These local eateries are dedicated to supporting local farmers while providing diners with meals that rely on fresh, in-season ingredients.
Early Pioneers of Farm-to-Table Dining
Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood is a pioneer of the “locavore” movement. Owners Spike and Amy Gjerde have an in-house, whole animal butchery program that services Woodberry Kitchen and their other three restaurants, including Parts & Labor (which also has a butcher shop). Chef John Shields’ Gertrude’s at the Baltimore Museum of Art features classic Chesapeake cuisine. You can also find Chef Shields on Saturday mornings at the 32nd Street Farmers Market in nearby Waverly.
Restaurants With Their Own Farms and Gardens
Baltimore's Bagby Restaurant Group opened the 80-acre Cunningham Farms in Cockeysville where they raise the chickens, 15 varieties of tomatoes, 13 kinds of herbs and three species of edible flowers used in their restaurants: Bagby Pizza Company in Owings Mills, and Cunningham’s in Towson. Likewise, The Elkridge Furnace Inn grows heirloom, organic vegetables in an onsite garden and partners with local farms for its fresh meats. The Manor Tavern in Monkton grows some of the organic ingredients it uses in its dishes while buying others from local vendors. In Howard County's Maple Lawn neighborhood, the elegant Ananda serves superb 'farm-to-tandoori" Indian cuisine using many fresh ingredients sourced from their own nearby gardens.
Award-Winning Farm-to-Table Restaurants
Maggie’s Farm in Baltimore was named “Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant 2014” by Washington’s City Paper and “Best Locavore Restaurant 2013” by Baltimore Magazine. Laurrapin Grille in Havre de Grace relies on the bounty of local farms, which has earned the Harford County hot spot honors from Harford Magazine, Open Table and Wedding Wire. In Montgomery County, Founding Farmers, a Certified Green Restaurant™, was featured on the Food Network and was also named one of the top restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area by Baltimore’s City Paper. In Frederick, getting a table at the award-wining Volt is challenging, but well worth the effort—celebrity chef Bryan Voltaggio offers a delicious take on the farm-to-table concept.
