For Foodies : Development News

Anyone who's been to Lebanon's Mediterranean coast knows that Byblos is a city there founded around 5000 B.C. They probably wouldn't know that it's also the name of a new Lebanese restaurant Sami Tabet and his wife Hala Tabet opened in Federal Hill in February. The couple, who hail from the Middle Eastern nation, serve falafel, babaganoush, spinach and meat pies from the  carryout restaurant's 1033 Light Street location.

Tabet purchased the property five years ago and just recently opened the business after former commercial tenants left, he says. The Tabets paid $335,000 for the building, according to state property records. which once housed a grocery store, jeweler and a coffee shop. Because they already owned the real estate, the couple spent just $6,000 to open the new business, Tabet says.

The 550-square-foot restaurant has about 10 tables and walls lined with paintings of landscapes, school mates and houses recalling Tabet's childhood memories of Lebanon.

Tabet, who moved to the U.S. 20 years ago, settled first in Youngstown, Ohio. After just a few weeks, he moved to Baltimore at the suggestion of a friend who said the town had a better city life. And he says he hasn't looked back.

During the two decades he's lived in Baltimore, Tabet says he has seen the city mature and grow with development taking place in all around the city � just as his life in the U.S. grew. "Me and Baltimore, we grew up together," Tabet says.

The couple like Federal Hill because it is a tight-knit community where the neighbors know one another well. He also likes the quaint, urban feel of the area. So far, the restaurant is doing well, he says.

"It's doing very well. I was very surprised. The public has a good idea bout our food and background and ingredients," Tabet says.
"Word of mouth is the best advertising and so far it is working."

Find out what else has been going on in Federal Hill.

Source: Sami Tabet, Byblos
Writer: Julekha Dash

When you think of mall restaurants, chains like the Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen spring to mind.

But mall dining is about to go global at Westfield Annapolis. Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken Restaurant will serve up Afro-Portuguese cuisine June 21. Its menu includes flame-grilled chicken, spicy red pepper dip, salads and sandwiches.

The restaurant currently has 850 restaurants in 30 countries, but just two in the U.S., in Washington, D.C. Peri-Peri takes its name from the fiery chili pepper, which Africans introduced to Portuguese explorers in the 15th century.

"We have a cult-like following around the world," says Burton Heiss, managing director of Nando's Restaurant Group Inc. The company, which has acquired the franchise rights to build Nando's in the U.S., is spending $2 million to build the Annapolis store. Constructing the 4,200-square-foot shop will require remodeling one of the mall walls, which has made the building costs higher than the typical store.

The 152-seat restaurant will be one of six to 10 restaurants Nando's expects to open in Maryland within the next five years, Heiss says. After Annapolis, the group plans to open a store in downtown Silver Spring. The company is also scouting locations in Prince Georges, Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties.


After scouting six dozen locations, Heiss says Nando's selected Annapolis because it is densely populated with an affluent, well-educated crowd.

Though some restaurants are buckling under financial pressures, Heiss says he is confidant Nando's will appeal to thrifty consumers since the average check is $13. Sales at the Washington, D.C., stores have increased by 17 percent in the last year Heiss says.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Burton Heiss, Nando's

Delivering food in a truck is all the rage these days. So it should come as no surprise that one entrepreneur has taken desserts on the road. Christine Richardson this month debuted Icedgems Baking that is roving throughout Baltimore County seeking to satisfy lunchtime sweet tooths.

"Food trucks seem to be the really in thing at the moment ," Richardson says. While delivery trucks in Baltimore are serving burgers and other savory fare, the dessert category had remained untouched until now.

Icedgems' flavors include Red Velvet, Lemon Tang and Rocky Road � an amalgam of pecans, chocolate chips and marshmallow.  The U.K. native also features a flavor called English  Rose, rose-flavored icing on a vanilla cupcake.

"I like to do things a little bit different," Richardson says.

A teacher by trade, baking was once a hobby for Richardson. But once she got her U.S. greencard and could begin working, friends and family convinced her to turn her hobby into a business.

"Baking is my passion," Richardson says. "Cupcake are a mini-celebration. It's a celebration you can have every day."

The business owner has been relying on Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about her cupcakes, which sell for $2.50 each and $24 for a dozen. Richardson, who has invested $15,000 to start the venture, hopes to have a second truck and a small shop within the next year.

"Dream big is what I always say," Richardson says. "You just got to work hard at what you can."


Source: Christine Richardson, Icedgems Baking
Writer: Julekha Dash

There are lots of places to grab a burger or a slice of pizza. But how many quick, casual places can serve up a flatbread?

That's why business owner Bassam Sares is opening Sandella's Flatbread Caf� this month in Charles Village � and not your local greasy spoon.

"I was looking for a healthy concept in that area," Sares says.

The franchise currently has 19 locations throughout the U.S. but the store at 3202 St. Paul Street will be the first one in Maryland. And Baltimore City could get a second Sandella's. Sares is eyeing the Mount Vernon neighborhood for another location.
 
Sares declined to say how much he is spending to open the store but franchisees pay between $150,000 to $250,000 in a new restaurant, according to the corporate office.

The 1,400-square-foot restaurant's flatbread includes the Brazilian Chicken Grilled Flatbread and the Pesto Chicken Grilled Flatbread. It also sells paninis, wraps and salads that cost around $7, with a side order and drink.

"It's something new and healthy," Sares says of the flatbreads. "There are too many pizza places and too many burger joints. We need something new and healthy. I think this is the new thing."

The neighborhood appealed to Sares because it holds a mix of residents and students. It's also been his home since 1993, when he moved to Baltimore from New York.

"It's a very nice neighborhood," Sares says. "It's a safe neighborhood. It's full of life and action."

Source: Bassam Sares, Sandella's Flatbread Cafe
Writer: Julekha Dash

Hello pepperoni. Inner Harbor East Delicatessen and Pizzeria is opening this month in the spot at 1001 Fleet Street that once held the short-lived Elevation Burger.
 
Alex Smith, a partner in both the old and new businesses, says he thought workers and residents in the neighborhood could use a deli and pizza place as a casual alternative to the fine-dining restaurants. Smith says he closed Elevation Burger franchise after running into issues with the corporate parent.

The 2,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 90 inside and 40 outside. The restaurant will serve salads, sandwiches, cheese steaks and brick-oven pizza for lunch and dinner and waffles and pancakes for breakfast. The restaurant will be outfitted with 10 plasma screens, showing ESPN, MSNBC and sports programs.

"I think it's a great concept," Smith says. "It's so different from anything else in the area. We hope it's different than what's going on now."

Smith says he chose Harbor East because he lives in the area and has been involved in other businesses, including the Haagen Dazs ice cream shop, which he owns.  His grandfather, bakery mogul John Paterakis Sr.,  is also one of the master developers of Harbor East.

He declined to say how much he and his two business partners invested in the new venture.  However, the Baltimore City liquor license board granted the business a new Class "B" liquor license that is available to business owners who invest at least $500,000 in a restaurant that seats at least 75. 



Source: Alex Smith, Harbor East Deli and Pizza
Writer: Julekha Dash

You could call David Shapiro a lawyer by day and falafel guru by night. The attorney recently opened Shapiro's Caf� at 7 W. Preston St. The 2,000-square-foot caf� features an eclectic menu, including falafel, schwarma, tuna and chicken salad, and corned beef sandwiches.

Shapiro is partial to the Mount Vernon neighborhood because that is where he operates his law practice. It is also the site of his alma mater, the University of Baltimore, where he attended law school. Shapiro expects to draw students from there, as well as Maryland Institute College of Art, to his restaurant.

By next month, when the caf� is open during the evening, Shapiro expects to draw patrons who attend performances at the Lyric Opera House and at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Though the corned beef comes all the way from New York, Shaipro says that his goal is to get about half of his products from local sources. Already, he gets his coffee from Baltimore's Zeke's Coffee and Taharka Bros. Ice Cream.

Shapiro spent $90,000 to open the 2,000-square-foot store. Though he has practiced law for the last 22 years, Shapiro is no stranger to the food industry. He worked for a Jewish catering company when he was 14.

"That was my first experience working in a kitchen," Shapiro says.

And now, he says he is Mount Vernon to serve the neighborhood and people employed in the area. But he hasn't given up his day job.

Source: David Shapiro, Shapiro's Cafe
Writer: Julekha Dash

Fells Point residents hungry for sushi and soba noodles will get a new dining option.

Sticky Rice will open in June at 1634 Aliceanna, formerly Friends bar. The Asian restaurant has two other locations, in Richmond, Va., and Washington D.C.

The 1,700 square foot restaurant will seat 90. In addition to Asian cuisine, the restaurant will sell hamburgers, hot wings and tater tots. Noodles and sushi will cost anywhere from $8 to $11.

Sticky Rice Partner Ronnie Pasztor says the partners chose Fells Point because the neighborhood has been gaining a number of new businesses, including Tapas Adela and fellow Asian restaurant Sam's Kid.
"Fells Point is on the upswing," Pasztor said. He also likes the historic feel of the neighborhood.

The restaurant, which Pasztor describes as "edgy," will employ about 50.

Though the economy has not been kind to some restaurants, Pasztor is confident Sticky Rice will win over diners since sales at the Washington, D.C. restaurant were up nearly 12 percent in January and February of this year compared with last year.

Pasztor declined to say how much the partners are spending to open the new restaurant.

Sticky Rice Partner Ronnie Pasztor recently moved from Santa Barbara to Baltimore after his wife got a job in Charm City. And the former accountant wound up entering the restaurant business by chance, thanks to his brother-in-law Joey Belcher. He is an owner at two Washington, D.C., restaurants: French bistro 1905 and Dangerously Delicious Pies, the Baltimore favorite pie place that recently opened in the nation's capitol.
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The other partners include Phil Rodriguez and Jason Martin. Rodriguez, Martin, and Belcher are all partners in the Sticky Rice in Washington, D.C., which opened in 2008. The original spot in Richmond, Va., opened 11 year ago under the direction of John Yamashita and Jason Henry, who provided staff training and branding for the Baltimore location.

A Timonium caterer is moving into bigger digs so it has more space to hold events -- and its owner is dreaming up a concept inspired by the Food Network's "Iron Chef."

Chef's Expressions is taking over 3,500 square feet of space from a former bakery adjacent to its office in the Timonium Commerce Park. The new space at 9524 Deereco Road will give it nearly 10,000 square feet by the end of the summer.
 
The expansion will allow Chef's Expression to host cooking classes, train staff and hold events in its current kitchen. These events would include cocktail parties and tastings for prospective clients.

Chef and owner Jerry Edwards also envisions using the space to hold an "Iron Chef"-style kitchen stadium outfitted with closed-circuit flat-screen televisions that will allow clients to see the chefs at work. The goal is to great a "high-tech fashionably designed catering space," he says.

What does Edwards like about the neighborhood? It's four minutes from his house and just 30 minutes from downtown, making it convenient for clients.

Edwards is also talking to an interior designer about making the Old World Tuscan-style event space look more contemporary. He plans to spend $150,000 on the move and renovation.

The 29-year-old company employs 14 full-time workers and up to 80 part-time workers. Edwards expects to pull in $3.2 million in revenue this year, with about two-thirds of the business coming from weddings and the remainder coming from corporate events.

Source: Jerry Edwards, Chef's Expressions
Writer: Julekha Dash

A business owner is taking her sugary confections to Hunt Valley. Kim Rigby of Parfections LLC will open a 2,000-square-foot retail chocolate shop in June at 10768 York Rd.

She is now leasing a commercial kitchen in Columbia and is opening her first retail location where she can hold chocolate tastings, including wine and chocolate tastings.

She hopes the retail location will help her get more event and corporate business by giving her a space where prospective clients can taste her hand-made creations.

"We're really trying to sell the experience with the chocolates," says Rigby, who is investing $50,000 in the 2,000-square-foot space. "I will never be mass producing chocolates," says Rigby, who has run her own business for seven years.

She says the store will have the look and feel of a high-end wine shop. She likes the location because Parfections has a lot of clients in Baltimore County. The location is also convenient to Boordy Vineyards in Hydes and Calvert Wine and Spirits located at Hunt Valley Towne Centre.

Parfections sells more than 30 different truffles and eight kinds of chocolate bark.

Rigby infuses coffee, wine and even beer into her chocolates and relies on local suppliers. These include  High Grounds Coffee Roasters in Baltimore City ,Black Ankle Vineyards in Mount Airy, and Clipper City Brewing Co.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Kim Rigby, Parfections LLC

When George Dailey, chef and owner of On the Hill Cafe in Bolton Hill, learned that the former home of The Bicycle at 1444 Light Street in Federal Hill was available for lease, he knew it was the opportunity he and his wife had been waiting for to open a second restaurant.

"The Bicycle was a very famous restaurant in Baltimore and a gorgeous spot. When we saw that the place was coming up for rent, we jumped at it. We'd been toying with the idea of opening a second restaurant for a while and couldn't find the right spot. We came, we looked at it and we knew it was the right time," he explains.

And so Centro Tapas Bar was born. The couple settled on a tapas bar, he says, because "we love that way of eating. You have a choice of ordering four or five dishes at a time and then you share. That family-style way of eating, sharing with friends is fun and a different way. Other restaurants that don't have that but have appetizers, we actually go for the appetizers."

And rather than being a potential hindrance, the economy proved to be a boon, according to Dailey. "That's the reason why we're here. The economy is giving people who wanted to do a restaurant or another business the opportunity to do it. In a good economy we wouldn't be able to do this because this place would not be available and [its leasea] would be stronomically priced."

Opening a tapas bar is smart business in the current economic climate says Yvonne Edwardsen, managing partner. "This is the perfect type of thing for people now. They can stop in get a glass of sangria and a few small plates and leave full at a reasonable price."

Dailey and Edwardsen say they've made only a few cosmetic changes to the space. Adding a gray monochrome color scheme that allows the food to take center stage. Other than that the restaurant's three dining rooms, open kitchen and enclosed garden remain pretty much the same with seating for about 100 people.

Centro Tapas serves a variety of tapas and big plate dishes, some classic Spanish dishes and others with a Latin American influence. "The Latin American are kind of a new tapas with things like Mexican dishes, Peruvian dishes and from all over Central and South America. We're trying to do a combination of the New and Old Worlds," Dailey explains.

As the weather becomes warmer, diners will be able to enjoy seating in the enclosed garden and Edwardsen says there are plans to start a Sunday brunch in a few months with traditional breakfast fare as well as some dishes from the tapas menu.

Sources: George Dailey, Yvonne Edwardsen, Centro Tapas Bar
Writer: Walaika Haskins

For Sean Dunworth, owner of the Catonsville Gourmet, popular seafood restaurant and market located on Frederick Rd,  the time just seems right. Two years after he opened the seafood restaurant, Dunworth is ready to launch a new venture, Regions.

"We were thinking about expanding [Catonsville Gourmet], which is about 80 percent seafood, but we wanted to open something smaller that we could use as a banquet facility and would allow us to expand our cuisine," he explains.

Scheduled to open in about a month, Regions will be located at 803-805 Frederick Road in Catonsville. It will feature cuisines from seven  regions around the world including Italian, French, Asian, Cajun, classic Maryland, Southwestern, and a comfort food. Each week the restaurant will feature small (tapas) and big plate selections from each of those regions.

"You can come and get a selection of small plates. And we'll be doing a lot more chicken and beef, not just seafood. The comfort food will be like spaghetti and meatballs or chicken pot pie done in a little more gourmet way," Dunworth says.

The restaurant will seat about 35 people and have a much more intimate feel. "Regions is going to be more contemporary and hip than Catonsville Gourmet. It will have chocolate/burgundy walls with handpainted murals and subdued lighting," he says.

According to Dunworth, Regions will be a good place for a first date or a special occasion. And, unlike Catonsville Gourmet, the diners will need to make reservations for Regions.

A Catonsville native, Dunworth says that something like Regions will be a good addition for the area, providing an alternative to the quick food restuarants selling hamburgers and sandwiches on Frederick Road.

Source: Sean Dunworth, Catonsville Gourmet
Writer: Walaika Haskins

In a move to help promote local sustainability, Anne Arunde County Executive John R. Leopold and Annapolis Mayor Joshua J. Cohen have teamed up to certify and recognize green restaurants that are using locally grown products, improving energy efficiency, conserving water and providing environmental education.
 

Argentinian native Maximiliano "Max" Gonzalez never imagined he'd own an empanada restaurant in Little Italy. A professional tango dancer and teacher in Argentina, Gonzalez says he came to Baltimore to help spread his culture and teach people how to tango.

"A few years ago I started doing empanadas for my students so that they could experience more about Argentina. After a short time, people started calling me in advance to place orders. It developed into a business when I realized people really liked my empanadas," he recalls.

As demand for his empanadas increased, Gonzalez eventually began selling the tasty treats at local farmer's markets in Owings Mills and Highlandtown. Selling at the markets also helped him weather the warm summer months when people are less interested in being inside dancing, preferring instead to be outside.

"We started to get a crowd with people standing in line for our empanadas. Business exploded and I didn't have the space at home any more to keep making the homemade empanadas. We started renting a commercial kitchen and commercial storage to keep up with the demand," Gonzalez continues.

In September 2009, he hit the big time, at least regionally, when a Virginia-based Latino grocery store approached him about selling his frozen empanadas.

"After we got that account, we realized we couldn't just rent space any more." So began a search for a permanent location. Gonzalez search started in Fells Point, but he quickly found a location in Little Itally, a former deli.

"Empanadas is not a fast food but it's a fast snack or meal. We found this place on S. High Street. This place was actually perfect. It had everything that we needed, a oven, deli cases, refrigeration."

Though small, the 313 S. High Street shop will seat about 30 guests -- 10 at the "empanada bar" and another 20 at tables. With a new liquor license expected in a few weeks, Gonzalez says he'll add table service and also begin serving Argentinian wines and international beers.

His empanadas are traditional but witha gourmet flare. "We experiment with different flavors. You have more options for cheese, vegetables and meats. We have traditional beef, chicken, ham and cheese, a mixed vegetable that people request all the time. Then we have weekly specials -- three or four. Each country has an empanada and we try to represent each of those. Bolivia has a potato empanadas and another region combines brown sugar with ground beef," he explains.

In addition to his empanadas, Gonzalez also sells a variety of foodstuffs from Argentina.

"I'm so happy because this has been such a positive outcome," he says.

Source: Max Gonzalez, Max's Empanadas
Writer: Walaika Haskins

Tucked away just off the corner of Howard and 27th Streets is Sweet Sin, a gluten-free cafe. The cafe, opened in October 2009, is the brainchild of Richard D'Souza and his wife, Renee, a Baltimore native.

"We moved to Baltimore from Hawaii for business reasons. My wife has Celiac's disease and is a pastry chef. She wanted to create something better than what was currently on the market. Five years ago there was almost nothing in the market and what was there was a lot like the sole of your shoe," D'Souza says.

Finding the location at 123 W. 27th Street, the former location of Charm City Cakes was a stroke of luck. "I didn't have a lot of money. The rent was dirt cheap and we liked the neighborhood," says D'Souza.
 
In five years and with just $8000, the couple had created a wholesale business selling their gluten-free cookies to national chains such as Whole Foods as well as regional chains including Wegmann's. "Every month we're in a new state."

The pair decided to invite the public into their shop with a retail location after they moved the bulk of their baking to a new location in Rosedale. "I was going to be paying rent for this place not matter what. A cupcake shop seemed like a good idea and people had been telling me they needed some gluten-free food, so I started cooking gluten-free food."

Sweet Sin was the result, but its only the beginning. With the recipes he's developed, D'Souza says he and his wife will expand their operations to include a restaurant next door in the former location of Three Sisters. He's just waiting to get a liquor license approved and expects the restaurant to open in about two months.

Source: Richard D'Souza, Sweet Sin
Writer: Walaika Haskins

The Bmore Media staff would like to thank all of our readers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans who came out to meet and mingle with us last Tuesday evening at Sam's Kid in Fells Point. We really enjoyed meeting you all and sharing why we all think Baltimore is one of America's best, if slightly underappreciated, cities.

A huge thanks to Andrea Rani, owner of Sam's Kid, for letting us host the Happy Hour event in one of Baltimore's best new restaurants.

For those of you who weren't able to make it this time, no worries! We'll be hosting another Happy Hour soon. So stay tuned for more details.


Thanks again!
The Bmore Media Crew