted an infection so serious that the family was told to make funeral arrangements.

Amazingly, Sandi recovered, but doctors had to amputate her hands and feet to save her life. Shortly after Sandi’s discharge from the hospital, Mickey got a gig performing stand-up to a sold-out crowd at The Hippodrome Theatre.

“It was the proudest moment of my career,” he says, “but I was worried my mom wasn’t going to make it. When I walked out on stage to a standing ovation, and my mom was in the first row of the balcony directly in front of me, I remember thinking, ‘This is the greatest moment of my life.'”