TasteWise Kids – Baltimore Magazine

Open & Shut: Crust by Mack; Le Comptoir du Vin; The Haute Dog Carte

Lauren Cohen — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 13:37:22 +0000

COMING SOON

Crust by Mack: Chef Amanda Mack’s beloved baked goods have been added to the lineup of local eats that will be offered inside Hampden’s Whitehall Food Market when it opens later this year. After nearly two years of focusing solely on pop-ups and deliveries, Mack will set up shop inside the communal space to serve her sweet-and-savory hand pies (think everything from cherry almond to the “Bmore Crust” filled with jumbo lump crab meat), as well as cinnamon rolls and a Baltimore-inspired chocolate chip cookie made with brown butter and Old Bay. “It’s so Baltimore, but then it’s also that classic chocolate chip cookie that everybody dreams of,” she says, also mentioning brunch pastries that will be paired with Champagne and bellinis. In keeping with Mack’s social justice philosophy, she is looking forward to hosting community gatherings and speaker series in the market’s designated events space. “It’s the perfect location,” she says. “I’m excited to be around other like-minded people and collaborate with some of my favorite brands.”

THB Neighborhood Bagelry + Deli: Since opening its flagship in Towson 20 years ago, THB has expanded into three other neighborhoods and served more than 52 million bagels to the Baltimore community at large. To celebrate its big birthday, the deli is widening its footprint yet again—this time to Howard County. A fifth shop at Columbia Crossing is slated to open this winter, highlighting THB’s signature breakfast sandwiches, wraps, salads, and paninis.

OPEN

Pizza di Joey: The footlong “monster” slices from this roving pizza truck have finally found a permanent home inside Cross Street Market. Owner Joey Vanoni debuted a brick-and-mortar stall inside the renovated market last weekend, just in time for the Ravens home opener. Stop by the stall—or the attached take-out window that is open until 12 a.m. on Saturdays for revelers in Federal Hill—for wood-fired slices topped with everything from pepperoni and mozzarella to barbecue chicken and lump crab. Pizza di Joey joins newly opened spots Rice Crook, Annoula’s Kitchen, and Gangster Vegan in the revitalized property, which is expected to be fully leased by spring 2020.

NEWS

Le Comptoir du Vin Ranked Best in the Country by Bon Appetit: The fastidious food editors at Bon Appetit magazine narrowed their list of the 50 Best New Restaurants in the country down to 10 this week, and local diners were ecstatic to see that beloved French bistro Le Comptoir du Vin made the cut. Coming in at No. 8 on the list of the top newcomers in America, the Station North spot was praised for its chicken liver pâté, hand-cut steak tartare, and fresh-baked breads.

“The food is not even really what Le Comptoir is about,” writes editor Julia Kramer. “It’s about having a place where you feel immediately welcomed…a place where you just wanna hang out, as golden hour fades, hoping the night never ends.” We couldn’t agree more. In response to the award, co-owners Will Mester and Rosemary Liss took to Instagram to thank their team, Bon Appetit, and the city as a whole: “We love this city and are so proud to be here,” reads the post. “Thank you Baltimore for your love and support.”

EPICUREAN EVENTS

9/20-22: Mount Vernon Marketplace Turns 4
In the four years since Mount Vernon Marketplace debuted on Park Avenue, we’ve seen OG vendors like The Local Oyster, Cultured, Pinch Dumplings, and Taps Filling Station cement their place in the local dining landscape. And, along the way, the market has welcomed exciting new concepts like Indibowl, Mr. Souvlaki, and Fishnet. In celebration of the food hall’s four-year anniversary this weekend, all of the stalls will be running individual specials. Be on the lookout for $5 milkshakes and orders of fries at Between 2 Buns, $5 rice bowls and $10 soju bottles at Brown Rice, and a “Five Buck Birthday Cup”—which tops a sweet cream base with Oreos and birthday sprinkles—at Roll Bmore.

9/23: Farm to Chef Maryland
In honor of its 10th anniversary, this culinary competition benefitting local nonprofit TasteWise Kids is back and bigger than ever. Nearly 30 chefs—including Stefano Porcile of Orto, Jesse Sandlin of The Outpost American Tavern, Mark Levy of Magdalena, Doug Wetzel of Gertrude’s, and David Thomas of Ida B’s Table—will be paired with a local farm and tasked with creating a dish that showcases Baltimore’s bounty of homegrown produce. Plus, cocktail connoisseurs from the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild will also use herbs and other ingredients from the featured farms to mix up signature beverages. Attendees will vote for their favorite eats and drinks of the night, and a portion of all proceeds will support the nonprofit’s efforts to educate kids about the origins of their food.

SHUT

The Haute Dog Carte: The Mt. Washington scene lost this old standby earlier this month. Chef Daniel Raffel took to Facebook to announce that he would be shutting down his hot dog cart—stationed in a converted garage next to Bonjour Bakery on Falls Road—indefinitely. “I am humbled by the kindness, support and love from all who joined me on this fun adventure,” he wrote. “I will sign off until there is something to report.” Some of the offerings that became favorites among lunchtime regulars included the spicy Italian dog topped with onion jam and the smoked country sausage with whole grain mustard. Here’s hoping the fabulous franks stuffed inside flaky baguettes will make a comeback sometime soon.

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Farm to Chef Maryland Continues to Unite Cooks and Growers in Seventh Year

Lauren Cohen — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 17:40:00 +0000

It seems like the term “farm-to-table” is seen and heard everywhere nowadays, and nothing epitomizes the forward-thinking food movement quite like Farm to Chef Maryland.

Now in its seventh year, the annual cooking competition brings together chefs and farmers from across the state to raise funds for TasteWise Kids, an organization offering interactive programs that teach elementary school students about the importance of urban agriculture and healthy eating.

At this year’s event on Monday, September 26, hundreds of attendees will pack into the roundhouse at the B&O Railroad Museum to taste cuisine from 30 chefs who will all create dishes inspired by ingredients donated by local farms.

Event chair Wendy Jeffries, who is also the executive director of TasteWise Kids, says that the evening’s list of participants has grown exponentially since its inception.

“We always envisioned an event that allowed guests to get a similar experience as the students who participate in our programming,” Jeffries says. “The whole idea is to get kids to appreciate the value of fresh food, and Farm to Chef was built on that same concept.”

Each year, Farm to Chef’s organizers randomly match restaurants with local farms. The chefs then dream up a sweet, savory, or vegetarian dish that showcases one of the farm’s seasonal ingredients to be submitted to a panel of judges.

“The food is really above and beyond what you would expect at a typical fundraiser,” Jeffries says. “It’s not rubber chicken or a paté with a peanut sauce. The dishes are limited as far as the main ingredient, but in a good way. That really forces the chefs to get creative.”

Among the seasoned chefs returning to the competition this time around are sustainability champion Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen, who will collaborate with Bel Air’s Grand View Farm; Josh Hershkovitz of Hersh’s Pizza & Drinks, who is partnering with Ellicott City’s Savory Farm; and Kristina Sciarra of Laurrapin Restaurant in Harford County, who will create a vegetarian dish highlighting beets from Havre de Grace’s Third Way Farm.

Farm to Chef veteran Jerry Edwards of Timonium’s Chefs Expressions Catering—who is also a TasteWise Kids board member—is excited to be teaming up with local urban farming pioneer Joan Norman of One Straw Farm this year. He plans to serve sausage-filled tortelloni that incorporates the farm’s ground pork, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes.

“Joan understood a long time ago that this movement was going to continue to grow,” Edwards says. “She’s worked hard, and she’s never given up on it.”

Norman has been a stalwart supporter of TasteWise since it began, and continues to host the organization’s student programs at One Straw Farm. In fact, her son, Andrew, was a part of the first class of fourth graders to participate in the program when it originated as Days of Taste in 1998.

“I have kids come and tell me, ‘I’ve never been this far from my house before,’” she says. “Once I let one of the boys run across my yard and he said, ‘I’ve never run in a straight line until I got tired.’”

In addition to its expanded food lineup, the fundraiser has also evolved in its drink offerings. For the first time this year, Farm to Chef will feature an entirely locally sourced beverage menu featuring products from the likes of Basignani Winery, Lyon Distilling, Manor Hill Brewing, and Templeton Rye.

Members of the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild will get in on the fun in the event’s cocktail competition, which challenges bartenders to create their own drink recipe fusing local spirits and ingredients (think fruit, herbs, and honeys) from the farms.

Jeffries is also excited to reveal the event’s “local vendor fair” this year. In keeping with the local feel, guests will be able to stock up on homegrown goodies including Michele’s Granola and Tessemae’s salad dressing as they leave the museum.

“Anybody can buy tomatoes,” says Norman. “But it’s the magic that happens in the kitchen that makes it fun.”

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