Food

Last year Baltimore City paid vendors more than $800 million, much of it for construction projects, gas and electricity, trash and recycling services, transportation and the like, according to monthly figures posted on a city website. But some purchases look odder than others, at least at first blush: Frozen mice. A mink coat. Paintball. About $27,000 worth of food from S'ghetti Eddie's for the Fire Department. Those spending details and many others emerged during a Baltimore Sun review of the city's 2012 figures.

Talk about leading by example -- the Maryland Department of the Environment announced Monday that it would begin collecting food scraps at its Baltimore headquarters for composting. The Earth Day announcement comes on the heels of Howard County launching its own food-scrap processing facility, which I covered here for The Baltimore Sun. MDE will give its 900-plus employees the option to compost their uneaten food at the agency's main offices in Montgomery Park. Officials there say they hope in the effort's inaugural year to divert more than 6 tons of waste that might otherwise have gone to an incinerator or landfill.

A group representing Baltimore-area food trucks have signed a letter of support for the Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington, which is fighting a set of new regulations it fears will hamper and even cripple its business. Addressed to the Council of the District of Columbia, the letter was signed by eight regional food truck associations, including the Maryland Mobile Food Truck Association, whose members operate in the Baltimore area.  The letter says proposed regulations from Mayor Vincent C. Gray "represent some of the worst food truck laws in the country.

Howard Hord considers himself a chef of sorts, but the food he works with is a little past its prime. Using moldy melon rinds, orange peels and other castoff fruit and vegetables from some Howard County kitchens, Hord is "cooking" the first batches of plant fertilizer to be produced by the new composting facility at the county's Alpha Ridge landfill in Marriottsville, set to mark its official opening on Monday, Earth Day. Hord, the landfill's operations...

The following is compiled from police reports.  Ellicott City Town and Country Boulevard, 8700 block, 11 p.m. April 9. While making delivery, pizza delivery person was approached by two men. One blocked pathway driver was walking on that led to building. Men stole portion of food order and walked away. Elkridge/Jessup Washington Boulevard, 6300 block, 4:21 a.m. April 14. Rock used to smash front glass door of Nail Salon. Cash from desk drawer and nail polish bottles, which were mounted on the wall, were stolen.

The Food Network said today that  Dangerously Delicious Pies founder Rodney Henry of Baltimore will be a finalist on the ninth season of "Food Network Star. " The judges will be Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay in the competition to name the best and brightest new faces in food television. The season premiere will be at 9 p.m. Sunday, June 2. The network says that each episode before the Aug. 11 finale will feature a first-round Mentor Challenge, second-round Star Challenge and an elimination determined by the selection committee, including returning judges Food Network executives Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman.

Michael's Cafe is nearly 30 years old, but it's still hot. On a recent Thursday night, the Timonium restaurant was hopping. The warm, wood-filled bar was packed, and by 8 p.m., so was the dining room. Since its opening in 1984, Michael's has expanded several times; a current construction project will add an outdoor bar and more seating. Eavesdropping on tables around us, we realized most diners were repeat customers - back, no doubt, for Michael's capable takes on classic American food.

For some people, baking is an enjoyable pastime that often ends in a delicious dessert. But for Ellicott City resident Jackie Gonzalez-Feezer, baking is much more than that. Gonzalez-Feezer is a food blogger, whose website, La Casa de Sweets ( lacasadesweets.com ), is an entree to recipes, vibrant pictures of her creations and a place to connect and raise money for charity. “The whole point of the site is to join together baking and blogging for a cause,” she says. Her site is part gourmet delight, part meeting place for fellow baking enthusiasts.

Janet Hirsch says she has always been an adventurous eater, willing to try new things. But the Catonsville resident never ate pork ribs, Delmonico steaks or even turnips -- until last year. That's when Hirsch joined Friends & Farms, a Columbia-based company that connects consumers and farmers through weekly food shares. “The quality of the meat we get is fantastic,” she says. “And it turns out turnips are really good. I like them.” Hirsch, who picks up her stocked $51 food basket weekly, says she started with Friends & Farms in September to eat more local, sustainable foods and find new inspiration for mealtime.

Cuban Revolution has come to Baltimore's Middle East neighborhood. Just a few blocks away from the Johns Hopkins Hospital , the Middle East area has seldom officered any reason for outsiders to wander in. That is changing. The neighborhood is being developed as a mixed-use life science campus. The anchor tenant is the Science & Technology Park at Johns Hopkins, but the 80-acre area will include other research facilities along with new housing, parking and a six-acre central park.