RESTAURANTS & VENUES PITCH IN
Along with hotels , restaurants have been hit hard by pandemic restrictions . Faced with capacity limits as well as restrictions on opening hours , one local restaurant owner saw the plight of his fellow business owners and decided to step in .
The CEO of Jimmy ’ s Famous Seafood — known for its Maryland crab cakes and steamed crabs ( of course )— restaurateur John Minadakis decided to help his competitors and created a GoFundMe campaign to support the city ’ s restaurants and bars . The fund , started in January 2021 , became known as “ The Famous Fund ,” and has since raised more than $ 460,000 , with supporters including businessman Marcus Lemonis ( contributing $ 60,000 ); Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey ($ 10,000 ); as well as more than 2,000 businesses and people around the region coming together to support their favorite local eateries . Altogether , the fund has helped dozens of Charm City businesses , including Pickles Pub , a long-time favorite place to watch sports games , and The Urban Oyster ( remember its original location had to be closed ).
STEP UP
Want to make your own contribution ? Visit TheFamousFund . com .
Mera Kitchen Collective ( a “ for-profitcooperative ” that works to empower chefs from around the world ) and Alma Cocina
Latina ( which offers a menu “ inspired by Venezuelan culinary roots ”) began a partnership days after the March 2020 lockdown .
“ This collaborative commitment , holistic as a concept , addresses food apartheid by providing delicious and well-balanced meals for the underserved communities in Baltimore , with a priority given to the health of each individual and the planet ,” explained founder Irena Stein .
This past winter , Alma Cocina Latina was open at just 25 percent capacity in observance of COVID-19 protocols ( like other city businesses ), and Mera Kitchen Collective was offering menus for takeout ( as opposed to its former pop-up events ). And , yet , as Stein confirms , the two entities have served 105,000 of these meals .
Alma Cocina Latina offers a dine-in menu , which at press time featured everything from cassava bread and red snapper ceviche to Latin paella . The latter boasts caramelized bomba rice , grilled Madagascar shrimp , red Argentinian shrimp , octopus , squid and a Mexican spicy chorizo base , jalapeño slices , citrus aioli , sweet garlic emulsion , pine nuts and tomato vinegar dressing . Or order from the takeout menu , which is a bit more limited , but as of this writing offered both the cassava bread and paella , along with coconut flan for dessert .
38 BALTIMORE . ORG
DEAN RAY