The Dogwood, Baltimore

As co-owners of The Dogwood, Galen and Bridget Sampson follow a simple mission of community involvement. Hiring and training people who are transitioning out of addiction, incarceration, and homelessness, the duo works to empower each toward self-sustainment through careers in the culinary arts. They also extend this local focus to their ingredients, sourcing meal components from sustainable, artisanal, and organic producers such as Liberty Delight Farms whenever possible. Chefs transform these into a menu of American and international recipes, which, like a snowman’s outlook on life, changes with the seasons. Local dishes such as crab-stuffed oysters buddy up with classic American meals such as bacon-wrapped pork chops and vegetarian dishes such as curry and moussaka. Servers pair many of these plates with eclectic cocktails and a seasonal wine list that highlights bottles from the Pacific Northwest.