09-25-2022 Capital Style - Flipbook - Page 15
much expanding your streams of revenue
by being very creative and ... offering experiences outside of the traditional dining-in,”
said Hoffman.
Garten, perhaps, is tradition with a twist.
Since 2015, Hoffman and her husband,
Jeremy, have also owned and operated
Preserve, a farm-to-table restaurant on
Annapolis’ Main Street.
The couple met while attending the Culinary Institute of America, and later moved
to Queens, New York, while working at various big-name restaurants — she at Tribeca
Grill and Union Square Cafe, he at Nobu and
Per Se — in what Hoffman says was “New
York City before everyone took pictures of
their food.”
Moving to Annapolis to launch Preserve,
they were embraced by the community and
began something of a food revolution for the
more than 300-year-old city.
Far from the tourist traps that line the
waterfront, the centrally-located restaurant
has become synonymous with innovative
and locally sourced fare that’s simultaneously exciting enough for a special occasion
and familiar enough for lunch with kids.
Customers have embraced the Hoffmans,
and Preserve, like family. During lockdown,
when the restaurant closed, some regulars continued to purchase gift cards at the
Chris Walker, left, general manager, and
Greg Anderson, chef de cuisine, look at the
grape arbor and garden behind Garten in
Severna Park.
restaurant for weeks, hoping to help keep
their favorite bistro in business.
“It’s humbling,” said Chris Walker, the
restaurant’s longtime general manager who
is closely involved with the Garten opening.
Walker is overseeing the wine list at
Garten, which features exclusively natural
wines from places like Georgia (the country,
not the state).
Outside, a patio will offer tables and
chairs beneath a pergola. A garage-door
style window will transform an indoor/
outdoor bar out back, with heaters planned
for colder months. On tap: a rotating signature brew from Pherm Brewing Company
in Gambrills. A garden behind the building
will provide not only a pastoral landscape for
diners to admire but fresh herbs for chefs to
use in the kitchen.
And there are bees that Hoffman has
begun keeping during the pandemic. Should
all go according to plan, Garten will use
honey she’s harvested from the apiary. (A
bee mural adorns the outside of the building, too.)
Guests can expect the menu to be a somewhat streamlined version of the offerings
at Preserve, including sauerkraut and sandwiches and salads. Greg Anderson, the chef
de cuisine at both restaurants, calls it: “Familiar food — with a twist.”
It could be Garten’s credo.
Garten,
849 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., Severna Park.
Look for updates at facebook.com/GartenEats/
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BY THE ANNAPOLIS ICE CREAM CO.
Fall 2022 | CAPITAL STYLE |
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