For Foodies : Development News

The owners of Coal Fire Pizza will open a fourth restaurant at the Village at Waugh Chapel shopping center in May.

Principal Owner Dennis Sharoky was drawn to the new development because of other planned businesses, such as Wegmans, Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods that will hopefully make it a popular destination in the county. The Baltimore County native has invested close to $600,000 in the new 110-seat pizzeria.

The Village at Waugh Chapel is a 71-acre project that combines retail, office, and senior-living units. Existing businesses include LA Fitness, Caribou Coffee, Marshalls and Robert Andrew Day Spa. More businesses within the development are set to open throughout 2012.

Coal Fire Pizza specializes in coal-oven pizzas made with a choice of three sauces and topped with sliced mozzarella that's made daily.

"I just tried a pizza out of a coal oven and I fell in love with it and I thought no one does this around here. I think I can do this," Sharoky says.

The coal fire burns more intensely, creating a bake that leaves the pizza slightly charred. Customer response has been favorable and has allowed the business to expand, says Sharoky.

"It's a unique pizza to this area," says Sharoky adding that people from New York come to have pizza at Coal Fire that tastes similar to what they ate growing up.

Sharoky opened the first Coal Fire Pizza two and a half years ago and has steadily expanded the business that he describes as "upscale casual." Each restaurant has outdoor seating and a bar, but is also family friendly.

Coal Fire Pizza's executive chef, Steve Santos, was looking to move from West Virginia to the Baltimore area and joined the team as the menu was being developed.

While Sharoky says the company is not aggressively expanding, they do hope to open locations in Baltimore City eventually. While Sharoky didn't give any specific locations, he says he's been approached to lease space in Canton.

Coal Fire Pizza's additional locations are in Ellicott City, Gaithersburg, and Frederick.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Dennis Sharoky, principal owner of Coal Fire Pizza

A two-story restaurant and event center offering live music, dinner theatre, and comedy shows is slated to open in late February in Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood.

Angels Event Center aims to provide a place for local talent to be showcased in a community that doesn't have many dining and entertainment options, Owner Julie Mosteller says.

"If you provide something, people will come,” Mosteller says. “Everyone has an opportunity to change. I want to be part of that positive change.”

The downstairs of the building will be a restaurant – whose menu is still being developed -- and the upstairs will hold entertainment. Mosteller says two jazz groups are lined up to perform and that she plans to provide an intimate and authentic dinner theatre experience.

Mosteller, a Baltimore native, graduated from Western High School and spent five years working as a Baltimore police officer. She also served in the military and is using some of her veteran’s benefits to start the business. Mosteller declined to disclose the amount she's invested in the event center, but the project is her first restaurant. 

Additionally, Mosteller hopes to empower people in the community by offering events at the center such as financial literacy workshops.

Angels Event Center is located at 1810 Cherry Hill Rd. in Baltimore.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Julie Mosteller

A nonprofit developer has purchased a vacant building on North Avenue that it hopes to transform into restaurants, galleries, artists studios and theater space within three years.

Jubilee Baltimore is talking to Joe Squared’s Joe Edwardsen about the possibility of his opening a Mexican restaurant at the 10 E. North Ave. property, Edwardsen and Jubilee President Charlie Duff say. The developer is also in talks with Single Carrot Theatre, which has been scouting for a space with more seating capacity.

Jubilee Baltimore Inc. bought 10 E. North Ave. from Greater Grace Church at a public city auction this month for $93,000.  The state estimates the land and 67,000-square-foot building is worth more than $2 million, public records show.

The eventual transformation of the three-story building will require a major rehab, Duff says. He doesn’t yet have a cost estimate as to what the renovation will cost.

“North Avenue needs cool things happening,” Duff says. “There isn’t enough space in Station North – that’s why we bought this building. We want to make it one of the key arts and entertainment building in Baltimore.”

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Charlie Duff, Jubilee Baltimore; Joe Edwardsen, Joe Squared

Garden Deli, specializing in healthy sandwiches and salads, will open in the Columbia Corporate Park in early February.

The 1,709-square-foot restaurant will hold seven tables, says Owner Sang Yoo, who will run the deli with his wife, Yoon.

Columbia Corporate Park is located near the intersection of Snowden River Parkway and Route 175 in Columbia near the University of Phoenix complex. Other nearby restaurants include the Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille, Royal Taj and Cheeburger Cheeburger.

Yoo is currently developing the menu, but expects to sell sandwiches from $5 to $6.29.

The Yoos live in Columbia and decided to open the deli because they love the area. The Garden Deli is the couple’s only business.

Writer: Alexandra Wilding
Source: Sang Yoo, Garden Deli

The owners of Waterfront Kitchen in Fells Point hope to expand their “mission-driven” business with a new catering operation next year.

Waterfront Co-owner Charles Nabit says that in January he will begin hunting for a space for the new venture. He is looking for a spot that is approximately 1,500 square feet.

The catering firm may rely on ingredients from the Living Classrooms Foundation’s Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students (BUGS) program, which serves inner-city kids. The 175-seat Waterfront Kitchen sources its ingredients from BUGS. It also hired several employees from Living Classrooms’ Project Serve, which provides job training to at-risk men and women.

Nabit says he is not sure how many the catering operation will employ because it is still in the planning stages. He and partner Michael Klein spent $1.5 million to open Waterfront Kitchen in the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park. Patrick Sutton Interior Design outfitted the space.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Charles Nabit

Phillips Seafood is opening an express location at the $500 million Maryland Live Casino near Arundel Mills next year.

Phillips’ Director of Marketing Michelle Torres compares it to the Phillips Seafood Express it operates in the Maryland House Welcome Center in Aberdeen. She says the company has yet to determine the exact square footage and menu of the new spot, but expects it will serve salads, wraps, crab cakes and possibly dim sum.

Opening in the summer, the casino spot will be located in a food court and offer counter service. It will be the local restaurant and seafood company’s second Cordish Co. location. It opened its new Inner Harbor restaurant at Cordish’s Power Plant this month, after 31 years at Harborplace.

It will be Phillips' sixth express location. The others are located at Boston's Logan International Airport, Atlantic City and FedEx Field. The average express location is between 600 and 1,000 square feet and employs five to 10.

Asked whether Phillips will open other spots in Cordish locations, Torres says she is “very hopeful.”

“We see [Cordish] as a long-term partner.”

The casino is slated to include a restaurant operate by Bobby Flay, a Cheesecake Factory and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Michelle Torres, Phillips

The aroma of fresh-baked confections will soon waft again from a retail storefront on Route 40 in Ellicott City.

Cooks N Cakes will open this month at 9251 Baltimore National Pike next to Starbucks. It’s the spot that once held the Breadery, which has moved to Catonsville.

Owner Adell Cothorne is a former Montgomery County principal who found herself baking cupcakes for family and friends. She decided to put aside her career in education after folks started putting in orders last month.

“I was up from Friday until Sunday trying to fill cupcake orders and decided that I can’t be a principal and bake cupcakes,” Cothorne says. “I’m going to follow my passion and do cupcakes.”

She chose Ellicott City because of its income and liked the spot because it is next to a heavily trafficked Starbucks. Cothorne hopes she’ll get Starbucks’ customers who want fresh-baked cupcakes made with cage-free eggs, local dairy and European butter.

The store will offer seven daily flavors, including several cocktail-inspired ones like Pina Colada and Bailey’s and Cream. Cothorne is hoping those flavors will be a hit at her cupcake happy hour. Cupcakes will cost $3 each, or $2.75 for six or more.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Adell Cothorne, Cooks N Cakes

A Delaware craft brewer is moving to Maryland, where it will tap a larger production facility and open a new restaurant as demand for its drinks grows.

The two-year-old Evolution Craft Brewing Co.  is moving in February from Delmar, Del., to a former ice factory at 201 E. Vine St. in Salisbury. That’s also the site of the 150-seat Public House restaurant and offices for the company that manages it, Southern Boys Concepts. The brewpub will serve homemade sausages, regional oysters and local fish.

Evolution needs the 20,000-square-foot building because it had maxed out on its Delmar, Del., space, says Evolution Founder Tom Knorr. The new building will have the capacity to brew 50,000 barrels of beer a year, or 10 times what it will produce this year. It expects to double production to 10,000 barrels next year.

Primal Pale Ale, Exile ESB and Lucky 7 Porter are among Evolution brews sold in Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Knorr hopes to soon begin selling his brews in Southeastern Pennsylvania and the rest of Virginia.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Tom Knorr, Southern Boys Concepts

An upscale Italian chain is saying "ciao" to Baltimore's Inner Harbor this spring.

Brio Tuscan Grille will open a 230-seat restaurant and bar at 100 E. Pratt St. by early April, says Saed Mohseni. The CEO of Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc. says the company spends between $2 million and $3.5 million to open each new restaurant.

The Columbus, Ohio, firm operates 93 restaurants under the Brio Tuscan Grille, Bravo Cucina Italiana and Bon Vie Bistro flags. The location — the former site Legal Sea Foods — will hopefully attract tourists, business travelers and office workers given its central downtown location, Mohseni says.

The 8,000-square-foot restaurant will contain an open-air kitchen with stainless steel and stone to create a "Tuscan villa" sort of look.

Menu items will cost between $8 and $22.

Pratt Street will hold the third Brio in Maryland. One is located at the Annapolis Towne Centre while another spot will open in Bethesda Feb. 7.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Saed Mohseni, Bravo Brio Restaurant Group

The economic downturn had left several vacancies along Federal Hill's normally busy shopping corridor. The vacant storefronts and vacant stalls in Cross Street Market were definitely detracting from the neighborhood's appeal. The shopping outlook in Federal Hill is a little brighter now thanks to several new businesses that have opened recently in the neighborhood.
 
Cheese Galore and More has opened in a stall in the historic Cross Street Market to fulfill Federal Hill's appetite for all things dairy and and the things that enhance your cheese plate. The new market stand features many varieties of gourmet cheese, including some that is locally produced. Cheese Galore and More also offers crackers, breads, olives, butter, spreads and meats to complete your cheesy feast.
 
Federal Hill is the home of a new restaurant as well. Republic Noodle at 1121 Light Street offers modern décor and an emphasis on hormone free, all natural meats and eco friendly locally sourced accompaniments. It's BYOB. In addition to noodles and pho, Republic Noodle also features pan Asian cuisine and classic desserts with a modern flair.
 
A new gift shop, Bobabooi's Treasure Chest has opened at 1129 Light Street. This family run combination consignment store and gift shop offers new purses, jewelry, accessories as well as a selection of consignment items. The shop offers 10% discounts on Fridays.
 
Writer: Amy McNeal
Source: Federal Hill Main Street

Grocery stores and casual restaurants in Greater Baltimore gobbled up empty storefronts during the third quarter, helping landlords fill space that might have otherwise gone empty in a tough environment.

That’s according to a retail report from MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate.

ShopRite and SuperValu Corp.’s Shoppers Food & Pharmacy have taken up spots in former Superfresh locations in the walk of the grocer’s store closures and bankruptcy. ShopRite took over Superfresh stores in Timonium, North Baltimore and Parkville while Shoppers opened in Ellicott City.

A handful of quick-service restaurants, including Gino's Burgers & Chicken, Miss Shirley's, and the Green Turtle, have expanded with new locations.

Retail vacancy remained largely flat at 6.19 percent.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate

The Maryland Wineries Association is toasting a move into a larger space that will give it the room it needs to store supplies to host more events.

The group moved into a 1,200-square-foot warehouse space at 1940 Greenspring Dr. in Timonium. That’s double the size of its former Timonium office, which had been getting cramped for  the three-person staff, Executive Director Kevin Atticks says. 

The new office is located in a warehouse building with a loading dock that makes it easier to bring supplies into the office.
“We’re excited to have more space to be productive,” Atticks says.

The association is hosting more marketing events and needs the room to hold inventory. It just wrapped an event series called Eat, Drink, Go Local that pairs chefs with local wineries.

“The motivation was to connect local wine to the local food movement to bring more chefs and wineries together so they all got to know each other,” Atticks says.

The association is celebrating a major win in Annapolis. It lobbied hard for the recent change in wine shipping laws that allows Maryland consumers to order wine online.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Kevin Atticks, Maryland Wineries Association

Baltimore’s Harbor East neighborhood just got a little sweeter.

Candy shop the Best of Luck, opened this month at 612 S. Exeter St. in the former Amaryllis jewelry store space. The shop sells nostalgic candies – think pop rocks and Charleston Chews — gift baskets, chocolate-covered pretzels, gummy bears and saltwater taffy. It also features sugar-free concoctions.

After a career in the sports and entertainment industries, store owner Alexis Thompson wanted to start her own business.

“I always had a sweet tooth and a love for different kinds of candies,” Thompson says.

It’s a bit of a career change for the Baltimore-born Thompson, who represented Serena Williams, Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett, and pro golfer Michelle Wie as a junior agent at the William Morris Agency.

“I want to be my own boss,” she says.

She spent about $20,000 to open the store next to Whole Foods and hopes that the location next to Fells Point, Canton and downtown will help it get good foot traffic.

Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Alexis Thompson, Best of Luck

Winter may be just around the corner, but the owner of Little Italy’s Amicci’s restaurant is already thinking of spring.

The restaurant will add 20 outdoor seats to the 300-seat venue, Roland Keh says.

Amicci’s is one of several Baltimore City restaurants that have requested permission from the liquor board to hold outdoor service. Others include Greektown’s Acropolis restaurant, the Grand Cru wine bar and Phillips Seafood Restaurant, which will soon open a location at the Power Plant.

Keh says he got the idea after applying for a one-day outdoor seating license during the Baltimore Grand Prix. He didn’t get quite the boost in business he was expecting since the restaurant is several blocks away from where the action was taking place.

But having outdoor seats gave the restaurant a festival atmosphere that he wants to continue during the warmer months.
“It was reminiscent of a European café atmosphere,” Keh says. “We want to capture that essence again on a regular basis.”

Writer: Julekha Dash
Sources: Roland Keh, Amicci's; Baltimore City liquor board

A million-dollar, Caribbean-themed seafood restaurant, lounge, and tiki bar has opened in Harford County.

Owner Anthony Ashe hopes Fallston’s Mallet Restaurant and Crabhouse will stand out from the county’s chain restaurants.

He also hopes the location, at the busy intersection of Route 1 and Maryland Route 152, would attract plenty of drive-by traffic. Though the economy has not been kind to some restaurants, Ashe is hoping the county’s new residents from the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) will bring in business.

The 13,000-square-foot restaurant, which opened last month, features a martini lounge serving sushi, a raw oyster bar, steamed crabs, and a patio decked out with palm trees. It seats 650.

“We have multiple environments in one destination,” Ashe says.

Prior to opening the restaurant, Ashe was an executive for Canadian airline technology firm GuestLogix Inc. He also had a career as an investment banker.


Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Anthony Ashe, Mallet Restaurant and Crabhouse