Christina Tkacik

2 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Christina Tkacik

Auctioneer Paul Cooper called out from the steps of the courthouse as downtown traffic passed. The future of Bertha’s Mussels would be determined in $25,000 increments. “$650,000 bid, do I hear 675 on it?” Cooper said, repeating himself in a rapid-fire cadence. A few feet away, a man with his arm folded across his chest spoke into his cell phone, nodding then raising his hand. The numbers climbed. Another man put up his hand. 675. But as the numbers rose past $1 million, the bidding paused.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Christina Tkacik

For almost two years, the building at 300 29th St. stood empty, its exterior taunting passing foodies. A sign to the side painted in retro font promised pizza, arancini and gelato. You just knew it was going to be good, if it ever arrived. After a longer-than-expected renovation to transform the former Cahoots Brothers building, Doppio Pasticceria finally opened its forever home in Baltimore’s Remington neighborhood in February.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Christina Tkacik

A buzzy new exhibition on Black dandyism at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York features prominent Baltimoreans like Frederick Douglass and Cab Calloway.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Christina Tkacik

NEW YORK CITY — Even on a mannequin and under dim lighting to protect the fabric, the dark coat offers a commanding presence, conveying the regal aura of its owner. The personal effects of Frederick Douglass, the native Marylander who liberated himself from slavery and became a famous orator and abolitionist, show he knew the power of style to transform. As the most-photographed man of his time, he used his own image to challenge white Americans’ ideas about who a Black man could be.

4 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Christina Tkacik

Normal people have “to do” lists with projects they need to complete at the office or around the house. I have a “to eat” list of everything I want to gobble up. The list gets longer in the summer. Of course, there are local fruits and vegetables like strawberries and asparagus, just now coming in season and covering tables at farmers markets. But there are also the treats you usually only find in warmer weather — things like pit beef at the hardware store or snowballs with marshmallow on top.