The Painted Pig Adjusts to Troubled Economy

Nestled in the middle of Monkton horse country, The Painted Pig Café & Consignments has long served as a rest stop for customers traveling from Baltimore County to Harford County. 

The business, located at 17052 Troyer Rd., serves home-style breakfasts, sandwiches, wraps, soups, ice cream and snowballs in the summer. Owner Nancy Wallis calls the café's smoked meats the house specialty.

"Some of our customers have said that our pulled pork rivals " Wallis said.

But it's the handmade burger that keeps Parkville resident Richard Chenoweth coming back. Chenoweth visits The Painted Pig on his way to Gunpowder Bison & Trading Co., where he regularly stocks up on bison meat.

"It's a patty like no other," said Chenoweth, who favors his burger with bacon and cheese.

Wallis has owned the building that now occupies The Painted Pig for about 10 years. The current incarnation of the space has existed for three years, but prior to that, it was La Mia Cucina, an Italian eatery that featured BYOB dinners.

La Mia Cucina proved to be a successful venture for Wallis, who later procured a liquor license for the restaurant. She later returned the license because of neighbors' complaints that the restaurant was a deli and should not have one.

However, Wallis ultimately decided to turn La Mia Cucina into a casual establishment to make food items more affordable for customers because of the

"Instead of paying $7 for an Italian sub, you could have something more affordable like a well-made cheeseburger," she said.

But while prices have gone down, the quality has not. Wallis said that with the exception of most of the salad dressings offered at The Painted Pig, everything is handmade.

When the restaurant downsized into to a café, Wallis decided to sell pieces such as antiques, country furniture and equestrian-themed gifts to fill up the space.

"Now people can shop while their food is cooking," she said.

Because the shop is off the beaten path, Wallis said she doesn't have other businesses to draw customers from.

"Summer time is always really good because you have a lot of people traveling through the country," she said. "Winter time can be a little rough. This winter has been OK since it hasn't been that cold."

And while some may think the café was named The Painted Pig because Wallis decided to sell smoked meats, the real reason is far more interesting.

Wallis had attended a liquor board hearing where one of the neighbors who complained about La Mia Cucina's license was asked by an official if things had gotten better at the establishment. She said the neighbor told the board that "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

"We then painted the building pink," Wallis said with a laugh.