Throughout the past decade, locals became familiar with Sticky Rice in Fells Point as a hub to enjoy vegan and vegetarian sushi, noodle bowls, and some of the best tots in town. But what some might not know is that before the bar’s previous iterations as Friends and The Salty Dog, the 17th-century building on the corner of Aliceanna and South Broadway operated as a bar and boarding house with rooms for rent upstairs.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say they grew up in this building,” says owner Ronnie Pasztor, who brought the Sticky Rice concept—which originated in Richmond, Virginia in 1999—to Baltimore in 2010. “People have raised families here.”

The history of the property was one of the many inspirations behind the building’s newest concept, Friends and Family, a vegan and vegetarian breakfast-all-day spot that Pasztor and wife Ginny Lawhorn will debut with curbside carryout beginning September 14. 

“The building has always housed hospitality, which I think is fascinating,” Lawhorn adds. “Everyone always wants to be invited to the friends and family opening of a restaurant. But what if every service was treated like your friends and family day? What if your staff had that enthusiasm every day and guests had the same sense of community and engagement every time they visited?”

That’s the driving force behind the rebrand, which will offer plant-based sandwiches, salads, scrambles, and other comfort foods, as well as a lineup of to-go cocktails. 

After Sticky Rice hit the 10-year mark, the owners decided to expand their principles into a concept that was even more accommodating of dietary needs, budgets, and schedules.

“We want to have meals for folks any time of day they need that meal,” Lawhorn says, whether diners want to indulge in options like vegan potstickers, biscuits and gravy, tofu scrambles, the famous tots, or a “What the Cluck” sandwich (fried mock chicken topped with pickles and agave dijon barbecue sauce) at 9 a.m. or late in the afternoon. 

Pasztor, who has celiac disease, adds that breakfast lends itself well to gluten-free options, many of which are offered on the menu. 

After closing Sticky Rice in January, the duo quickly renovated the interior to include refurbished tin ceilings, new banquette and booth seating, and fresh signage by local graphic designer Justin Duvall. 

But the grand opening, originally scheduled for March 25, was delayed for months due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, in accordance with Center for Disease Control and Johns Hopkins public health guidelines, the owners feel comfortable executing a phased opening beginning with carryout, with the possibility of launching delivery in the coming weeks. Lawhorn and Pasztor have also started the process of restoring the building’s facade, adding a new awning, and putting in large takeout windows out front. 

When guests are eventually invited inside, they will experience the interior’s family room vibe enhanced with artwork by friends and family of the business, as well as pieces from Lawhorn’s own collection. 

The drink program is another aspect that is personal to Lawhorn, an award-winning bartender who has long been a proponent of local sourcing. In keeping with the inclusive theme, Lawhorn’s entire cocktail menu—which incorporates regional spirits in quarts of Crushes, margaritas, Bloody Marys, and mimosas—can be created in mocktail form. For those who prefer caffeinated options, the bar will also serve local Vent Coffee and Wild Kombucha varieties. 

As much as Friends and Family stresses inclusivity for diners, supporting its staff—something Lawhorn has always been passionate about—is also a huge part of the restaurant’s mission. She hopes that the pandemic will continue to spark conversations about how to best support the industry, especially back-of-house workers. “Every dishwasher I’ve ever met in my whole life, no matter how much they were thanked, was never thanked enough,” she says. 

“Every bit of growth that has been so fought for tooth and nail in the hospitality industry was wiped out in a matter of weeks,” Lawhorn continues. “And with every small business closure, it’s a job that may never come back to that community. My hope is that local municipalities and state and federal agencies really begin to understand the significance of the hospitality industry.” 

CH-CH CHANGES

STEM: It’s going to be a big year for Urban Pastoral—the local development firm that specializes in high-tech urban farming. In the coming months, founders J.J. Reidy and Christian De Paco are planning to unveil 3,000 square feet of hydroponic greenhouse space inside a new learning center at Green Street Academy in West Baltimore. Once it’s up and running, the project will not only serve as an educational tool for students, but it will also provide an estimated 25,000 pounds of leafy greens per year to local restaurants. The produce will certainly come in handy for STEM, the newly rebranded iteration of Reidy and De Paco’s Stall 11 inside R. House in Remington.

Beginning this Sunday, January 12, the plant-based eatery will feature a redesigned counter experience, DIY bowls and salads, and a rotating roster of seasonal items. Although there will be many new options, Stall 11 regulars will be happy to hear that favorites including the Korean barbecue cauliflower, vegan mac and cheese, and avocado BLT will remain on the menu. “R. House was created as a launchpad for food entrepreneurs, and this is the evolution of our business and vision,” Reidy said in a statement. “After three amazing years with Stall 11 at R. House, it was time for a change in concept. . .We can’t wait for Baltimore to meet STEM and to share more of the delicious plant-based dishes that we know will become new favorites.”

Friends and Family: Speaking of rebrands—and vegan and vegetarian options—Fells Point mainstay Sticky Rice is closing its doors on Tuesday, January 21 with plans to reopen as Friends and Family in March. Known for its sushi, tater tots, and wide array of plant-based options, the restaurant will soon transition into a breakfast-all-day concept that maintains its emphasis on vegan and vegetarian dishes. “As we settled into our tenth year of business, we have determined it is time to retire the current concept and expand on our core principles,” managing partner Ginny Lawhorn, who will remain at the helm of the bar program, said in a statement.

Slated construction plans include renovated bathrooms, the removal of the large sushi bar to make way for more communal seating, and Lawhorn’s curated installation of artwork by—you guessed it—friends and family of the business. The new name was also inspired by the building’s former inhabitant, Friends—which Lawhorn and her husband, owner Ronnie Pasztor, describe as a cozy neighborhood dive bar. “Friends was a local favorite driven by comradery,” Lawhorn says. “Sticky Rice built on that comradery with an inclusive menu and welcoming team. We are looking forward to expanding on these pillars and cultivating our place in the community.”

Cunningham’s: Yet another dining destination starting the decade with a refresh is this Towson hotspot, which closed its doors earlier this week. The farm-to-table restaurant will reopen this spring after a major redesign by Patrick Sutton and the expansion of its downstairs cafe. Executive chef Jay Rohlfing tells us that the decision was influenced, in part, by all of the retail and residential development happening in Towson. “We figured it was time to be part of that renaissance,” he says. Though details about the new concept are still in the works, Rohlfing confirms that the locally sourced menu will emphasize American classics and the dining space will be downsized to include more bar seating. Read more here.

OPEN

Rooster & Hen: Just when we thought Cross Street Market had everything we could ever want (from pizza and beer to pho and Haitian cuisine), the newly renovated Federal Hill staple now boasts its own mini grocery store. Located just off of the Light Street entrance, the new “market within the market” offers a selection of produce, flowers, dairy, snacks, baked goods, and prepared foods for diners to grab on the go. Husband-and-wife owners Joe McRedmond and Allison Smith, who started Rooster & Hen in Catonsville in 2016, will also use their new space to continue Lucky Pantry—the store’s home meal kit program that now offers pick-up at the market every Monday. The new space also features a full kitchen for the owners to host food pop-ups, cooking classes, and other programs that contribute to their community-focused mantra.

The Veranda at The Milton Inn: Executive chef Brian Boston has launched an extension of this fine-dining den in Sparks. What was previously the outdoor patio is now The Veranda, an enclosed lounge highlighting a stone fireplace and retractable roof for the warmer months. It will also be a venue for live jazz and feature its own menu of drinks and small plates including crabmeat cocktail, charcuterie samples, and deconstructed s’mores that diners can roast at their tables.

Walk through the doors of pretty much any restaurant these days and you’re sure to spot menu items in sweeping curlicues and block-like shading on chalkboards behind the bar. Or perhaps folding chalkboards greet you on the sidewalk as you come in, hoping to titillate your taste buds with the specials of the day.

Woodberry Kitchen server Serina Hoff takes the art form a step further. For nearly five years, she has transformed chalkboards into menu masterpieces. Working mostly on slate and using chalkboard paint and acrylics that yield a thick, painterly stroke, she has created Monet-style sunsets, likenesses of Parisian cafes, even a graphic show of support for France after the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack.

Though she has always loved art, and was especially drawn to lettering during her childhood in California, the self-trained Hoff didn’t realize her talents until she was working as a server at Petit Louis Bistro, following a move to Baltimore after college.

“I remember the day we got the chalkboards,” Hoff says. “I knew I could be ornate and really give life to those boards, and one day, they needed to be changed and I was around—that’s when it started.”

At first, Hoff simply wrote the menu, but soon branched out to explore themes culturally related to France, using as inspiration iconic French artworks and old-fashioned advertisements depicting scenes of Victorian cafe life. Her works—which could take up to five hours to complete—took on a painterly quality that had patrons raving. “One customer used to show me his phone and the background was one of my boards,” she says. “They became like pieces of art.”

Hoff moved on from Louis to serving stints at Sticky Rice, where she continued to script and paint menu boards, and Cinghiale. And, these days, while Woodberry does not need her slate services (their menus are strictly printed on paper), she’s currently beautifying the boards at Hampden’s Blue Pit BBQ & Whiskey Bar, one of her favorite places to visit when she’s not on the clock.

Ironically, one of the best parts of chalk painting, Hoff says, is knowing that her work won’t last. “I usually erase it myself, because I absolutely love the impermanence,” she says. “I think that’s when you’re allowed to do your best work. When you know that something is impermanent, you’re letting go.”

Typically, the annual Baltimore Cocktail Week kicks off with a cocktail competition. But rather than pitting local bartenders against one another, organizer Ginny Lawhorn is taking a more collaborative approach this time around.

“In the face of the heartbreaking number of restaurant closures in the last year and a half, I didn’t feel like we needed another competition,” says Lawhorn, the co-owner of Sticky Rice, who started the event in 2015. “There’s more of a desire to create a community conversation and focus on cultivating small businesses, whether it’s engaging in them as consumers or supporting the jobs that they create.”

This year, the weeklong initiative happening July 30-August 4 will launch with an across-town happy hour at five bars scattered from Hampden to Canton, including Holy Frijoles, The Red Star in Charles Village, Sticky Rice, Bartenders Pub, and The Regal Beagle. On Monday, July 30 from 4-10 p.m., each spot will create a specialty drink using a certain spirit, and a portion of the final sales will be donated to local nonprofits.

“Baltimore has so many unique communities,” Lawhorn says. “People become so comfortable exploring their own, but sometimes it’s nice to engage customers and try to get them just a neighborhood away.”

The inclusive feel of the kick-off happy hour is fitting for this year’s theme, “Better Together”—which Lawhorn says will be an undertone in all of the Baltimore Cocktail Week meetups. From a special brunch to a conversation about collective bargaining, the daily events (many of which are open to the public) will address subjects like sustainability, innovation, and wellness in the hospitality industry.

Feminism will also be a topic of discussion, as five female industry leaders gather for a “Badass Business Babes” panel at Waverly Brewing on July 31 at 7 p.m. Admission to the talk is $25 with all proceeds being donated to House of Ruth. Panelists will include Lane Harlan of Clavel and W.C. Harlan, Judy Neff of Checkerspot Brewing, Carrie Podles of Alexander’s Tavern and Papi’s Tacos, Emily Lerman of Mera Kitchen Collective, and Paige Baskauskas of Opici Wines.

“It’s going to be great to hear everyone else’s opinions about working in the hospitality industry from all sides,” says Baskauskas, a wine sales representative for Opici. “This is a great event to show everyone that we’re educated when it comes to our craft. We know what we’re doing and we want to expand on that even more.”

The week continues with a free, all-day series of wellness workshops at R. House in Remington on August 1. Led by our own local “healthtender” Amie Ward, the gathering will begin with yoga followed by a series of conversations about nutrition, sobriety, and sexual assault prevention.

Another industry trend being represented is sustainability, which will be addressed at a get-together at Foraged in Hampden on August 2. Six national brands, including Bombay Sapphire and Sierra Nevada, will present local bartenders with information about how to minimize their ecological footprints.

“It’s not a secret that we’re a wasteful industry,” Lawhorn says. “It’s a lot of packaging and food waste. But where do you start? Paper straws and compostable to-go containers are amazing. It’s all about focusing on that next step to lower your environmental impact.”

Later that day, Ceremony Coffee in Mt. Vernon will host “Punch with a Purpose,” a collaborative cocktail class that will teach consumers about the versatility of different spirits by creating a seasonal punch. “It’s super fun to dump bottles in things,” quips Lawhorn. “It’s also exciting to be able to engage a beautiful space like Ceremony in a different way for an evening conversation.”

Closing out the week will be a Baltimore Cocktail Week collaboration with the Fells Point Farmers’ Market on August 4. Attendees will be able to sample sips from eight neighborhood bartenders and vote for their favorites. The winner will be the signature cocktail at the End of Summer Soiree at the Sagamore Pendry on August 23.

In keeping with the “Better Together” theme, Lawhorn says she hopes that the weeklong initiative sparks a sense of community engagement in patrons and bartenders alike.

“There’s something so important about conversations next to your friends at a bar stool, or across the bar with a bartender,” she says, “and what that can mean to cultivation of ideas and a sense of community in a city.”