Baltimore Eats - OUR COMMON TABLE - November 2006

At first I thought the phobia was mine alone. But over the years I've met many people like myself who totally dread the task of going shopping at a big supermarket.

Maybe it's the sheer giganticness of these big box food stores, but I find myself like the deer caught in the headlights after entering through a double set of automatic doors, faced with tens of thousands of square feet, miles of aisles and endless choices of items. I mean, how many choices do we really need to have when we just want to buy some spaghetti sauce? Really!?!

So, for me, the more comfortable choice is the small, locally owned market -the neighborhood market. There once were many more of these than there are now. Sadly an awful lot of urban and suburban neighborhoods don't even have a real market anymore, just "convenience" stores with a tiny selection of canned and processed foods way in the back, behind the jumbo bottles of soda and the two or three aisles of snack foods. And we wonder why obesity is now a national problem!

Luckily here in Baltimore we still have a number of thriving local groceries. Some are smaller, locally owned chains, like Graul's and Santoni's, while some are independently owned like many of the Eddie's markets.

Besides selling an excellent variety of products without too terribly much redundancy, both Graul's and the Eddie's of Roland Park have outstanding in-house bakeries. These are not to be confused with the kind of bakery you'll find in a big box store where they simply "bake" the stuff that's shipped in frozen. These bakeries are the real deal - it's like stepping back into one of the wonderful (most are gone now!) bakeries I loved as a kid, like the old Camarrata's, Simon's, and Silbers, where delightful aromas scented the entire store and set your mouth watering as soon as you walked in the door.

Charles Village is my neighborhood, and my favorite shopping destination is Eddie's Market on St. Paul Street. This independently owned Eddie's is the centerpiece of the little shopping district that spans the block between 31st and 32nd Streets. It's amazing how many times you hear any location in the area described by its relation to Eddie's: "Across the street from Eddie's... Just behind Eddie's... Two blocks up from Eddie's."

Everybody knows Eddies. Now what sets Eddie's apart from the three "big stores" in my vicinity (Not mentioning any names here but you can guess!)? Well, for one thing, it's owned by a guy that I've come to consider a personal friend, Jerry Gordon, and the business has been in his family since 1962. That means that for 44 years every dollar spent there has stayed right here in our community.

Jerry really supports the community that supports him too, with discounts for the students at Hopkins, block parties on summer Friday evenings and a big sloppy, wacky bulletin board where everybody can post notices for lost pets, yard sales, house shares, yoga classes, poetry readings -the things that really solidify a sense of community and home and neighborhood.

And I just like the place -this is my kind of shopping! It's a reasonable sized store. You don't spend half the day wandering lost among the aisles searching aimlessly for the items on your list.

It's comfortable. It's easy to find what I need and everything I need is right there too. Years of experience, with a keen eye on the tastes of his particular customers and the pulse of his business, inform Jerry's choices when it comes to stocking his shelves.

All the basic necessities are readily accessible and there's a healthy representation of international and gourmet foods, not to mention a really fine collection of cheeses.

Like many of the independents, Jerry is dedicated to highlighting local products. On my most recent expedition I made a point of jotting down some things while I shopped. I found Zeke's coffees, roasted in neighboring Lauraville (I love that Hippie Blend!); Toto's Salsas, made in Randallstown by Mama Vida; the Sons of Italy line of Italian foods from east Baltimore; sausages from Ostrowski's of Fells Point and in the dairy shelf, Rutter's milk from York, Pennsylvania.

On the bread shelves are some of the finest baked products made in these parts, from producers like French Oven in Baltimore County; Bonaparte Bakery in Savage; Little Italy's F&S Bakery and all-organic, artisan breads from Atwater's in Belvedere Square.

Now I do admit to having a bit of a sweet tooth and Eddie's doesn't disappoint me there either. They've got those wonderful Grand Ma Taylor's biscotti, two of Baltimore's most famous cookies -Berger and Otterbein -and pints of ultra-silky ice cream from Moxley's of Towson. And my more "virtuous" self can find locally grown greens, seasonal veggies and jugs of locally pressed cider over in the produce area.

The driving principle of Our Common Table is all about rebuilding our local food economy -keeping the money we spend here at home, supporting the farmers, the bakers, and the creative entrepreneurs who are trying to make a go of it here in our region.

Owners of our neighborhood groceries have made a commitment to stay local and buy local, to remain important anchors in their communities. It's not an easy thing to compete with the "Big Boys." It takes determination, ingenuity, and a genuine desire to build long-lasting, personal relationships with one's customers -and probably a streak of downright orneriness!

By shopping at our neighborhood groceries we "vote with our dollars" to keep these independent efforts thriving. Our choices become part of the solution -just by feeding ourselves- while not feeding the problem!