Make Almost Famous Even More Famous

Stop everything. Before I do anything else I want to encourage you to support a hocolocal culinary entrepreneur who has been nominated for a big honor.

This week, the Restaurant Association of Maryland named their annual awards finalists in the categories of: chef, manager, server, and bartender of the year.

See a familiar face? Althea Hanson, of Althea’s Almost Famous, has been nominated for Chef of the Year.

You may have seen Hanson’s Food Truck at local events and/or Farmers’ Markets.

I wrote about trying her food for the first time about a year ago. I’ve since gone back to try out all her varieties of Jamaican patties. Everything I have tried from Althea’s Almost Famous has been delicious and I frequently see posts from other satisfied customers on social media.

In addition to cooking up fresh Jamaican deliciousness all around the community, Ms. Hanson has also taken an active role in philanthropy by establishing a scholarship at Howard Community College in memory of her father.

Image from March 2022 fundraiser at HCC

The Roy Peart Scholarship for HCC Students: Roy Peart worked for Howard Community College for 18 years where he was loved and appreciated by both students and co-workers. Roy was an amazing singer bringing smiles to everyone. He was also known for his jokes that would make laugh for days.

Mr. Peart’s family has established a scholarship at HCC in memory of their father. Because of his deep love of the arts, the scholarship will be used to support students pursuing theatre, music, or dance.

Ms. Hanson came to Columbia as a teen and brought with her the memories and experiences of many hours spent in the kitchen with her Jamaican grandmother. Now you can buy Althea’s Almost Famous signature products at her website, pick up food from her local food truck, and hire her to cater your next event.

One more thing: you can go immediately from reading this piece to casting your vote in the Maryland Restaurant Association contest. Althea Hanson is the only chef nominated from Columbia/HoCo. Let’s support her!

Here’s where you go to cast your vote: Maryland Restaurant Association Gala. Voting ends on Sunday, Feb. 26th.

Althea’s Almost Famous is on Facebook , Instagram , and TikTok.

Comments

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else. Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog