Great Catering Ideas For The Holidays
By Caryn Coyle
The holidays are a time for families, and three well-known family caterers have long histories helping Baltimore celebrate with delicious dishes.
Graul's Market
12200 Tullamore Road
Lutherville, Md.
(410) 308-2100
and five other locations in Ruxton, Annapolis, Hereford, Cape St. Claire, St. Michaels
Hours: Open 7 days a week, hours and telephone numbers change for each location, check website
In 1920, Fred and Esther Graul opened the first Graul's Market at 2819 East Monument Street. Their son Harold took over the business after serving in World War II. Graul's Market moved to Annapolis in 1958. As the Graul's family grew, each of Fred and Esther's grandchildren opened their own store. Many of Graul's dishes are family recipes that have been passed down through the generations.
Included in their vast catering menu, which spans the turkey, ham or other celebratory holiday dinner, Graul's offers unique party platters that serve 15 to 20 people. The holiday wreath sub is prepared on a fresh-baked 18-inch braided wreath bread with a combination of fresh deli meats, cheeses or salads for $49.99. Graul's Mediterranean platter is a vegetarian appetizer with homemade red bell pepper hummus, stuffed grape leaves, feta cheese, kalamata olives and pita chips for $39.99. Graul's whole poached Atlantic salmon, which is garnished with cucumber slices and served with a creamy dill sauce, is $119.95.
Eddie's of Roland Park
5113 Roland Avenue
Baltimore, Md. 21210
(410) 323-3656
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
6213 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, Md. 21212
(410) 377-8040
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Website
A grocery store selling prepared foods was a revolutionary idea when Victor Cohen opened his first market in 1944. Eddie's became known for not just selling ham and turkey, they also roasted them for busy customers. Nancy Cohen, Victor's daughter, currently runs Eddie's which is named for the leader of the independent grocers' cooperative, Eddie Levy, that Victor Cohen joined. Nancy Cohen, who still greets customers by name, joined the business in 1981 when her father told her to "stand at the door and say hello to people."
Eddie's has everything for a holiday party and you can't go wrong when you serve a celebratory meal that they have prepared: a hand-carved turkey breast with honey balsamic glaze, or without any glaze, for $12.99 a pound. Their Beef Wellington with red wine sauce is $34.99 a pound and Eddie's mini buttermilk biscuits with Smithfield ham are $24.99 a dozen. Eddie's makes garlic or red skinned mashed potatoes for $5.99 a pound. The cranberry relish, which is crushed with orange rind, is $6.99 a pound.
DiPasquale's Marketplace
3700 Gough Street
Baltimore, Md.
(410) 276-6787
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Website
The Italian loaf of sweet bread, panettone, is sold at Christmas time at DiPasquale's Marketplace.
"People want to hold onto their traditional foods and they don't have time to bake or cook," said Joe DiPasquale, third generation owner of DiPasquale's Marketplace in Highlandtown. "So we make the traditional foods for them."
Panettone is eaten for dessert or breakfast and goes well with espresso or a glass of sparkling wine. DiPasquale's Marketplace has been serving authentic Italian cuisine since 1914 when Joe DiPasquale's grandparents, Luigi and Anna, opened their Conkling Street store, one block north of the current location.
DiPasquale's orecchiette is saucer-shaped pasta with sautéed rapini and a choice of marinated chicken breast, sausage medallions or sun-dried tomatoes. It is served in an olive oil and garlic sauce with grated Romano cheese for $7.95 per person. Lasagna is sold by the pan, with homemade noodles and mozzarella cheese (DiPasquale's uses 200 pounds of its homemade mozzarella each week), ricotta and a choice of meat, vegetables or cheese. The eggplant lasagna has layers of roasted eggplant, homemade mozzarella cheese and parmigiano reggiano in a cream sauce. A small pan of either costs $45 and serves 9 to 12 people. For dessert, DiPasquale's offers an assortment of homemade Italian specialty cookies; pizzelles, ricotta & amaretti rolled in pignoli, almonds or walnuts for $24.99; the platter serves eight.
Let the Graul, Cohen or DiPasquale families make your holidays extraordinary!
Caryn Coyle lives in Baltimore. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published in more than a dozen literary journals and the anthology City Sages: Baltimore (2010) from City Lit Press.
