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The Epicurious Tour
Carey Talucci, one of Baltimore’s most esteemed caterers, is the granddaughter of Edith and Charlie Harrington, original owners of Harrington’s grocery, known today as Graul’s. In Carey’s Kitchen, she’ll share her professional advice on all things foodie.
When Carrie goes grocery shopping, she wants to find new tastes and rare flavors, so she and her team hop from one specialty spot to the next and virtually globetrot right here at home.
“We often start at Asia Food at 5224 York Road for a wide variety of products, then venture over to the Thai market at 523 Gorsuch Ave. for great deals on hot and spicy Thai items. Then we may trek down to 406 N. Paca St. to visit Trinacria for Italian groceries at reasonable prices. I always say that I can walk into Trinacria with twenty dollars and walk out with two huge bags of freshly made goodies: great pastas, cheeses, sausages and breads. Pastore’s (8442 Philadelphia Road) and Mastellone’s (7212 Harford Road) are hard to beat for Italian provisions as well. We may veer over to Ostrowski’s (524 S. Washington St.) or Roma (3900 Claremont St.) for great sausage, then head toward Eastern Avenue to Greektown. Our favorite spot is Greek Town Bakery (4705 Eastern Ave.).
Weekly we visit the Farmers Market in Waverly on 33rd. Open from 7 a.m. to noon they always have fresh and local produce. If you’re not in a rush, local farmers will educate you on what to buy at peak growing season, and how best to prepare it.
For great chocolates, I visit Rheb’s in Lexington Market.
In Baltimore we have to drive a bit more to reach the specialty stores and markets, but the end result is worth it. I try to support local farmers and merchants, and my clients experience fresh, multi-cultural cuisine at reasonable prices because of that.
We benefit greatly from Baltimore’s rich history as a melting pot for various ethnic groups. Where else can you travel to Asia, Italy, Poland, Greece and France in one day?
After all that hard work food shopping, we might stop at Attman’s (1019 E. Lombard St.) for one of their mile-high corned beef sandwiches. If sweets are in order we stop at Patisserie Poupon (820 E. Baltimore St.) for a pear tart and coffee or Cakelove (2500 Boston St.) for one of their unique combination cupcakes.”
Carey Talucci Fine Catering and Gourmet Services