| Cafe Hon | |
|---|---|
 Cafe Hon, with the flamingo | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1992 |
| Closed | 2022 |
| Owner(s) | Denise Whiting |
| Street address | 1002 West 36th Street |
| City | Baltimore |
| State | Maryland |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 21211-2415 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 39°19′52″N76°37′59″W / 39.331157°N 76.632920°W |
| Website | www.cafehon.com |
Cafe Hon was a restaurant in the Hampden area of Baltimore, Maryland.
Opened by Denise Whiting in 1992, Cafe Hon takes its name from a common term of endearment ("hon" is an abbreviated version of the word "honey") used by Baltimore residents for years. [1] In 2010, Whiting announced the opening of HONtown, a gift shop across the street from the restaurant. In 2014, the gift shop relocated to a smaller space next door to the restaurant.
On February 24, 2012, Cafe Hon was featured in an episode of the Fox network's Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay. [2]
The restaurant closed in 2022, after Whiting leased the space to Foreman Wolf Restaurant Group. Whiting said the iconic flamingo sculpture will find a new home after the restaurant's departure. [3]
In 2002, the distinct flamingo sculpture was introduced above the restaurant. [4] The original flamingo was made of wire and cloth. [5]
In October 2009, the city of Baltimore announced the Cafe Hon had to either get a permit for the flamingo at a cost of $1300 for the first year and $800 each year thereafter or to take it down. [6] The issue was that the flamingo protruded into the public right-of-way. [7] The bird was temporarily removed while this case was being disputed.
Whiting stated that the flamingo was "hibernating" during its time of absence, and was determined to fight the city. [5] [ citation needed ] Whiting and the city finally reached an agreement, in which the permit fee would be at least $400 a year, [7] and the flamingo returned. [8]
The new flamingo that was introduced is made of fiberglass. [9]
Then-Mayor Sheila Dixon was present at the unveiling of the new flamingo. [10] Following Dixon's trial on corruption charges, Elaine Pollack, known as "Juror no. 11" during the trial, came under fire as it was later learned that she was present during the unveiling of the flamingo along with Dixon. [11] [12] This was one of Dixon's last public appearances before her resignation. [13]
In November 2010, Whiting trademarked the term "hon" for use on napkins, buttons, hats and other promotional material to promote Cafe Hon. The trademark, as stated by Whiting, doesn't prevent anyone from saying "hon" [14] or using it in general conversation. [14] The trademark issue was criticized by Dan Rodricks, columnist for The Baltimore Sun : "You can't own something that doesn't belong to you.... 'Hon' isn't unique to Denise Whiting, no matter how special she wants us to believe she is." [15] The dispute prompted street protests on December 19, 2010, by Baltimore residents. [16]
On November 7, 2011, during the taping for Kitchen Nightmares , Whiting held a press conference with Gordon Ramsay present where she announced that she would be relinquishing the "Hon" trademark. Ramsay said that, with Cafe Hon, "There was a level of hatred that was almost untouchable. I've never known a restaurant to have such a huge issue." The Cafe Hon episode of Kitchen Nightmares was briefly described in a Baltimore Sun article, stating that while a typical episode features "slovenly kitchens and indolent staffs," the Cafe Hon episode dealt with a "unique" public relations issue, "one woman vs. a city." [2] Whiting said that the controversy over trademarking the word "Hon" had a huge toll on her business and her own health. Since it was first revealed in December 2010 that "Hon" was trademarked to her, she estimated a "20 to 25 percent drop off" in sales and that she needed to sell her individual retirement accounts (IRAs) just to meet payroll. [17]
Whiting filed to have the trademark canceled and announced it on Facebook on November 11, 2011. [18]
Gordon James Ramsay is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall and currently holds eight. His signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London, has held three Michelin stars since 2001. After rising to fame on the British television miniseries Boiling Point in 1999, Ramsay became one of the best-known and most influential chefs in the world.
A Baltimore accent, also known as Baltimorese and sometimes humorously spelled Bawlmerese or Ballimorese, is an accent or sub-variety of Delaware Valley English that originates among blue-collar residents of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It extends into the Baltimore metropolitan area and northeastern Maryland.
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is a television programme featuring British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay first broadcast on Channel 4 in 2004. In each episode, Ramsay visits a failing restaurant and acts as a troubleshooter to help improve the establishment in just one week. Ramsay revisits the restaurant a few months later to see how business has fared in his absence. Episodes from series one and two have been re-edited with additional new material as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisited; they featured Ramsay checking up on restaurants a year or more after he attended to them.
Dan Rodricks is a longtime columnist for The Baltimore Sun newspapers, and former host of the Roughly Speaking podcast for baltimoresun.com. He was previously the host of Midday, a two-hour, daily talk show on WYPR FM 88.1, the NPR station in Baltimore, and the host of "Rodricks For Breakfast" on WMAR-TV,.
Sheila Ann Dixon is an American politician who served as the 48th mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, after mayor Martin O'Malley was sworn in as governor on January 17, 2007. Dixon, then president of the Baltimore City Council, served out the remaining year of her term and won the mayoral election in November 2007. Dixon was the first African-American woman to serve as president of the City Council, Baltimore's first female mayor, and Baltimore's third black mayor.
The 2007 Baltimore mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007. Because Baltimore's electorate is overwhelmingly Democratic, Sheila Dixon's victory in the Democratic primary on September 11 all but assured her of victory in the general election; she defeated Republican candidate Elbert Henderson in the general election by an overwhelming majority. Dixon, who as president of the Baltimore City Council became mayor in January 2007 when Martin O'Malley resigned to become Governor of Maryland, was the first woman to be elected to the office.
The city of Baltimore, Maryland, has been a predominantly working-class town through much of its history with several surrounding affluent suburbs and, being found in a Mid-Atlantic state but south of the Mason-Dixon line, can lay claim to a blend of Northern and Southern American traditions.
John Shields is an American chef, food writer, and host of the PBS television shows Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields and Coastal Cooking with John Shields.
Kitchen Nightmares, known in the UK as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA, is an American reality television series originally broadcast on Fox, in which chef Gordon Ramsay is invited by the owners to spend a week with a failing restaurant in an attempt to revive the business. Produced by ITV Studios America, it is based on the British show Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
Angela Maria Hartnett is an English Michelin-starred chef. A protégée of Gordon Ramsay who became well known by her appearances on British television, she was Chef-Patron at Angela Hartnett at The Connaught in London. Currently, she is Chef-Patron for Murano in Mayfair, Café Murano in St James's & Covent Garden and Cucina Angelina in Courchevel (France).
Aarón Sánchez is a Mexican-American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author and philanthropist. He is the executive chef and part-owner of the Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans.
The trial of Sheila Dixon, then mayor of Baltimore, started on November 9, 2009. It was the first of two scheduled trials for Dixon on a variety of charges. The charges stemmed from alleged corruption on the part of the mayor involving gifts she allegedly received and gift cards she allegedly stole.
"Amy's Baking Company" is the 16th episode of the sixth season of Kitchen Nightmares, and the 82nd episode of the series. The episode first aired on May 10, 2013, and centered on Gordon Ramsay attempting to help Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, owners of Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's was a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay and located with Claridge's hotel in Mayfair, London. Blackstone Group had enquired about Ramsay's availability to open a restaurant after he was awarded three Michelin Stars at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. It marked the first of a number of restaurants that Ramsay would open at hotels owned by Blackstone. It opened in 2001, and by the fourth year was making a profit of £2 million a year. Mark Sargeant was the chef de cuisine of the restaurant until 2008, during which time the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star.
Gordon Ramsay Plane Food is a restaurant owned by chef Gordon Ramsay, located within Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 in London, United Kingdom. The restaurant cost £2.5 million to build and is located within the airside area of the airport. It opened in 2008 alongside the rest of Terminal 5, and with several other Ramsay-related openings that year. Ramsay said that he aimed to keep the menu lean without the use of heavy sauces, and menus are also offered for quick dining as well as takeaway cool boxes which contain a three course meal to be eaten on a plane.
Una Lorraine Morris is a retired Jamaican sprinter, physician, restaurateur, and food caterer. She represented Jamaica at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics in eight sprint events in total, with the best achievement of fourth place in the 200 metres in 1964. She won a bronze medal in the 4×100 metres relay at the 1967 Pan American Games. in 1963 and 1964 she was chosen as Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year.
Pesadilla en la cocina is a Spanish food reality television program hosted by chef Alberto Chicote. It airs on laSexta, and is the Spanish adaptation of the Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares franchise.
The 2016 Baltimore mayoral election was held November 8, 2016 concurrent with the General Election. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the incumbent mayor, did not run for reelection. Catherine Pugh won the election on November 8, 2016, with 57% of the popular vote, and took office on December 6, 2016.
The 2020 Baltimore mayoral election was held on November 3, 2020, concurrent with the general election. Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott, the Democratic Party nominee, won a sizable victory over independent candidate Bob Wallace, Republican Party nominee Shannon Wright, and Working Class Party nominee David Harding.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)