Thanks to Ellen Boomer for covering Bloomingdale news!
Bloomingdale Buzz
Bloomingdale’s Best Cafe
Stu Davenport opened Big Bear Café (BBC) in 2006, and he’s built a neighborhood institution in the process. The café-turned-restaurant has become a community hub where residents can chat about the latest neighborhood issue over a cup of coffee. “Stu took a big risk in purchasing a corner store in Bloomingdale at a time when no one wanted to invest in a retail space that wasn't a modest bodega,” longtime resident Scott Roberts said. “He had the vision to see what the neighborhood could become by morphing the building, initially, into a coffee place.”
Just as the neighborhood is changing, so too are certain aspects of BBC. The café has had a liquor license since 2010 and is adding an expanded dinner service, thanks to James Beard-nominated chef Quentin Frye. The transformed dinner menu, which changes almost daily, includes items such as rabbit poutine and sunchoke gnocchi. As the weather improves, diners can take advantage of the expanded patio, which now seats 65 to 70 people, or swing by the Sunday farmers’ market. “We’re taking farm-to-table to the next level and now doing nose-to-tail,” Frye said. “We’re creating new relationships with ranchers and farmers.”
A DC native, Davenport has lived in Bloomingdale for 12 years and even served as an ANC commissioner for four years. “Everyone on this block knew each other. The Boundary Stone guys lived two doors down,” Davenport remembered.
When Davenport describes his work at BBC, he talks about the people he works with; he spends little time reflecting on his own success. “I’m more of a builder,” said Davenport, who used to be a general contractor. “I find people who I think are incredible and I just try to keep up with them by learning their systems and their ideology.” He remarked that in Bloomingdale “we’re surrounded by so many incredible people … it’s something I’ve wanted to stay a part of.”
Contact Big Bear Café, 1700 1st St. NW, Washington, DC 20001, at www.bigbearcafe-dc.com or by calling 202-643-9222.
Baked Goods and Good Causes
Grassroots Gourmet,owned by Sara Fatell, is one part bakery mixed with a dash of community involvement. The result is a go-to neighborhood spot that makes any occasion a little sweeter. “I want to be a part of the celebrations in your family,” Fatell said.
What started as a made-to-order side business eventually grew into a full-time occupation in 2012. Fatell brought her years of experience as a political organizer into this new venture. “All of the good things in life come with food, usually sweets,” said Fatell, who added that her favorite baked good is rugelach. “The end result of your work is usually a smile, and that’s not always the case in politics.”
In addition to scones, muffins, cookies, and pies baked fresh every day using family recipes, the bakery also creates various made-to-order items such as cakes and cupcakes. Fatell makes the cookies small enough so customers can have more than one. In fact, she expects it. “I’m pro-choice: You should have 12 cookies instead of one big cookie because then you get 12 different kinds of cookies,” she said.
The walls at Grassroots Gourmet are lined with pictures of family and friends, many of whom helped with everything from painting ceiling tile to setting up the bakery’s webpage. “Sara is such a warm person that I always walk away feeling happier than when I walked in, and not just because she's sold me on the chocolate babka,” said Bloomingdale resident and devoted customer Jaci Bengfort.
Fatell’s giving spirit extends to supporting various causes, including St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a children’s cancer research organization. She raised $2,500 for the charity by having her head shaved at this year’s event at Boundary Stone.
Contact Grassroots Gourmet (grassrootsgourmet.org), 104 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001, by emailing grassrootsgourmetdc@gmail.com or calling 202-629-2040.
Braving the Shave to Help Children
At Boundary Stone’s third annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser, attendees brave enough to shave their heads ranged from professional soccer players to a ponytailed beer brewer to a determined five-year-old boy. Even Gareth and Matt Croke, who co-own Boundary Stone with brothers Colin and Peter McDonough, shaved their heads, and their parents joined in the fun. Barber of Hell’s Bottom did most of the head shaving during the event.
The event raised $35,000 for the children’s cancer research charity and gave the packed crowd a chance to drink beer, win raffle items, and shave their heads, all for a good cause.
Worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes. St. Baldrick’s Foundation gives 77 percent of funds raised to children’s cancer research grants and advocacy. Five-year-old Padraig McEwan raised $1,600 for the charity and dyed his hair green for the March 15 event. He said he felt “like a man in space” when he had his head shaved, and insisted he wasn’t scared.
“We consider ourselves to be a neighborhood family bar,” said Assistant General Manager Emma Ceddia. “This is a family-friendly, kid event.” Ceddia helped plan and manage the popular event. Brandon Skall, co-owner of DC Brau, emceed and got into the fundraising spirit of the day by selling his Grateful Dead-inspired DC Brau shirt right off of his back.
Many local businesses donated auction and raffle items such as private tours of local breweries and Nats tickets, as well as gift certificates from Eyespeak Tattoo Shop and more than 15 different bars and restaurants including The Red Hen, El Camino, and Rustik Tavern, as well as Fado, which has held its own St. Baldrick’s fundraiser for many years. The event “is a good way to gauge what kind of community you have that you can rely on,” Ceddia said. “With the Bloomingdale connection we have so many people we can rely on. We are very involved in each other’s lives because we actually care.”
Contact Boundary Stone DC (www.boundarystonedc.com), 116 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001, by emailing info@boundarystonedc.com or calling 202-621-6635. Contact St. Baldrick’s Foundation at www.stbaldricks.org.
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