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Change Afoot at White Dog Café in Philly
New Manager & Chef Coming On Board
 Eight months after Philadelphia social activist Judy Wicks sold her renowned local-food mecca, the White Dog Café, to restaurant mogul Marty Grims, the restaurant is still undergoing a difficult transition. But both Wicks and Grims say the restaurant will soon be better than ever, particularly with changes in both the front and the back of the house kicking in between now and the beginning of October.
"What Chez Panisse is in San Francisco, we want the White Dog to be in Philadelphia," Marty Grims, new owner of the White Dog Café tells Edible Chesapeake managing editor Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen.
Grims says he recently hired Andrew Welch, formerly general manager of The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, as director of operations/partner . . . "We've just hired a new chef," Grims also says . . . CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE STORY.
Despite a delicious meal at the White Dog Café on August 1, Kristi (left) and Renee (right) left with questions about just who was in charge, sparking this report and some surprising new revelations.
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Local Markets Among America's Favorites
Congratulations to our local winners! What's really important is that YOU continue to shop at your favorite farmers market, wherever it is! |
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The "Real Amish Market" in Charlotte Hall 
About 90 minutes south of Washington, DC, in Maryland's St. Mary's County, lie communities of Amish and Mennonite farmers who lend an interesting cultural twist to some already-spectacular farmers markets. Try the North St. Mary's County Farmers Market (a.k.a, the "real Amish market") at the public library in Charlotte Hall (at the corner of routes 5 and 6) for traditional baked goods including snickerdoodles and whoopie pies, as well as very reasonable (low, even!) prices on all kinds of produce--and it's open Monday through Saturday. Kids may especially enjoy seeing the buggies and horses parked behind the vending tents. While in Charlotte Hall, you can also stop by the "Amish Auction," which does include some Amish vendors but also hosts a flea market with everything under the sun from live chickens (caged) to vintage clothing. For more information on St. Mary's County, click here.
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Back to School - What's for Lunch? 
Have you heard about Slow Food USA's campaign to draw attention to the issue of school food this fall? The Time for Lunch campaign coincides with Congressional review of the Child Nutrition Act, the law that governs school lunch guidelines and funding. The Act is up for reauthorization this fall.
To help focus conversations in communities around the country, Slow Food USA is promoting September 7 as a national day of action and encouraging its chapters and other groups to hold Eat-Ins, big community potluck meals. Nearly a dozen are being held in our area; you can check the map to find more information. Organizers are also looking for signatures on a petition to tell Congress that we want positive action toward better food for kids in schools.
The Time for Lunch campaign is a great way to connect with this issue at the national level, through local action. Don't forget that working with the food service directors in our local school districts and with the cafeteria managers in our kids schools can often be very effective in creating the kind of change we want to see on our kids lunch trays. |
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Food Safety Regime Being Overhauled, Hopefully for the Better
 Lawmakers on Capitol Hill and in the Obama administration are taking steps to improve the safety of our food supply, which is clearly good.
But the potential consequences -- unintended or not -- are raising concerns among some small-scale food producers, particularly the microenterprises that typically provide for "real people eating local." Ensuring that the needs of locally oriented family-scale producers are taken into account in the new laws is critical for the survival of the local food movement, they say. For more on this topic, click here. Seen here: Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg (far left), Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (middle left), and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (far right), at Eastern Market before a recent "town hall meeting." |
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What's Cooking in the Summer Issue 
The summer issue of Edible Chesapeake has been out for a few weeks now. Have you checked your local Whole Foods Market, FRESHFarm Market, MOM's Organic Market or our other advertisers to get a copy?
But there are also things that are only in the print magazine, at least until the next issue comes out. To learn some history of Maryland's Eastern Shore grain mills, a primer on the nightshades of summer, or the story of the innovative farm to table partnership between DC restaurants and Virginia farms, you need to get Edible Chesapeake in your hands. If you can't find a free issue, you can always subscribe for guaranteed home delivery! |
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Read local, eat local!
Sincerely,
Renee and Kristi
Local Mix
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Edible Chesapeake is the quarterly journal of the local food scene in the Chesapeake Bay watershed -- southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, and eastern Virginia. Click here for advertising information. |
We Need Your Help!
Has your local farmers market been Edible Chesapeake-deprived? We do our best to get the quarterly issues of Edible Chesapeake into as many farmers markets in our area as possible, but we know we miss some. If you'd be willing to put us in touch with your farmers market manager, or take some copies of Edible Chesapeake to the market yourself, send us an email at info@ediblechesapeake.com.
Help us spread the word - read local, eat local!
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