This time of year, I’m always on the lookout for places to get my local food fix.

In my bag, red Maryland strawberries and orange cherry tomatoes from a roadside stall in Harford County. Spicy arugula and crunchy spinach from my CSA box. Last week, I snagged some thick, bright yellow butter from Prigel Family Creamery, which operates a charming stand at Belvedere Square.

Local touches just make any meal taste better.

This week in thinking and eating locally, I’ll tell you about a catering company that’s opened a new branch in Towson, and a Dundalk pharmacist reviving Maryland’s rye tradition. But first, here’s some news about changes for Federal Hill’s Rowhouse Grille.

A renovation is in the works for the Rowhouse Grille. (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun)

You might say Patrick Dahlgren is one of the lucky ones. His Hampden restaurant Avenue Kitchen is doing better than ever, despite the pandemic. “I’m up 80%,” he said.

But he’s also been smart. Through the past two years, Dahlgren has been on the cutting edge of just about every pivot in the book: adding carryout and outdoor seating to his restaurant, applying for PPP loans and small government grants. His staff has built up the restaurant’s presence on Instagram and social media to entice customers with good eats and a better time.

Now, Dahlgren, who also owns Sirvida in Dewey Beach, Delaware, is taking back the reins at the Rowhouse Grille, a Federal Hill restaurant he launched in 2009 but sold in 2019. “It was time for me to take it back.”

Dahlgren, a Loch Raven native who currently lives on Light Street, plans to shut down the restaurant during the summer for a renovation of the first floor and facelift to the building’s exterior. He hopes to have it reopened by this fall and the start of football season, which attracts large crowds to Federal Hill on Ravens game days.

A new menu will be designed by executive chef Audiel Vera, who also oversees operations at The Avenue and Sirvida.

Also: “We’re probably going to change the name.”

Dana Sicko is opening a branch of Gundalow Gourmet & Design in Baltimore County and expanding her space at Whitehall Market. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

Gundalow Gourmet & Design is opening a branch at The Shops at Kenilworth in Towson.

“We are fingers crossed looking at August,” said owner Dana Sicko. A Lutherville-Timonium native whose first ever job during high school was at Sports Her Way, Sicko called the new location “an unexpected homecoming for her business.”

The new space comes as part of a wider expansion for the catering and interior design company. Gundalow is also expanding its presence in Hampden’s Whitehall Market, where it is soon to take over a space formerly occupied by Homebody General Store, which is relocating.

The larger footprint will offer Gundalow more space for its gift shop as well as its interior design wing, a part of the business that took off during the pandemic. “After working in so many kitchens... I found that I was working in gorgeous kitchens that were not necessarily set up by people who cooked.”

Her goal is to help people spend “less time doing dishes.”

There was a time when rye was as big in Maryland as bourbon is in Kentucky, says pharmacist George Fotis. “We had over 50 distilleries in Maryland alone,” said Fotis, who grew up in Highlandtown and now owns Drug City Pharmacy in Dundalk, which dates back to the 1950s.

The business isn’t just a pharmacy —it also includes a liquor store, tasting room, post office and old-timey soda fountain, which Fotis introduced in 2020. The unofficial motto: “If Drug City Pharmacy doesn’t have it– you don’t need it!”

But since he took over the business in 2016, Fotis has been paying particularly close attention to the liquor store, expanding its whiskey offerings. “Whiskey is huge right now, at least in my circles,” said Fotis. Among the gazillion different varieties of whiskey available, Fotis found himself favoring rye, which has been made from rye grain going back hundreds of years.

Fotis recently collaborated with local rye expert Henry Wright to create a special edition rye using 14-year-aged whiskey that Wright had been storing on his property. The labels are reproductions of pre-Prohibition-era brands in Maryland, including Mt. Vernon, Sherwood and Sherbrook. Look for the product on shelves at Drug City Pharmacy next month, or try it out at Barfly in Federal Hill or Cured in Ellicott City.

But don’t wait too long: “We have no intention whatsoever of continuing this,” Fotis said. Their goal was to simply “draw attention to how amazing our whiskey past is and just have some fun with it.”

While we’re on the topic of local whiskeys:

Old Line Spirits American Single Malt Whiskey was named the Best American Single Malt by the Ascot Awards, who called it “a lovely blend of oak, sweet caramel and buttercream, and is delightful with a nice touch of cinnamon spice that carries through the finish,” according to a release.

Old Line Spirits' American Single-Malt Whiskey hit Baltimore shelves at the end of April. This week, the brand — which plans to open a Highlandtown facility soon — launched rum products. (Old Line Spirits)