All Natural Dining Out FOR REAL

Dear Patch,

I wanted to write to champion the work that a local restaurant is doing to improve the health of our community, as well as to support local farmers and food suppliers.

First of all, let me begin by saying that my son cannot have MSG, Nitrates, Nitrites and other preservatives due to severe migraines and he also has a severe reaction to artificial food colorings/dyes. This might not seem like a big deal, but if you were to try to enjoy a family dinner out at one of the *very many* chain restaurants in the Bel Air area, it would mean an exhaustive discussion over the menu with a busy and hurried employee. Sometimes a “chef” will come out and speak with you and run back and forth a few times to the kitchen to inquire about these ingredients, at which point one of the following scenarios will happen:

1. They will “not have the packaging with the ingredients on it” any longer.

2. Offer 1-2 very bland menu items to choose from.

3. Assure us that something is fine, only for us to trust them and then watch our son suffer through a migraine that evening. Thank God his reaction is *only* a migraine and not anaphylaxis- the consequence my brother would face if he were mis-informed regarding an ingredient list regarding his own allergies.

Forget totally about ordering a soup anywhere, as most restaurant soups contain seasoning packets, bouillons and bases of which MSG is one of the least offensive ingredients. Going out to eat as a family had become so disheartening. Recently, we even tried a brand new restaurant that just opened in Bel Air that claimed to freshly prepare food and even they returned to our table with news that many of their dishes had MSG in them, including the crab soup that our son was hoping to try. He did end up ordering an item from their menu, but it had to be sans sauce because the sauce also had MSG in it. Shame on them for advertising fresh food and then putting harmful additives in it!

Fast forward to the past year when we discovered a GEM in the town of Fallston. A restaurant that actually serves REAL FOOD, made only with REAL NATURAL INGREDIENTS. And they serve it with a smile, for a very decent price, hot and ready to bring home or enjoy there. What a novel concept to serve amazing food, that is absolutely delicious and made with local ingredients.

At first, many months ago when we first tried dinner at Baldwin Meals, I was very skeptical and asked each and every ingredient in the meatloaf (because, surely, a restaurant couldn’t make a meatloaf the way I would make it at home!). Chef Paul proceeded to list every single ingredient, beginning with “Local Ground Beef.” I asked if the gravy was made from a packet (it definitely was not). Last month, I asked if there was food coloring in the macaroni and cheese (you would be astonished at how many restaurants make their “home-made” mac and cheese with Velveeta *cringe*). Baldwin Meals makes theirs with crazy ingredients like macaroni and cheese. I even thought for sure that the sausage would be a problem in the peppers and sausage dinner I ordered last night (almost every sausage on the market contains some mix of nitrates, nitrites or MSG). Their sausage, Chef Paul Lever proudly explained, is an all-natural Italian sausage made nearby in Baltimore, Maryland. I actually teared up with joy last evening when I told Connor that he could really have any thing his heart desired from Baldwin Meals. I trust them with my child’s well-being. They have earned it.

Please, Harford County Citizens, support this local business doing an immeasurable service to our community by providing truly home-made delicious meals using local ingredients (supporting our farms and local natural food suppliers). Call them tonight! FLOCK to their little restaurant. Show them how much we ALL appreciate real food. Try finding a “farm to table” meal *anywhere* for the extremely reasonable prices they offer (most of their “Meals Ready to Heat” are about $10- which includes an entrée and two side dishes) and three of them feeds our family of two parents and two children aged 10 and 13. No where will you find the quality of food they offer for this price (about $30 bucks). Just ask them to have your meals hot and ready to eat instead of “ready to heat” and they will have them packaged for your family to enjoy when you get home.

Having recently taken a job that precludes me from cooking well-rounded meals for our family as often as I would like, Baldwin Meals has truly been a lifesaver for our family. We wish them much success and thank them for their excellent service.

Signed a local Mom and fellow Harford County citizen,

Catherine “Ginny” Seeley (and family)

Baldwin Meals

2419 Baldwin Mill Road

Fallston, MD

410-941-5442

www.baldwinmeals.com