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contents January/February 2022 | Volume 19 Issue 1

BEST OF BETHESDA 65

Editors’ Picks

112

Readers’ Picks Nearly 7,000 people voted in our online readers’ poll. Check out their picks for dining, shopping, health care and more.

COVER: photo by Lindsey Max 12

The Comus Inn: Best Place to Feel Far Away (see page 67)

PHOTO BY LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY

From food hall showstoppers and a great fried chicken sandwich to a new skate park and a hangout for dogs, here are some of our favorite things about Montgomery County

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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contents

P. 171

Elizabeth GreenfieldWeiss and Brett Weiss at their backyard wedding in Bethesda

FEATURES 148 Happy Endings

COVID and economic growth are on the front burners in the Democratic primary for county executive. But old grudges and new rivalries are simmering in the background.

Risa Simon takes in older dogs and cats that need a place to live. Her goal is simple: She wants them to enjoy the time they have left.

BY LOUIS PECK

BY CARALEE ADAMS

160 Bethesda Interview

171 Weddings of the Year

NBC News correspondent Courtney Kube talks about her last trip to Afghanistan, how Tim Russert helped shape her career, and that time her 4-year-old interrupted her while she was live on air

In our annual feature, we peek inside the celebrations of four couples

BY MIKE UNGER

14

BY CARALEE ADAMS

188 An Unforgettable Fire Forty years after a firefighter rescued a child—and another firefighter fell nearly to his death—some memories blur, but others snap sharply into focus

BY MIKE M. AHLERS

PHOTO BY VINCE HA

139 The Race Is On

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD TO CALL HOME VOTED THE BEST NEW TOWNHOME COMMUNITY Tower Oaks, in Rockville, MD, is the proud winner of the 2022 readers’ pick, best new townhome community award. This remarkable new neighborhood features distinctively designed townhomes and a one-of-a-kind community center that makes it a perfect place to gather with friends and family. Come see for yourself why so many have already made Tower Oaks home.

“READERS’ PICK, BEST NEW TOWNHOME COMMUNITY”

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MHBR #8336 Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Features, finishes, and prices are subject to change without notice. References to “EYA” refer to EYA, LLC. EYA, LLC’s development affiliates build homes in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC metropolitan area. Individual projects are developed and sold by EYA-affiliated entities, and all representations regarding the development, construction, or sale of any project or property refers to those affiliates. Buyers should carefully review their purchase and sales agreement before purchasing. EYA Marketing LLC markets, advertises, and sells each EYA affiliated property as agent for the seller. Sales by EYA Marketing LLC, agent for Preserve at Tower Oaks Investment Partners LLC, respectively.

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contents

DEPARTMENTS 20 | TO OUR READERS

P. 206

22 | CONTRIBUTORS

life

32 | BEST BETS Can’t-miss arts events

37

221

222 | BE WELL

banter

48 | BOOK REPORT New books by local authors, and more

52 | HOMETOWN Amy Wrona was a toddler when her family fled Vietnam to come to America.

Now she’s giving back by helping Afghan refugees begin to rebuild their lives.

A Chevy Chase prosthodontist talks about the impact of stress and anxiety on our teeth

224 | THE SEARCH As more primary care doctors transition to personalized practices, patients are forced to follow—or look elsewhere for good, affordable care

BY STEVE ROBERTS

237 203

health

home

dine

Enhance your shower experience with accessories from local stores

206 | A NEW LOOK Reimagining the basement can be a game changer

Thai Chef in Rockville

247

etc.

248 | GET AWAY

238 | REVIEW

204 | HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS

P. 238

The new Thai Chef in Rockville Town Square is a visual and gustatory thrill ride

242 | TABLE TALK What’s happening on the local food scene

Your cheat sheet for a weekend away

250 | DRIVING RANGE A self-guided driving tour offers a glimpse into the life of Harriet Tubman

266 | FLASHBACK The growth of Montgomery County’s Jewish population over the years

272 | OUTTAKES

212 | HOME SALES BY THE NUMBERS

AD SECTIONS PROFILES: FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS 55

16

BEST OF THE BEST AD SECTION 124

COMPASS AD SECTION 155

LONG & FOSTER AD SECTION 197

PROFILES: LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD 230

SUMMER CAMPS AD SECTION 256

PRIVATE SCHOOL AD SECTION 267

TOP PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA; BOTTOM PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

29 good

A recently remodeled basement in Bethesda

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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There is no map for investing. But there is a beacon.

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What’s online @

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enter our

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Explore past issues and stories using our searchable archives.

Enter for a chance to win a

OUR NEWSROOM SERVES YOU. Support our work by becoming a member today.

Bethesda Beat is Bethesda Magazine’s online news briefing. Bethesda Beat publishes stories covering local politics and government, development, crime, schools and restaurants. Read Bethesda Beat at BethesdaMagazine.com.

❱❱ DAILY NEWSLETTER Get local news delivered right to your inbox by signing up for the free Bethesda Beat newsletter. The newsletter contains headlines from the most recent Bethesda Beat stories. Sign up for the newsletter at BethesdaMagazine.com.

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to our readers

GIVE ME JUST A MOMENT THE EMAILS AWAIT IN the inbox, taunting us with the need for a prompt reply. The list of tasks on the to-do app only grows, never shrinks. The sticky wickets remain.

But I want to take this time—yours and mine— to talk about time, anticipation and memory. We’re turning the corner on a new year, the third of a global pandemic. Let’s think about activities that are fun, or meaningful, or both.

Best of Bethesda (page 65) will introduce you to, or reacquaint you with, some of the fleeting pleasures in life. Meeting doggos, or letting your own Very Good Boy make friends, at Bark Social. Picking up a pickleball paddle at Bauer Drive Local Park (we hear Leo DiCaprio plays, too). Sipping a stout inside a tent at Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co., relieved that you’re in a county with one of the nation’s highest rates of vaccination against COVID-19.

A significant portion of Best of Bethesda champions these kinds of joyful experiences, the ones you look forward to with excitement or relief, and revisit later as happy recollections.

Perhaps it would not be so terrible to measure out one’s life with coffee spoons at Java Nation, the Readers’ Picks winner (page 112) for locally owned coffee shop. (I commend you, readers, on a fine choice: I often find myself at Java Nation for relaxed business meetings.) Nearly 7,000 readers voted in the poll, which endorsed other delights such as Olazzo restaurant and Great Falls Park.

AS A KID, I was fascinated by Harriet Tubman. I read every book about her that I could, as that was about as close to her as I could get. Now, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway traces key terrain and locations in her history, as well as those of other enslaved people and their enslavers. Reporter Andrea K. McDaniels spent three days traversing the byway and still didn’t make it to every stop. But her travelogue (page 250) inspires me to take my own family along the 20

route for the mental time travel that’s possible when you can experience the artifacts of Tubman’s life—and consider all their ramifications for us today.

I once thought grown-up birthday celebrations— especially people taking off work for birthdays—were silly and self-indulgent. But I have mended my wicked, judgmental ways and come around. I appreciate birthdays as a celebration of a life that’s unique and finite.

So I have to applaud the teens behind Birthday Cakes 4 Free Maryland (page 46), who strive to ensure that kids and older adults can feel the affirmation of life that’s delivered just once a year in a homemade confection of flour, eggs and sugar.

When my husband and I met, he got the better of the deal (at least, that’s my joke). I was the first and only person he went out with on eharmony; he was the 10th person I dated from the app. As our Weddings of the Year feature (page 171) demonstrates, there are stories—funny or heartwarming or inspiring—behind every couple: those who met through church, or got engaged with a Ring Pop, or weathered a terrifying cancer diagnosis. And the four couples we spotlight have all moved to the next act of their story, committing to a lifetime of love.

The pandemic remains a source of caution and uncertainty. In 2022, will we feel comfortable enough to enjoy all that our community has to offer? Regardless of the answer, I hope you’ll use this edition to think about what you want to do, make plans and start building anticipation for experiences that will be preserved in memory (or at least on Instagram).

As always, thanks for spending your time with us, and please reach out with comments, questions or ideas at anne.tallent@bethesdamagazine.com.

ANNE TALLENT Editor

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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contributors ANDREA K. MCDANIELS

MIKE M. AHLERS

LIVES IN: Baltimore

LIVES IN: Silver Spring

WHAT SHE DOES: Works in health communications, a recent career change after 25 years in newspapers. “The job is a little different pace, but still involves what I loved about journalism— writing and getting to meet new people and constantly learn about new topics.”

GOING TO THE DENTIST: Until the pandemic, she looked forward to her cleanings twice a year. More recently, it was too difficult to get an appointment so she got off schedule. “There’s something that feels so good about getting the plaque scraped off your teeth and your gums cleaned. I realize that is probably weird.”

IN THIS ISSUE: Wrote “An Unforgettable Fire.” “It’s about a night 40 years ago when young men in two professions I admired—firefighting and journalism—were drawn together and things went haywire.”

WHAT HE DOES: He’s a freelance assignment editor at CBS News in Washington, D.C. His career includes 14 years at The Montgomery Journal newspaper, 22 years in TV news (WUSA-TV and CNN), and a few years in government public affairs “just to get a peek behind the curtain.”

HIS INSPIRATION: “My father, John Ahlers, had spent his early years as a newspaper reporter and never lost the reporting bug, taking his kids to anything that smelled of news or history, including the funerals of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. As a CNN producer, I covered Ted Kennedy’s funeral and the plane crash that killed JFK Jr.” STORY HE’D GLADLY DO AGAIN: A newspaper piece on the voyage of the Queen Lil’. “Think Gilligan’s Island without an island.

The open ocean catamaran trip I took with a Rockville family was supposed to last seven days. Mother Nature had another idea, and the trip to the Virgin Islands took nearly a month.”

COURTESY PHOTOS

IN THIS ISSUE: Interviewed Chevy Chase prosthodontist Kambiz “Kaz” Fotoohi about teeth problems he has seen during the pandemic. She also wrote about her experience on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, where she visited historic sites that taught her about the life of Tubman and the history of slavery. “It was a sometimes emotional yet thrilling look into Tubman’s life, following her path leading people to freedom.”

Congratulations to the TOP ATTORNEYS of 2021

Nine Selzer Gurvitch Lawyers Named by BETHESDA MAGAZINE

From left: Thomas R. Lynch, Civil Litigation; Brad M. Dashoff, Real Estate (Commercial); Brian D. Bichy, Community Associations; Patrick J. Kearney, Bankruptcy (Creditors Rights), Bankruptcy (Individual Rights); Christine M. Sorge, Trust and Estates; Todd J. Bornstein, Trust and Estates; Matthew M. Gordon, Land Use/Zoning; Eric L. Ciazza, Business (Corporate), Tax; C. Robert “Bob” Dalrymple, Land Use/Zoning.

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EDITORIAL

EDITOR

Anne Tallent SENIOR EDITOR

Cindy Rich ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Kathleen Seiler Neary ART DIRECTOR

Jenny Fischer DESIGNER

Olivia Sadka BETHESDA BEAT MANAGING EDITOR

Andrew Schotz BETHESDA BEAT REPORTERS

Steve Bohnel, Caitlynn Peetz, Ana Radelat, Dan Schere WEB PRODUCER

Erin Roby RESTAURANT CRITIC

David Hagedorn CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Eugene L. Meyer, Louis Peck, Julie Rasicot, Carole Sugarman COPY EDITORS

Elisabeth Herschbach, Steve Wilder

Dr. Gail Linn, Dr. Tricia Terlep, Dr. Therese Walden, Dr. Kathleen Chopra • Comprehensive Hearing Exams • Accurate Real-Ear Measurements • Latest Digital Hearing Instruments • Assistive Listening Devices • In-Home Hearing Care

Caralee Adams, Jennifer Barger, Stephanie Siegel Burke, Amanda Cherrin, Dina ElBoghdady, Margaret Engel, Christine Koubek Flynn, Dana Gerber, Michael S. Gerber, Amy Halpern, Melanie D.G. Kaplan, Amy Reinink, Steve Roberts, Mike Unger, Mark Walston, Carolyn Weber PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS

Hannah Agosta, Edgar Artiga, Skip Brown, Goodloe Byron, Laura Chase de Formigny, Erick Gibson, Stacy Zarin Goldberg, Lisa Helfert, Alice Kresse, Deb Lindsey, Liz Lynch, Lindsey Max, Mary Ann Smith, Louis Tinsley, Joseph Tran, Michael Ventura

New office location in Frederick!

Bethesda Magazine is published six times a year by Z-Pop Media, LLC © 2021-2022

5 -Time Winner Readers’ Pick, Best Audiologist

24

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Letters to the editor: Please send letters (with your name, the town you live in and your daytime phone number) to letters@bethesdamagazine.com.

Story ideas: Please send ideas for stories to editorial@bethesdamagazine.com.

Bethesda Magazine 6116 Executive Blvd., #740 North Bethesda, MD 20852 Phone: 301-718-7787 BethesdaMagazine.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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art. festivals. culture. day trips. hidden gems.

good life

WORD PLAY

PHOTO BY DUHON PHOTOGRAPHY

ONE MOMENT YOU’RE SINGING karaoke-style, the next you’re delivering a famous speech. These fun ways to engage with language are part of the interactive exhibits at Planet Word, a museum that opened in October 2020 in the historic Franklin School building in Washington, D.C. The brainchild of Bethesda philanthropist and former reading teacher Ann Friedman, Planet Word features hightech and immersive learning experiences and is geared toward kids ages 10 to 12, though teens and adults will find plenty to fill a couple of hours. In one gallery, learn about the origin of words by interacting with a 22-foot-tall talking word wall. In another, try conversing with native speakers of many languages at small monitors that surround a large illuminated globe. Step up to a microphone

in The Paul Simon Gallery and belt out songs while learning about songwriting techniques. Find the door disguised as a bookshelf in the library, where dioramas of popular books dot the walls; on the other side of the door is the poetry nook, where recordings of famous poets reading their works are played as their lines appear on a screen. On the lighter side, practice your skills at delivering jokes. Finish a visit by recording a historically significant speech in an acoustically sealed room.

Planet Word, 925 13th St. NW, Washington, D.C., 202-931-3139, planetwordmuseum.org. Admission is free; a $15 donation is suggested.

—Julie Rasicot BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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GET OUTSIDE

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when it’s hosting an activity or event, but you can visit the park from sunrise to sunset, and the campfire ring near the classroom building is available to rent for three hours for $100. Keep an eye out for wildlife while meandering on a trail through the forest, or follow a grass path through the meadow— a designated habitat conservation area—to the pond, where turtles sunbathe on logs and fish swim beneath the lily pads.

Maydale Nature Classroom, 1638 Maydale Drive, Colesville, 301-962-1496, montgomeryparks.org/ parks-and-trails/maydale-conservation-park/ maydale-nature-classroom n —Julie Rasicot

PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA

SKIP DINNER STRESS BY roasting a simple meal of hot dogs and s’mores, or relax in a rocking chair on a shaded deck while your kids listen to a story or learn about the great outdoors. At the Maydale Nature Classroom in Colesville, families can sign up for activities ranging from scavenger hunts and campfires to hands-on natural history programs— or just enjoy the view of the 22-acre Maydale Conservation Park from a rocking chair or picnic table on the wraparound deck. The revamped one-story classroom building, which formerly housed administrative offices, offers its own lesson through its sustainability features, including solar panels that cover the deck and the use of rainwater collected from the roof to flush toilets.

The Nature Classroom is only open to the public

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good life

BEST BETS

Our picks for things to see and do in January and February

BY STEPHANIE SIEGEL BURKE

Feb. 4 through March 6

BIBLE STORY

Jan. 5 - 30

DEARLY DEPARTED

What do you get when you mix the Bible with Disney’s High School Musical? Maybe something like A.D. 16. The world premiere musical centers on a teenage Mary Magdalene who falls in love with the boy next door, Jesus, and sets it all to an R&B score. Expect songs inspired by En Vogue, TLC and Prince, and a story that will appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike. The music and lyrics were written by Cinco Paul, who co-created Schmigadoon! and wrote the screenplays for the animated movies Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets. Bekah Brunstetter, a writer and producer for This Is Us, wrote the script. According to the theater’s content guidance, the show would be rated PG if it were a film, for “unrequited romance, biblical punishments and irreverent humor.” $37-$85, Olney Theatre Center, olneytheatre.org

After someone dies, people might hold a wake or sit shiva.

Jamaicans (and other Caribbean communities) have a ritual called Nine Night, a dayslong period of mourning and celebration when family and friends gather to share memories, condolences and food. That’s the setting for Nine Night, the debut play by British playwright Natasha Gordon, which will make its U.S. premiere at Round House Theatre. The drama centers on a British Jamaican family grieving the loss of their matriarch through the Nine Night tradition. Although the story is about how family members deal with their grief, it’s told with warmth and lots of humor. $34-$71, Round House Theatre, Bethesda, roundhousetheatre.org

Jan. 22

THE PIGEONS ON THE BUS If you have kids, chances are you’re familiar with award-winning children’s author and illustrator Mo Willems and his long-suffering “Pigeon” character. Willems’ first picture book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, published in 2003, won a Caldecott Honor and was inducted into the Picture Book Hall of Fame. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (The Musical) sets the story—about a bus driver who takes a break from his route and the bird who volunteers to substitute for him—to a jazzy score and incorporates actors and puppets. Recommended for ages 4-7.

11 a.m., $5, Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center, Rockville, mcblogs.montgomerycollege.edu/reppac

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A BUNCH OF QUACKS A lot has changed since Robert McCloskey’s children’s book Make Way for Ducklings was published in 1941. The classic story of a duck family that makes its home in Boston’s Public Garden gets new life in Adventure Theatre’s musical adaptation, co-written by playwright Sandra Eskin and former Adventure Theatre Artistic Director Michael Bobbitt. More than 80 years after the story was written, parents in 2022 Bethesda may still identify with Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, the duck couple on the hunt for the perfect piece of real estate to raise their family. And kids will still be amused by the line of ducklings who stop traffic, aided by friendly police officers, as they waddle through downtown Boston. The show is appropriate for all ages. $25, Adventure Theatre, Glen Echo, adventuretheatre-mtc.org

IMAGE COURTESY OF ROUND HOUSE THEATRE; GETTY IMAGES

Feb. 4 through March 27

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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good life

BEST BETS Feb. 19

TALK TALK

Ira Glass (left) and Jad Abumrad are coming to Strathmore.

8 p.m., $38-$88, The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, strathmore.org

Feb. 19, 20

Feb. 22

A VIRAL SONGWRITER

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND

Known for her personal and introspective songs, Gen Z indie pop sensation Clairo (whose real name is Claire Cottrill) began making music when she was just 13 years old. In 2017, Pretty Girl, a song she wrote and recorded when she was still in high school, exploded on the internet and made her famous. While quarantined with her family during the pandemic she created many of the songs on her recent album, Sling, which received attention from media outlets including Rolling Stone, The New York Times and NPR. Cottrill worked on the album with Jack Antonoff, who has collaborated with Taylor Swift and Lorde. During Cottrill’s tour, she performs with British singersongwriter and poet Arlo Parks.

7 p.m., $43.50-$48.50, The Fillmore Silver Spring, fillmoresilverspring.com

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Picture it: Four older women sit around a Florida kitchen table sharing jokes and insults and eating cheesecake. Only they’re puppets. Although it’s absurd, That Golden Girls Show! A Puppet Parody will give fans of the 1980s NBC series The Golden Girls lots to love.

The puppet versions of Blanche, Rose, Sophia and Dorothy are as sassy as ever as puppeteers re-create their signature personalities, voices and mannerisms in this loving send-up of the sitcom. While the main characters onstage resemble friendly Muppets, the show contains some mature humor and isn’t meant for children.

8 p.m., $34-$54, The Music Center at Strathmore, North Bethesda, strathmore. org n

TOP LEFT: PHOTO COURTESY SANDY HONIG, TOP RIGHT: PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZZY JOHNSTON; BOTTOM: PHOTO COURTESY OF FADER LABEL

NPR listeners are used to hearing the distinctive voices of Ira Glass, host of This American Life, and Jad Abumrad, host of Radiolab. The two radio shows and their podcasts are known for their blend of journalism, entertainment and experimental storytelling. Now listeners can see the two public radio personalities live during An Evening with Ira Glass and Jad Abumrad. Expect audio and video clips, behind-the-scenes insights into the making of radio shows, including material that was never put on air, and plenty of funny and moving stories.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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people. politics. current events. books.

banter

From left: Fox 5's Marissa Mitchell, Holly Morris and Wisdom Martin

PHOTO BY LOUIS TINSLEY

LIVE SHOT Fox 5 settles into its new home in downtown Bethesda

BY CARALEE ADAMS

FOR FOX 5 REPORTER and morning anchor Holly Morris, the view is one of the best parts of the TV station’s recent move from its longtime home in Friendship Heights in Northwest Washington, D.C., to a new high-rise in downtown Bethesda.

“I worked in the basement for 22 years and never saw outside,” says Morris, who lives in Chevy Chase and starts her shift

at 3 a.m. “To be able to watch the sunrise is so good for the soul. Never underestimate the power of just having a window.”

Headquartered at 5151 Wisconsin Ave. since 1966, Fox began looking for a new home for WTTG Fox 5 and WDCA Fox 5 Plus in 2015. It ultimately relocated to a building about 2 miles away at 7272 Wisconsin Ave. and began broadcasting on July 24, 2021. “The combination of

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banter

a great location, vibrant area, dynamic new building and state and county incentives, in the end, made Bethesda the obvious choice,” says Patrick Paolini Jr., senior vice president and general manager at Fox 5.

Here’s a quick tour of Fox 5’s new digs.

THE LAYOUT

Fox leases three floors in The Wilson, a 23-story office tower developed by Carr Properties. Its 60,000 square feet of space was designed by the D.C. office of the international architectural firm Gensler.

The newsroom on the sixth floor 38

has lots of natural light, an open floor plan, wall-to-wall windows and an inviting collaborative feel, reporter Bob Barnard says. “While you’re at work, you can actually tell what time of day it is and what the weather is like,” he says.

There are nooks with equipment where reporters can broadcast breaking news, and a central desk where anchors and reporters sit that lights up and rotates to provide different settings.

CHANGING SPACES

Also on the sixth floor, the large, main studio has a vaulted ceiling with hanging lights that can produce 500,000

different combinations, such as a red, white and blue scheme for election night, Paolini says. Furniture and cameras are movable, enabling greater flexibility than in Fox 5’s former home.

The high ceiling allows cameras to provide an overhead view of the entire studio, and there’s even a staircase that reporters can descend as they deliver their stories.

“Just in a matter of seconds or minutes, the whole look can change,” says morning anchor Wisdom Martin, who likes that he can move easily from the news desk to the kitchen, the loft or a sofa for various segments. “It gives

PHOTO BY LOUIS TINSLEY

Meteorologist Tucker Barnes on the rooftop terrace

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President Biden,

in your search for a visionary leader for the National Institutes of Health, please consider this:

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90%

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of basic research (mostly involving animals) fails to lead to treatments for humans.

of basic research cannot be replicated.

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NIH needs a leader who does not fear moving beyond yesterday’s failed research paradigm.

A true visionary will stop funding areas of research that don’t work and will advocate for human-relevant, modern methods, secure our nation’s role as a leader in innovation, address disparities within the scientific community, and end our reliance on animal experiments.

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banter a different vibe and a different feel, depending on the circumstances—it could be a sense of urgency or it could be a sense of ‘we’re about to have some fun now. ’ ”

HIGH-TECH FEATURES

The Fox stations produce nearly 80 hours of programming each week. Two control rooms allow two live shows to be produced simultaneously. Instead of the standard serial digital video used by most broadcasters, Fox’s new facility employs a state-of-the-art audio and video system that can deliver a better picture even as broadcasting technology evolves, says Jim Beahn, vice president of engineering and operations. New virtual reality and green screen equipment expand options for set designs; for example, news anchors in the studio who are broadcasting a show about

soccer can appear to be on the playing field—or even kick a virtual soccer ball into a net.

PRIME LOCATION

Taking advantage of The Wilson’s location near the Metro’s Red Line and the light-rail Purple Line, now under construction, Fox runs a digital news ticker above the entrance to the Metro station on Wisconsin Avenue. Paolini says being in the heart of downtown Bethesda gives Fox 5 a “definite leg up” when recruiting new staff. Fox has nearly 200 employees; about one-third live in Montgomery County.

OUTDOOR ADVANTAGE

Reporters can use The Wilson’s terraces and a rooftop enclosure for interviews and live shots—including weather forecasts. “The outdoor space has been a

game changer for us,” says chief meteorologist Sue Palka, who has worked for Fox 5 for 36 years. She often broadcasts outside on the Skydeck that’s adjacent to the weather center and studio. Palka recalls how she’d be interrupted by passing traffic when she’d try to report live from Wisconsin Avenue at the Friendship Heights location. “It’s so quiet up here. We don’t have to worry about a bus rolling through live shots,” she says. “It’s absolutely been thrilling. Just seeing the clouds go by gives you so much more to talk about.”

Morris says the terraces and the rooftop area, with its firepits, landscaping and view, are also great options for segments on working out or for cooking demonstrations that feature grilling.

“Anytime we can be outside, overlooking Bethesda, it’s just really impressive and makes for fun storytelling,” she says. n

PHOTO BY LOUIS TINSLEY

One of the control rooms at Fox’s new facility in downtown Bethesda

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banter

THE READER For Washington Post critic Michael Dirda, life is an open book

BY EUGENE L. MEYER

What was your childhood like?

I come from a very blue-collar background. My father was a steelworker.

He quit school just short of [turning] 16 when his father died. My mother 42

Dirda on the staircase leading to his attic, which is filled with books

was from a family of 10; her father died when she was little. My father served in the South Pacific in the Navy and was torpedoed twice. His best friend was killed. He wouldn’t talk about it. He went back to the steel mill for 40-odd years, hated it.

I was envious of my hunting, fishing cousins. My specialty was school. My mother taught me to read when I was 4. My father never read a book in his life, but he would buy books at book sales and build bookcases. He had ambitions for his children, and my three younger sisters all became teachers.

Of 588 in my graduating class, some 20 went to college. I wasn’t sure I’d go.

Senior year, my first six-week grade in English was a D, but I scored phenomenally well on the college boards. I wrote Oberlin a letter, saying I had really mixed grades, no money, but give me a scholarship and one day you’ll be really proud of me. They got all their money back in tuition when my son Mike went there.

I graduated in 1970. Jesse Jackson was the speaker. We all wore armbands, and there were a lot of raised fists. My father was so irate, he walked out of the ceremony, never saw me graduate.

PHOTO BY LOUIS TINSLEY

THE PARIS REVIEW once published a story about Silver Spring resident Michael Dirda, who has been writing book reviews for The Washington Post since 1977. The headline on the 2012 piece: “Book Shopping with the BestRead Man in America.”

Growing up in Lorain, Ohio, Dirda was the first in his family to go to college. After graduating from Oberlin in 1970 with the highest honors in English, he earned a doctorate in literature from Cornell. While working for The Washington Post, he won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1993. His reviews continue to appear weekly. He is also the author of several books, including his 2003 memoir An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland and 2011’s On Conan Doyle: Or, The Whole Art of Storytelling, which won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in the Best Critical/Biographical category. Dirda is an invested member of the exclusive Baker Street Irregulars, a literary group committed to the Conan Doyle-Sherlock Holmes canon.

Dirda lives in a brick colonial in Woodside Park with his wife, Marian, who retired from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; Nathaniel, 31, the youngest of their three sons; and some 15,000 books. We spoke several times, mostly in his backyard, in August and September.

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How did you become a book reviewer?

I met my wife at Oberlin. She had an internship at the National Gallery. I had offers to teach elsewhere. She wanted to stay here, so I got a job writing technical manuals for a computer company. I thought computers were a passing phase, but newspapers would be here forever. I wrote a letter to [Washington Post Book World Editor] Bill McPherson. He liked my letter and called me. He said, we’ll send you a book one of these days.

Months went by. [Then] I was asked if I could review In the Suicide Mountains

by John Gardner. The book was waiting for me when I came home from work.

I read the book that night, spent the whole next day writing 200 words on my Hermes 3000 portable typewriter until they were perfect. Bill gave me more reviews, then asked if I might be interested in a job. My official starting date was May 1, 1978.

Do you enjoy reading?

I haven’t read for pleasure since I was 16. I get pleasure in what I read, but I don’t get pleasure from reading. Everything I’m reading, I’m reading for a purpose: I’m going to write about it or it’s for research. There’s always an ulterior motive. It’s not like when you’re a kid, you read one Batman comic after another. My job is to read books and write about them. I’m a very, very slow reader. I move my lips when I read. It takes me forever to read a novel. One compensation is I have a very good memory for what I’ve read.

How do you choose which books to review?

I’m an aesthete at heart. I like pretty prose, elegant thinking, works of cultural history and literary biography. But I also like pulp fiction, adventure stories, old titles deserving rediscovery. In general, I prefer fantasy to realism. From week to week, I try hard to offer a smorgasbord to readers, though I steer away from politics and civic affairs—those kinds of books date really quickly.

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banter Do you prefer reading on a tablet or from a bound book?

Physical books have character. Books on a screen don’t have the same kind of uniqueness. The Maltese Falcon looks like Henry James’ The Ambassadors or anything else. On screen, you are just absorbing information. The kids gave me a Kindle. I gave it to my wife. I feel like a dinosaur. I just like books as an object.

They are fun to hold, look at. I like the company of books.

How is reviewing as a career?

Reviewing books is not merely a career, it’s the real passion of my life [and] what, I think, I’m good at. I want to tell people about all the wonderful books they might not have heard of, about books not in the news, not fashionable or trendy. I want people to expand their horizons. Throughout my career, I’ve tried to avoid writing about any book that might become a

bestseller. I avoid writing negative reviews whenever I can. I try to keep in mind, even terrible books are hard to write.

What’s your advice to a casual reader?

When people ask me, “What should I read?” I ask, “What do you like?” I tell them to read outside your comfort zone.

Don’t read bestsellers. Look for something else in the bookstore. Occasionally try a book of poetry. There are such wonderful books published by small, indie, university presses. They usually have no publicity at all; they have no budgets for it. And they get few reviews. That’s why I write about what people tell me are seemingly strange, arcane books.

Tell us about your library.

I don’t refer to it as my library. I refer to it as my horde of treasure. Or Aladdin’s cave of wonders. It’s not beautiful. It’s not like Trinity College in Dublin. There

is no database, but I know what I have.

Sometimes finding a particular book is a problem. Five to 10% are in bookcases. The rest are in boxes, on metal shelves, and in stacks. It looks like utter chaos. During the pandemic, I gave away, sold or traded 200 boxes. It seems to have made no difference.

What’s next?

I’m writing The Great Age of Storytelling, an appreciation of British adventure fiction from the end of the 19th century into the early 20th. I’ll be covering H.G. Wells and early science fiction, the rivals of Sherlock Holmes, swashbucklers such as The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Prisoner of Zenda, thrillers, lost-world romances, ghost stories and classic children’s books.

My aim is to encourage readers to rediscover some wonderful books of the past.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. n

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BAKING FOR GOOD A group of local teens is making birthdays more memorable for disadvantaged children and seniors

BY MIKE UNGER

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WHEN HE’S BAKING a cake, 18-yearold Jeremy Fredricks tends to stick to the recipes on the back of the Duncan Hines box. He usually makes a simple chocolate or vanilla—it’s through the decorating process that he lets his creativity flow. Earlier this year he made an ocean-themed cake using blue food dye, Goldfish, and Skittles to depict a beach.

“I wanted to make a cake that I would want to get for my birthday,” he says.

“Plus, who can say no to all that candy?”

Fredricks, a senior at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, is an executive board member of Birthday Cakes 4 Free Maryland (BC4F), a nonprofit that bakes, decorates and distributes cakes to financially and socially disadvantaged children and seniors in Montgomery County and Northwest

D.C. every month. Since 2015, more than 750 volunteers—primarily students at local middle and high schools—have baked more than 7,000 cakes to donate to total strangers.

“I think a birthday cake is more symbolic than anything else,” says cofounder Allison Wachen, 21, a senior at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. “Birthdays are one of the few times that you are celebrating you.

It shows that even through the hard times, the community cares about you, and here is the way we are showing it.”

Baking birthday cakes had always been a family tradition for Wachen and her younger brother, Robert, now 19 and a sophomore at Harvard University.

They loved watching TLC’s Cake Boss, then trying to create less challenging

PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

Birthday Cakes 4 Free Maryland members (from left) Jeremy Fredricks, Sam Krakower, Rachel Krakower and Anjali Gallacher show off some sample cakes to a photographer.

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treats of their own. They’d bake for any occasion—Halloween, Valentine’s Day— and especially for their father’s birthday.

(His favorite is a vanilla cake with buttercream frosting.) They made so many cakes that some of them went from the oven into the freezer.

When Allison was a student at Churchill, she read about BC4F—then a national organization—in a magazine, and she and Robert decided to start a chapter in Montgomery County. (The national organization is now defunct, and Birthday Cakes 4 Free Maryland is the lone remaining entity.) “At that point, it was just the two of us and a few friends,” she says. “We were doing around 10 cakes a month, one or two charities.

We didn’t have big expectations.”

But word of their endeavor spread, and soon people they didn’t even know were volunteering. As Robert was preparing to take over as president in 2018, he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. He stayed involved throughout his treatment, and other members of BC4F stepped up to help him. His cancer is now in remission. The support he received made him “even more grateful” for the volunteers he worked with, he says.

The organization’s popularity among teenagers is helped by the fact that high school students can earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours by contributing, but the calm that baking provides and the knowledge that they are brightening a child’s birthday seem to be common themes among the volunteers.

“It’s definitely relaxing,” says Fredricks, who bakes about four cakes per month. “I think it’s also a nice stress reliever because you have to spend all your time focusing on the cake and making sure that you’re using the right amount of ingredients. So if there’s something that’s worrying you, like school or the college application process, it gives you the opportunity to step back and focus on something else.”

Like most of the teen bakers, Fredricks usually prepares his cakes at home.

(Before the pandemic, volunteers would occasionally get together to bake at someone’s house.) He was pleased with

the way the ocean cake turned out, but his creations haven’t all been perfect.

“I’ve burnt cakes, which is not fun,” he says. “I’ve dropped a cake—it was all decorated and everything, and on the way from my house to the car it slipped.

You put all this time into it, to see it fall is not a fun feeling.”

These days, the organization distributes about 150 cakes per month to roughly 20 nonprofits, including Shepherd’s Table in Silver Spring and area Boys & Girls Clubs. Fredricks often delivers the cakes himself, piling up to 15 in the back of his dad’s Jeep. “I definitely feel like I am more cautious driving to the place with the cakes in the back than when I’m driving home,” he says.

More often than not, the volunteers aren’t around when the recipients of the cakes get to blow out the candles and dig in. But the impact those cakes make is clear, says Bob Stowers, senior branch director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington/Jelleff

Recreation Center. His Georgetown chapter and the one in Germantown have been receiving cakes for years. “The kids are thrilled every time they get cakes,” Stowers says. “We do a general big party and highlight the kids whose birthdays are in the month. They’re always asking, ‘When’s the next cake day?’ ” Anjali Gallacher, a junior at Thomas S. Wootton High School in Rockville, got into baking by watching The Great British Baking Show. Now a member of BC4F’s executive board, she learned cake decorating at a Michaels crafts store, and has since started her own confectionery business. For BC4F, she once made a cake in the shape of Spider-Man’s head. “Coming up with a design and executing it is something that gives me a lot of joy,” she says. “A birthday cake has always been a staple of birthday celebrations, so having something to make a child feel special and feel like they’re loved, I think that’s a magical thing.” n

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BOOK REPORT

Imagine a hotel at which guests can live out a fantasy—something they always wanted to do but maybe were too afraid to try or didn’t have the natural talent to accomplish. “You can go there and feel like you’re singing on a stage in front of thousands of people or skydiving,” Gaithersburg author Breeana Shields says of the storyline in her fifth young adult novel, The Splendor (Page Street Publishing, September 2021). The main character in the book sees how her sister changed after visiting the hotel and goes there to figure out what happened. “It’s a fantasy with a healthy dose of mystery,” says Shields, who enjoys the adventure and pace of writing for teens. “I love that time of life where all these possibilities are open, and life could go anywhere.”

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For 25 years, Devora Zack has been teaching about the concept of people as “thinkers” and “feelers” in her work as a business consultant. She renames those terms “cactus” and “snowflake” in The Cactus and Snowflake at Work: How the Logical and Sensitive Can Thrive Side

by Side (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, November 2021). Zack says the book can be useful in any kind of relationship. It includes questions for readers to discover their personality type, and strategies to pick up on subtle cues in others. “The foundation is understanding your own style and how to turn your perceived liabilities into your biggest strengths,” says the Potomac author. Instead of judging, Zack encourages people to recognize what matters to someone else and then calibrate how they communicate with that in mind.

While writing Revived & Renovated: Real Life Conversations on the Intersection of Home, Faith, and Everything in Between (End Game Press, November 2021), Kensington’s Paige Rien says she felt a deep kinship with her co-author, Victoria Duerstock, who lives in Mississippi. Both are interior designers and women of faith who see a crossover between their spiritual lives and decorating. “We know that these are two hot topics, but we want to put them together and invite women to have conversations about both,” Rien says. The chapters mix sections on self-care, faith and relationships with strategies for dealing with clutter and furniture.

“The home is more than ‘what should I put on the walls?’ There’s just a deeper dimension or layer available to us,” Rien says.

Bethesda Magazine contributing writer Steve Roberts says gathering stories and writing Cokie: A Life Well Lived (Harper, November 2021) was his way of grieving the loss of his wife of 53 years, who died in 2019 of breast cancer. Although Cokie was well known as a journalist at ABC News and National Public Radio, the book provides a glimpse into her family life, Catholic faith and relationships with friends, who often described her as their moral touchstone.

“Not everybody can be a famous TV star, but everybody can be a good person,” says Roberts, who teaches journalism and politics at George Washington University.

“Everybody can learn something about that from her life and her private acts of goodness.

She lived the Gospel every day.”

ALL BOOK COVERS FILE PHOTOS

BY CARALEE ADAMS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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banter

READING LIST

DATA PROVIDED BY

The top-selling books in our area. Data is based on books sold at Politics and Prose’s Connecticut Avenue location in Upper Northwest D.C. and online from Nov. 1 to 14, 2021.

HARDCOVER FICTION 1. The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles

PAPERBACK 1. Dune, Frank Herbert

2. Oh William!, Elizabeth Strout

2. Best American Short Stories 2021, Jesmyn Ward (Editor)

3. Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr

3. The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club Series, No. 1), Richard Osman

4. Our Country Friends, Gary Shteyngart

6. Five Tuesdays in Winter, Lily King

4. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer

7. Silverview, John le Carré

5. Admit This to No One, Leslie Pietrzyk

8. State of Terror, Louise Penny, Hillary Rodham Clinton

6. All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Katharine K. Wilkinson

5. The Sentence, Louise Erdrich

9. Crossroads, Jonathan Franzen 10. Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead

7. The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson 8. Paradise, Abdulrazak Gurnah

HARDCOVER NONFICTION 1. Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds, Huma Abedin

9. Beheld, TaraShea Nesbit 10. The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories,

Jhumpa Lahiri (Editor)

2. Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, Dave Grohl

4. Taste: My Life Through Food, Stanley Tucci

CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULT

5. Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, Jonathan Karl

1. Michelle’s Garden: How the First Lady Planted Seeds of Change, Sharee Miller

6. Cokie: A Life Well Lived, Steven V. Roberts

2. Room for Everyone, Naaz Khan

7. The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel, Kati Marton 8. You Can’t Be Serious, Kal Penn 9. Peril, Bob Woodward, Robert Costa 10. The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, Paul McCartney

3. Big Shot (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, No. 16), Jeff Kinney 4. Cold War Correspondent: A Korean War Tale (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales Series, No. 11), Nathan Hale 5. Out of My Heart (Out of My Mind Series, No. 2), Sharon M. Draper 6. Daughter of the Deep, Rick Riordan 7. The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats 8. Aaron Slater, Illustrator (The Questioneers Series, No. 5),

Andrea Beaty 9. The Last Cuentista, Donna Barba Higuera 10. Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero, Saadia Faruqi

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ALL BOOK COVERS FILE PHOTOS

3. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, David Graeber, David Wengrow

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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BY STEVE ROBERTS

A PLACE TO CALL HOME Amy Wrona was a toddler when her family fled Vietnam to come to America. Now she’s giving back by helping to welcome Afghan refugees.

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AMY WRONA LIVES IN Somerset, an affluent enclave wedged between Friendship Heights and Bethesda. A former management consultant with a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins, she’s married to a lawyer and raising three teenagers. But 48 years ago, she was born Hoang Binh Ngoc in Saigon, the daughter of an army intelligence officer who worked closely with the American military. When she was 16 months old, and Vietnam was falling to the Communists, her family fled to America—homeless, penniless, adrift in a new world where her mother

spoke no English.

That’s why Wrona volunteers with Homes Not Borders, a small nonprofit based in Landover that’s been helping to resettle refugees in the Maryland suburbs since 2017. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan last summer, she notes, the organization’s case load exploded. She tells me about setting up an apartment for a family of five—a husband, a pregnant wife, two children and an uncle—and how closely she identified with them: “I’ve heard stories like theirs at every Vietnamese American gathering over the years.

If you’re a refugee, you have amazing

PHOTO BY LOUIS TINSLEY

Somerset resident Amy Wrona at an apartment building in Landover Hills, Maryland, that will be home to Afghan refugees

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banter | HOMETOWN

stories. I wondered who the uncle was.

What kind of life are they going to be able to build for their kids? Are they ever going to be able to go back to Afghanistan and see their loved ones?”

Homes Not Borders focuses on furnishing apartments—everything from beds and couches to wall hangings and toys. The nonprofit even stocks the refrigerators with large containers of mashawa, a hearty Afghan soup made by local volunteers from traditional recipes. Other groups provide the refugees with fresh groceries, clothing or job training. “Think of it as a supply chain of services,” Wrona says. “Each community organization has their specialty, and they do their own thing.”

Over lunch in late November, she recalls watching the Kabul airport collapse into chaos: “One of the things that really touched me about the situation now is that I am exactly the same age my parents were when they left Vietnam. So as the situation in Afghanistan started unfolding, it just made me think more and more about my own parents.

They had built a life, like my husband and I have built a life for ourselves, with a strong group of friends and community. And every single time I set up one of these apartments, I think about my mother and what it would be like to move to a completely different country and have to speak a language that is so unfamiliar to me. That’s what drives me to give back over and over and over and over again.”

Wrona sees an “eerie parallel” between the current refugees and her own family. In April of 1975, she says, “Our friends were saying, ‘You gotta leave, you gotta leave.’ And my parents had a few hours to make the decision.”

Her father stayed “because he was still in the army, and he didn’t feel like he could abandon his post.” But with the help of a friend who worked for the Americans, Amy’s mother and her four children 54

crowded onto a military transport, and her older siblings remember soldiers firing machine guns at attackers on the ground as the plane lifted off. “They said it was so loud and so terrifying and that I was crying the whole time,” she tells me.

When they finally arrived at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, the processing point for Vietnamese exiles, they had no idea whether Amy’s father had survived.

Twenty-four days later, however, he joined them. He had scrambled onto one of the last helicopters leaving Saigon. It was so overcrowded that soldiers kicked several refugees off the flight, but her dad was barely 5 feet tall and managed to hide in a corner and stay on board. “When one of my kids ever complains about being short, I tell them the story of their grandfather,” she says.

The family settled in Houston, where her father found work fixing vending machines, her mother bused tables, and her sister was a cashier at an all-night gas station. Amy dreamed of being a journalist or a foreign service officer, but after college and graduate school she couldn’t afford those career options. “I had an overwhelming number of student loans and I felt like I had to make money for my family,” she says. She joined a management consulting firm and her first bonus check, for $10,000, was half her father’s yearly salary. Romance with her husband, Jim, blossomed on a coed soccer team in Montgomery County, and when she was pregnant with their second child in 2008, they moved to Somerset, which she calls “a most generous, crunchy granola place.”

After her third child arrived, Wrona left her full-time job but took occasional consulting contracts and plunged into volunteer work, mentoring young Vietnamese refugees in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and helping their parents battle landlords for better housing.

So when the scenes from Kabul

triggered such strong emotions in her, “I really wanted to do something,” Wrona says, “but donating $500 or giving some old clothes just didn’t seem enough for me.” She did some research and contacted Homes Not Borders. The organization required a big commitment—gather 10 people once a month to help set up new apartments—so she started a group called Somerset Volunteers, not sure what would happen. The reaction has been so overwhelming that folks now have to take turns so that everyone who wants to participate gets a chance.

Volunteers meet at Homes Not Borders’ warehouse, where bought and donated furniture is stored. They learn basic details about the family they’ll be helping: how many people, what ages, the layout of their new apartment. Then the crew “loads up with everything you can possibly think of,” Wrona says, “from art on the walls to tchotchkes in the cabinets to toys in the closets, so when the refugee family walks in, they feel like they have a home.” Most of the apartments are in towns like Riverdale and Hyattsville in Prince George’s County, where the rents are cheaper than in Montgomery County and one property management company is particularly welcoming to refugees. When we talked, Wrona had already outfitted eight apartments.

“As I’m washing the spoons and cups and plates and putting them in the cabinets, I think, how would I like this to be?” she says. “How would my parents like this to be? How can I make this transition as comfortable as possible for these people who’ve been through so much pain and trauma? How do we welcome them as new Americans?” n Steve Roberts teaches journalism and politics at George Washington University. His new book is Cokie: A Life Well Lived. Send ideas for future columns to sroberts@gwu.edu.

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PROFILES SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

EagleBank COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL (C&I) MARYLAND LENDING TEAM Awards and Honors: #8 in Washington Business Journal 2021 Corporate Diversity Index for midsize companies.

Named to Executive Alliance’s 20/20 Honor Roll for 2021, recognizing publicly-traded companies in Maryland that employ women in at least 20% of executive leadership roles and have women in at least 20% of their board of director seats.

HILARY SCHWAB

7735 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 100 Bethesda, MD 20814 240-497-2044 ContactMe@EagleBankCorp.com www.EagleBankCorp.com

Q: What is your investment

Q: What makes your client

approach?

A: From the start, EagleBank never stops listening and learning, because that’s what builds trust and enriches a financial relationship. There is no menu of products and services to review and assign because EagleBank knows that every business is different. Questions, note-taking and lots of open discussion all lead to the beginning of a mutually-valuable, client-bank relationship. No matter how many directions a business wants to turn along the way to success and future growth, a good banking relationship makes the path easier to follow. When that relationship is built on flexible, personalized solutions created by serviceoriented EagleBank lenders, bankers, SBA and Treasury Management specialists, anything is possible.

experience unique?

A: Established in 1998 by local bankers and business owners, EagleBank’s focus has always been on serving the needs of business organizations that impact our combined D.C.-area economy and serve our US Government shared community.

Working with a successful local bank can make all the difference when time is of the essence to buy equipment, a piece of real estate or complete an advantageous acquisition before a competitor does.

Besides local decision making and quick response, there’s easy access to local management and opportunities to work and network in the community together. EagleBank is also dedicated to and focused on the same place you, your family and your business call “Home” — whether that’s Bethesda or any neighborhood in our local D.C. metro area.

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PROFILES

financial professionals SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Brad Sherman, President SHERMAN WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC 9841 Washingtonian Blvd., Suite 200, Gaithersburg, MD 20878 240-428-1622 | bsherman@shermanwealth.com | www.shermanwealth.com

Awards and Honors: Named “Top Financial Advisor 2021” by Washingtonian Magazine; Named "Top 100 Financial Advisor 2021" by Investopedia; featured in CNBC, MarketWatch and The Wall Street Journal; co-host, “Launch Financial,” a weekly podcast. client experience?

A: As a fee-only Registered Investment Advisory firm, we are fiduciaries, so we always put you first, seeking to deliver cost and tax-efficient solutions. We do not take commissions from investment vehicles, mutual funds or any other financial product. That means we work just for you — our client. Second, we keep things uncomplicated by using state-of-theart technology and language easy to understand. I founded this firm to make a difference for people who may be intimidated by the complexity and seeming exclusivity of personal finance and wealth management.

Third, your portfolio and plan are custom-designed and simplified for your personal specific needs and risk tolerance levels. We take a holistic approach to our clients’ financial future, incorporating both your short and long-term goals.

Investment advisory Services provided by Sherman Wealth Management LLC. Please refer to https://shermanwealth.com/ disclosures/ for more information about the awards and honors referenced above.

HILARY SCHWAB

Q: What differentiates the Sherman Wealth Management

Eric M. Jaffe, Founder & CEO MOSAIC WEALTH PARTNERS 7529 Standish Pl., Suite 345, Rockville, MD 20855 877-840-0770 | ejaffe@mosaicwp.com | www.mosaicwp.com

A: Mosaic Wealth Partners was founded to help solve the puzzle of personal finance both before and after retirement. The diversity of our experience is the foundation of our strength as advisors, and it is all geared toward one goal: Doing work that helps other people. With backgrounds in law, equities and management, we analyze situations from different angles, identify multiple paths to pursue client goals, assess the pros and cons of each and determine the best plan. We understand how personal finance can elicit anxiety — we’ve seen it in others, we’ve felt it ourselves. That personal knowledge allows us to put our clients’ worries to rest by providing what they need in advice, availability and understanding.

Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser.

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STEPHANIE WILLIAMS

Q: What makes your client experience unique?

PROFILES

financial professionals

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

David B. Hurwitz CFP®, CRPC®, CRPS®, RICP®, APMA®, BFA™ PRIVATE WEALTH ADVISOR, AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC 6400 Goldsboro Road, Suite 501 Bethesda, MD 20817 301-263-8509 www.ameripriseadvisors.com/david.b.hurwitz Q: As we return to a new normal, what should I be

HILARY SCHWAB

thinking about in terms of my finances?

A: Many people feel like they have been trying to keep many plates spinning while living through the pandemic and don’t have a longterm game plan. With bank rates at historic lows and markets at all-time highs they are looking for advice. That’s where my team and I shine! We help empower our clients to identify and stay focused on what really matters by developing a deep understanding of their situation, goals and preferences. We are knowledgeable, listen first and genuinely care, providing objective advice in a direct and personable manner. This enables our clients to act with more confidence, knowing they have a plan and a team behind them.

Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results.

Not Federally Insured | No Financial Institution Guarantee | May Lose Value

Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2021 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

FIND THE ONLINE VERSION OF

FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS AND OTHER PROFILES at BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM/PROFILES

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C E L E B R AT I N G 2 8 Y E A R S 1994-2022

Y k n Tha ou!

2022 Readers’ Pick, Best Commercial Real Estate Firm

2022

Winner

Jack Alexander, Bill Montrose, Mark Rittenberg, Robyn Funkhouser, Rick Kelly, Sam Farnum, Zach Dubin, Tyke Papanicolas, Greg Gosnell

AMR Commercial would like to thank our clients and the readers of Bethesda Magazine for voting our team “Best Commercial Real Estate Firm” in the Best of Bethesda Readers’ Poll as we celebrate our 28th year of service in the Greater Washington metropolitan area.

4849 Rugby Avenue, Suite 200, Bethesda MD 20814 amrcommercial.com | 301-961-9696

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of BETHESDA

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PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH

GREAT PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO & MORE, AS CHOSEN BY OUR EDITORS AND READERS

Bella, a border collie, at Bark Social in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose (see page 84)

The following writers contributed to this section: Caralee Adams, Stephanie Siegel Burke, David Hagedorn, Amy Halpern, Steve Hull, Leigh McDonald, Kathleen Seiler Neary, Louis Peck, Julie Rasicot, Andrew Schotz and Carole Sugarman.

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PHOTO BY LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY

BEST PLACE TO FEEL FAR AWAY There’s something for everyone at The Comus Inn, the historic Dickerson restaurant that was purchased in 2019 by Bethesda resident Doug Yurechko and reopened in 2020 as a “community recreation and entertainment destination” that even your dog will love. With a serene backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain, the renovated inn is divided into three floors—a two-level restaurant and a lower level beer hall and outdoor beer garden, all helmed by chef Sammy DeMarco, who has owned or worked at fine dining establishments around the world. The restaurant menu, which was recently revamped, includes main dishes such as pork braciole and pasta with duck ragu. The beer hall has satisfying options to suit all tastes, including a cheesy, pillowy Detroit-style pizza and Chef Sammy D’s XXXL-BLTA, a ginormous bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado sandwich on toasted sourdough made with a pound of great applewoodsmoked bacon (yes, you need to share it). There’s a rotating list of a dozen local and national craft beers, and a lot to do: foosball, shuffleboard, bocce, pingpong, cornhole, lawn chess, giant Connect 4, and plenty of board games. Add to that a schedule of live music, outdoor movies, trivia night and yoga.

And those who just want to relax can claim an Adirondack chair and watch the sunset. (In the winter, they have firepits and heaters.)

Yurechko, who worked in real estate and construction for 20 years, was inspired to switch gears and get into the hospitality business after the untimely passing of his father, Lou, who died in 2014 shortly after retiring. Yurechko says he wanted to open a gathering spot where families and friends could come to “create memories,” a place that would embody the spirit of his father’s motto: “Have some fun today.”

The Comus Inn, 23900 Old Hundred Road, Dickerson, 301-349-2015, thecomusinn.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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EDITORS' PICKS

PRETTIEST FOOD TRUCK

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Stay-at-home parents Rosemary Wilson of Silver Spring and her friend Joseph Perez, who lives in Takoma Park, were looking for something new to do. So in February 2021, they teamed up and bought a 1960s Nomad camper off the internet, hauled it from West Virginia to Maryland, took it apart, rebuilt it and had it painted. The result, completed in July, is the Flower Coffee Collective, a colorful food truck that sets up shop most mornings in front of El Gavilan restaurant in the Long Branch neighborhood of Silver Spring. Painted by local artist Halsey Berryman, the vintage trailer has been

transformed into a cheerful spot to order an espresso (made from Vigilante Coffee Co. beans) or a pastry (from local bakers, includ´ ing El Arbol del Pan, just up the street).

Flower Coffee Collective also makes pop-up appearances in nearby neighborhoods and can be hired for private events. Wilson says she has received an “overwhelmingly amazing response” and that she constantly gets thanked for opening: “I always said this community needs a coffee shop.”

Flower Coffee Collective, 8805 Flower Ave., Silver Spring, flowercoffeeco.com

PHOTO BY LINDSEY MAX; OPPOSITE PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

Rosemary Wilson, who started Flower Coffee Collective with a friend

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most distinctive takeout brunch If you’re tired of restaurant takes on eggs Benedict and French toast, check out the dim sum brunch at CHIKO, a fun and flavorful way to start off a weekend day. The menu offers orders of three, five or seven selections, and you can’t go wrong with any of them—the xo shrimp juk, crispy chicken spring rolls, Chinese spareribs, cumin lamb dumplings or pork and kimchi pot stickers are among our favorites.

The creatively crafted items, which hold up well during carryout, make a memorable spread for a gathering of friends or family. We were thrilled when the Washington chefs who founded this modern ChineseKorean eatery opened a location in Bethesda last January, and their brunch is a delicious wake-up call.

CHIKO, 7280 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 301-968-0053, chikodc.com

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EDITORS' PICKS

Mochi doughnuts at Momo Mochi

Food Hall Showstoppers Stalls at food halls seem to come and go, no doubt exacerbated by the pandemic, but these three eye-popping and tantalizing treats merit a trip to The Spot in Rockville Town Square and The Block Foodhall & Bar in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose development.

Little Miner Taco at The Block, 967 Rose Ave. (Pike & Rose), North Bethesda, 240-6001980, littleminertaco.com

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Mochi doughnuts (mochinuts), popularized by the Mister Donut chain in Japan, are Instagram darlings available at Momo Mochi, which opened at The Spot in July 2021. Dough made with glutinous rice flour is formed into a ring of eight bubblelike balls, deep fried, topped with various icing glazes (such as matcha, strawberry, mango, Oreo and black sesame) and finished with sprinkles or other decorations. These stunning doughnuts are chewier than American yeast or cake doughnuts, but just as appealing, especially the citrus-tangy yuzu doughnut topped with brightly colored Fruity Pebbles cereal ($3.50 each; six for $17.50).

Momo Mochi at The Spot Asian Food Hall, 255 N. Washington St., Rockville, 301-309-0853, momomochi.us

The display case at Kyoto Matcha is an art exhibit of exquisite confections—many of them matcha based—meant to provoke impulse buying and photo posting. Resisting them is futile. We are intrigued by the 22-layer crepe cake slices ($9), especially the bright green matcha variety and the neon purple ube offering, but the brown sugar boba milk cap cake blows us away. It’s a round of delicate sponge cake bathed in silken white milk foam, mounded with purple boba and drizzled with brown sugar syrup, plenty for two to share ($12).

Kyoto Matcha at The Block, 967 Rose Ave. (Pike & Rose), North Bethesda, kyotomatcha.us

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

The birria de res quesotacos platter (quesadilla + taco = quesotaco) at Little Miner Taco, which opened at The Block in July 2020, is a thing of beauty. Three deep-fried corn tortillas ($17) are griddled with loads of Jack cheese and birria de res, braised beef flavored with guajillo chiles, cloves and juniper berries. The tortillas are folded into tacos, topped with salsa roja, chopped scallions and cilantro, and served with lime wedges, pickled red onions and a cup of beef braising broth (consommé) for dunking and drinking. (Birria de res tacos not sold separately.)

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FOOD & DRINK

EDITORS' PICKS

In our search for the best fried chicken sandwich, we hit upon an unexpected gem: a burger joint version devised by a former high-end restaurant chef.

Pedro Matamoros, whose resume includes stints at the Tabard Inn in Washington, D.C., the defunct 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring, Bethesda’s Barrel & Crow, and most recently The Bluebird Cocktail Room in Baltimore, opened Frank’s Burger Place in Wheaton in June. A bare-bones spot off the beaten track, it belies the finesse of the food. Unlike the other fried chicken sandwiches we tried—made with breast meat that invariably dries out in the fryer—Matamoros ensures a moist interior by using skinless, boneless chicken thighs brined overnight in buttermilk and spices. The thighs aren’t breaded ahead of time, but dredged

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to order and fried to a crispy, crackly finish. Served on a buttered and grilled brioche bun, the chicken shares space with homemade cilantro-flecked slaw, pickles, and a swipe of Matamoros’ take on Comeback sauce, here prepared with mayonnaise and ketchup made from scratch. With careful thought to each ingredient, it all adds up to a terrific combination of crunch and creaminess, cut with a hint of heat and vinegar. There are a handful of tables at the restaurant, and while the sandwich held up decently via delivery, there’s also carryout. For maximum fried freshness, we recommend polishing it off in the car.

Frank’s Burger Place, 11265 Triangle Lane, Wheaton, 301-686-3091, franksburgerplace.com

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

best fried chicken sandwich

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best way to keep warm with a cold beer Put your cares out to pasture—or fields of barley, to be specific—with a quick getaway to Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co. in Olney. The brewery always has something going on, whether it’s live music, stand-up comedy or food trucks. But we’d go just for the tents. When it’s cold out, cozy up with your group by renting one of the tents set up in collaboration with glamping and event company Wild Tribe Co. They come in two sizes—a small for up to eight guests; a large for up to 12—and are decorated and furnished with a bohemian aesthetic. Each comes with blankets, a fan or portable heater, and a private server to ensure a comfortable, stressfree visit. Lone Oak brews an assortment of beers, including festive stouts and porters, which can be paired with a small menu of “farm bites” such as charcuterie and pizza.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LONE OAK FARM BREWING CO.; PHOTO BY GLENN CLEVENGER III WITH ILIVE ART STUDIOS

Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co., 5000 Olney Laytonsville Road, Olney, 240-261-4967, loneoakbrewingco.com

Most Creative Frozen Treats It’s hard to go wrong at Carmen’s Italian Ice & Cafe—the custard and Italian ice are good by themselves or layered together in a “gelati.” But we tend to like the creative treats the best: a strawberry custard pop dipped in chocolate and topped with Oreo crumbs, freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry sauce; a fall gelati made with homemade apple crisp and vanilla frozen custard; a churro sundae. Owner Jason Mandler says he’s always on the lookout for new menu items, and he often comes back from the North American Ice Cream Association convention with a bunch of ideas. (His plan to add a cotton candy burrito loaded with custard and toppings was deemed too labor intensive, so that isn’t on the menu—yet.) Customers can also get creative on their own—the number of flavors to mix and match, along with things like peanut butter cookie dough or fudge brownie bars, means the possibilities are endless. Bonus: Carmen’s sells “tipsy pops” for grown-ups. We had the Orange 21, an orange juice-based ice pop spiked with Grand Marnier. Next time we’ll go for the vodka lemonade pop.

The fall gelati with apple crisp and vanilla frozen custard at Carmen’s Italian Ice & Cafe

Carmen’s Italian Ice & Cafe, 1115 Nelson St., Rockville, 301-545-1154; 3233 Spartan Road, Olney, 240-390-3164; carmensrockville.com

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EDITORS' PICKS

fun iNstagram Feeds Bun’d Up (@bund_up) With original artwork, styled shoots (think brightly colored cocktails set among lime-green mahjong tiles) and close-ups of fluffy, overstuffed bao buns, Bun’d Up chef-owner Scott Chung has created a cohesive and energetic brand worthy of his Instagram following. A graduate of Gaithersburg’s now-closed L’Academie de Cuisine, Chung started selling his steamed buns at farmers markets. Now the Korean American chef has three brick-and-mortar locations, including a stand at The Block food hall in Pike & Rose. Follow along for giveaways, farmers market schedules and special events.

Bun’d Up, 967 Rose Ave. (Pike & Rose), North Bethesda, 571-225-7234, bundup.com

Fresh Baguette (@freshbaguette)

Fresh Baguette, 4919 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, 888-648-0009, freshbaguette.net

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COURTESY PHOTOS

Let’s be honest: It’s hard to take a bad photo of baked goods.

But the local Fresh Baguette chain takes its Instagram game to another level—from photos of elegant glazed strawberry mousse to snackable avocado and cucumber cream tartine (that’s fancy speak for avocado toast). You can also see behind-the-scenes photos of the bakers at work—and the life cycle of croissants, in case you were wondering. Fresh Baguette regularly posts Q&As with staff members so followers can get to know the people behind the baguettes.

One fun thing we learned: When manager Jamin Baty (pictured above) isn’t eating baked goods, his favorite junk food is nachos—the kind with the yellow cheese sauce.

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Underground Pizza Co. (@undergroundpizzamd) With mouthwatering photos of its Detroit-style pizza, topped with things like pesto, buffalo chicken and hot honey, it’s no wonder this Baltimore-based business cultivated a Montgomery County following on Instagram. When restaurants were forced to close at the onset of the pandemic, Underground Pizza Co. was quick to pivot. The owners started holding pop-ups at various locations throughout the county, including Olazzo in Silver Spring, where customers could pick up preordered pizzas, hot and ready to eat.

The local “pizza drops,” as the company calls them, have been so successful that when Olazzo closed in May after 15 years, Underground took over the lease on the restaurant’s former space on Georgia Avenue. Underground was slated to open its first location this side of the beltway in late 2021.

Underground Pizza Co., 8235 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, 443-347-6190 (text only), undergroundpizza.co

DEB LEVY

The Face of Home Lending I began my career with the then Chase Bank of Maryland and Chase Personal Financial Services in 1985 while attending The University of Maryland at night. It’s exciting to see Chase expanding our banking services to the Washington, DC area. As a native Washingtonian, my family and I are personally invested in this community and see it as a wonderful place to live.

Buying a home or refinancing can seem overwhelming. So much has changed since I started in the industry. Technology has made the process simpler and streamlined. However, remaining the same is the customer experience; the personal understanding, listening and advising our clients for their important home financing decisions.

Our lending specialties include the professionally employed, selfemployed borrowers, low-to-moderate income program, vacation home financing, condominium and co-op lending and first-time homebuyer programs, too.

—Deb Levy, Senior Home Lending Advisor, Chase

If you are thinking about a mortgage, let me show you the next step. I’ll guide you every step of the way, from application through closing.

All home lending products are subject to credit and property approval.

Rates, program terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.

Not all products are available in all states or for all amounts. Other restrictions and limitations apply. Home lending products offered by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. ©2022 JPMorgan Chase & Co.

DEB LEVY | NMLS ID 481255 1401 New York Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20005 | 301.332.7758 2021 A Top Vote Getter

Readers’ Pick Top Vote Getter Best Mortgage Broker

homeloan.chase.com/deb.levy BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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EDITORS' PICKS

From coffee to cocktails, you can take your pick throughout the day (and night) at Colada Shop. The fourth area location of this Cuban-inspired cafe opened in Potomac last April, and its drinks are divine. We especially like the cafe con leche and the cortadito— espresso drinks made with beans from Lost Sock Roasters, a small roastery in D.C.’s Brightwood Park neighborhood, and sweet Cuban crema, a mixture of sugar and espresso whipped to a foamy consistency (you specify your sweetness preference when ordering).

Lunchtime brings refreshing shaken teas such as mango passion or mint limeade, made with freshly brewed

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iced tea and flavored syrups. And in the evening, aside from slushees, beer and wine, there are terrific rumbased cocktails, including the Cuban Jungle (dark rum, passion fruit, lime, coconut syrup and Campari) and the Hotel Nacional (white rum, dark rum, apricot liqueur, pineapple juice, lime and apricot puree). There’s plenty of interesting food to go along with all the drinks, and the place has an inviting tropical vibe. Perfect, in other words, for a cold winter day.

Colada Shop, 7993 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Village), Potomac, 240-332-8870, coladashop.com

PHOTO BY LINDSEY MAX

best place for all-day drinking

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PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON FRESH

smartest shopping carts For better or worse, Amazon has revolutionized the retail landscape—and ultra-cool Dash Carts could be the behemoth’s next harbinger of the future. Available at the new Amazon Fresh grocery stores—including the first location in Maryland, which opened in August in Chevy Chase—the carts allow shoppers to bypass checkout lines.

(At press time, a store in Gaithersburg was reportedly scheduled to open soon.) The Chevy Chase store still provides regular carts and real people to check you out, but if you select a Dash Cart, you’ll need to have the Amazon app to get a QR code that you’ll scan on the cart’s screen. As you drop items into the cart, a combination of computer vision algorithms and sensor fusion identifies and tallies them. Then, when leaving via the checker-less Dash Cart lane, a sensor recognizes the cart and charges your Amazon account. Now we’re just waiting for Jeff Bezos’ plans for stores in outer space.

Amazon Fresh, 5463 Wisconsin Ave. (The Collection at Chevy Chase), Chevy Chase, amazon.com/fresh

Jeffrey N. Greenblatt

Known for his passion representing the “underdog” in family law cases, Mr. Greenblatt has earned many awards and the highest rating from Martindale Hubbell. Named one of the top 25 divorce attorneys in the metro area, he is a well-known teacher, lecturer and author on family law issues.

If you have concerns regarding COVID’s impact on alimony, child support, visitation & custody you can contact Jeffrey N. Greenblatt at 240-399-7894

Over 45 years of experience in Family Law! Readers’ Pick, Top Vote Getter, Best Attorney, 2022; Top Attorney, 2021 Bethesda Magazine

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240.399.7894 | jgreenblatt@jgllaw.com | jgllaw.com

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great new patios Outdoor dining is more popular than ever. Here are our top picks for a table outside.

Mrs. K’s Toll House closed in 2020 after 90 years of operation, and Takoma Beverage Co. co-owner Chris Brown took over the Silver Spring landmark.

Brown has turned it into a multi-restaurant concept called Zinnia, which will soon include a lounge and fine dining restaurant on the first floor of the Tudorstyle building. The tavern and the gardens—with a whimsical mix of tables, chairs and umbrellas—have been open since October. With many people still preferring to socialize outside, the 3-acre property offers plenty of space for enjoying shareable plates, Maryland brews and fun cocktails. Woolen blankets and portable firepits are available during colder months.

Local chainlet King Street Oyster Bar opened its first Montgomery County location in Park Potomac last winter, in the old Addie’s spot. The outdoor dining space, which seats 120 (80 in winter, when the patio is tented), quickly became popular. Retractable windows allow patrons inside and out to sip cocktails ($7 during happy hour) at the bar. The patio is covered and outfitted with heaters and fans, helping to make it more comfortable year-round. There are also plenty of TVs to keep sports fans happy as they nosh on fresh seafood.

The Bethesda outpost of Hawkers Asian Street Food, which opened in November 2020, is a great place to park it after shopping on Bethesda Row. The covered patio looks onto Bethesda Lane, and with storefronts up and down the street, it makes for excellent people-watching. Inside, the restaurant’s decor—neon signs, industrial finishes and a collage of Asian-inspired art—creates an impression of an urban Asian street. The atmosphere goes with the menu’s wide array of street food from countries such as South Korea, China and Malaysia.

King Street Oyster Bar, 12435 Park Potomac Ave., Potomac, 301-296-6260, kingstreetoysterbar.com

Hawkers Asian Street Food, 7117 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda, 240-203-8135, eathawkers.com

Zinnia, 9201 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, 301-704-6653, eatzinnia.com

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

The outdoor space at the recently opened Zinnia

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PHOTO BY LINDSEY MAX

best solution for indecisive ice cream eaters Should you order coconut almond brownie or mango habanero?

Chocolate malted meringue or banana nut bread? At Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream & Treats, owned by the mother and daughter team of Sarah and Annie Park, there are so many unique and appealing flavors that the less decisive among us may go into meltdown mode. Enter the “Ice Cream Flight,” a six-scoop sampler that allows you to indulge without committing to a single choice. And for those who like their ice cream with a little something extra, there’s the “Sandwich Sampler,” a choice of six different scoops wedged between chocolate chip cookies.

Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream & Treats, 10219 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, 240-800-3977; 5241 River Road, Bethesda, 301-652-6823; sarahshandmadeicecream.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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Best New Place for Game Time We can’t decide if it’s the ginormous screen or the Skee-Ball that makes Sports & Social the best addition to the local sports bar scene. An 18-foot screen—so big it feels like a Jumbotron that’s been transplanted from a sports stadium—anchors the nearly 7,700-square-foot space at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda. Don’t worry if it’s not showing the game you want to watch. Just glance at another of the 20-plus screens around the chic space (they’re all controlled from a DJ-esque station overlooking the main area of the venue). Between games, you can play some yourself: arcade basketball, foosball, Big Buck Hunter Reloaded, a table version of shuffleboard.

Though it’s part of a national chain, the Pike & Rose outpost, which opened in September, includes a lineup of Maryland brews, an outdoor “crush” bar that serves fruity cocktails, and a menu with a crabcake sandwich and a pretzel with crab dip. The other locations, some based in casinos, feature online sports betting through FanDuel.

That might soon be another way to game at the Pike & Rose spot—at press time, legalized sports betting in Maryland was about to be officially on the books.

PHOTOS BY ERICK GIBSON

Sports & Social, 11800 Grand Park Ave. (Pike & Rose), North Bethesda, 240-747-3006, sportsandsocialbethesda.com

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best soups We say bring on the cold weather—as long as there’s a bowl of soup to go with it. Here are some of our favorites.

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

PHOTOS BY ERICK GIBSON

Daal soup at Lilit Café

When Davinder Singh was growing up in Delhi, India, his mother often made daal, a lentil soup that is a staple in the country.

Today, Singh uses his mother’s original recipe to make the soup at Lilit Café, the Bethesda bistro he has operated since 2007. Singh makes a large pot of the mustard-yellow soup every day by boiling lentils with turmeric, ginger, garlic, tomato, mustard seeds, and cumin and coriander powder. Daal is one of the most popular items on Lilit Café’s extensive menu, Singh says. It’s a close cousin to mulligatawny soup, which is served in many Indian restaurants. The main difference, Singh says, is that mulligatawny is made with chicken stock, while the style of daal he makes is vegan. Singh says he will share his daal recipe with anyone who asks for it.

“People come in and say, ‘I made that soup from your recipe, but it doesn’t taste as good as yours,’ ” he says.

Lilit Café, 7921 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, 301-654-5454, lilitcafe.com

Butternut squash soup has been on the fall and winter menu at Lia’s in Friendship Heights for a while—first unadorned and then made with apples. But it wasn’t until 2019, when Culinary Director Steve Mannino came up with the idea of roasting squash, apples and parsnips separately before combining them, that the soup— now called Roasted Apple and Butternut Squash—became a standout. Roasting the vegetables alone “helps develop a better depth of flavor and truly brings out the caramelization of the individual items and helps make the soup more unique,” Mannino says. The roasted apples—and a touch of maple syrup—make the soup a tad sweeter than most other butternut squash soups. A pomegranate relish provides another zing of sweetness and a crunchy contrast to the smoothness of the soup.

Thick with shredded chicken, avocado, Mexican rice and queso fresco, the chicken and avocado soup at Gringos & Mariachis is a meal in itself. Head chef Miguel Linares says the soup is from his mother’s recipe and was popular among his siblings in their hometown of Puebla, Mexico, “when one of us was not feeling well, or especially on a chilly winter night.” As a teenager living in Mexico City, Linares says, he ate the soup three or four times a week.

“Still to this day, every time I eat it, it always brings back fond childhood memories of being with my family,” he says. The soup has been on the Gringos menu since the opening of the Bethesda location in 2014 and the Park Potomac restaurant in 2017. Linares says he hasn’t made any alterations to the recipe. “I think my mom would be a little upset if I ever changed it,” he says.

Lia’s, 4435 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase, 240-223-5427, liasrestaurant.com

Gringos & Mariachis, 4928 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 240-800-4266; 12435 Park Potomac Ave., Potomac, 301-339-8855; gringosandmariachis.com

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There aren’t many places with fast-casual food and a bar—a real one—side by side, which is one reason we’ve fallen for Taco Bamba. You can order your tacos, then enjoy a tasty margarita bambera (El Charro tequila, orange scented agave syrup, lime juice) or any of the other fun specialty drinks while you wait for your name to be called. Or you can skip the line for food and order at the bar, like we did. A few drinks, several tacos, queso and chips, and a chicken quesadilla later, and we’d forgotten we were at a fast-casual taco joint. Among our 82

favorites from the cocktail menu (which changes from time to time): “Biz’s Beet of the Day,” a mezcal drink with a beet and clove reduction, and the “Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize,” which is named after the Fantasy Island actor (“de plane, de plane”) and includes mezcal and coconut rum. You can eat and drink outside in good weather.

Taco Bamba, 1627 Rockville Pike (Congressional Plaza), Rockville, 301-822-2334, tacobamba.com

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

best new spot for tacos & tequila

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Dexter (left) and Juni at a border collie meetup at Bark Social in November

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PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH

Best Place for Pups to Meet Up Sometimes border collies just want to hang out with other border collies. And at Bark Social, they can. The private dog park, beer garden and coffee bar at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda hosts themed get-togethers for dogs every Monday, including breed meetups. Doberman and Cavapoo events each attracted more than 35 pups last fall. Don’t have a purebred? No worries—there are also events for long-haired dogs, dogs named Jack, or dogs who are longer than they are tall. The 25,000-square-foot space includes a fenced play area, covered patio and indoor clubhouse. A day pass costs $9.99 on weekdays, $14.99 on weekends for one dog; and an additional $4.99 for a second. See website for membership rates (memberships are not required for meetups). There’s no fee at Bark Social for people without dogs.

Bark Social, 935 Prose St. (Pike & Rose), North Bethesda, 240-253-6060, barksocial.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

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Best addition to the public art scene

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Montgomery County is experiencing something of a mural renaissance, with bright paintings covering walls in shopping centers, parks, garages and other buildings around the community.

Kensington resident Nicole Bourgea, 40, created some of the new and noteworthy public art pieces, including the 45-by-88-foot mural “Tradition Is a Part of Us, Humanity Is All of Us,” depicting multicultural dancers on the MarylandNational Capital Park and Planning Commission headquarters in Wheaton.

The mother of five found inspiration for the mural while watching her son who has Down syndrome dance with his brother. Dance can be a common language for people with all kinds of differences, she thought.

A professional artist for about 15

years, Bourgea began creating murals about two years ago. She was drawn to their public nature as a way to share the beauty and hope that art offers, without the need to travel or pay to see it. She has painted about 20 murals around the county, in Wheaton, Kensington, Rockville and Bethesda. When possible, she has community members participate in creating the mural. Some helped her paint “Hold Your Light,” celebrating the neighborhood of Ken-Gar in Kensington, and “We Rise by Lifting Others,” commissioned by the town of Kensington and the Jubilee Association of Maryland, which helps adults with developmental disabilities. For the Wheaton piece, she invited people to dance and pose alongside it as she worked.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA

Nicole Bourgea with her son Bosco at her mural in Wheaton of multicultural dancers

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best theater reopening Even before COVID-19 forced theaters to close in 2020, members of the Olney Theatre Center staff were thinking about diversity and inclusion. Then the pandemic, along with the racial reckoning following the May 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, sharpened and accelerated the theater company’s aim to better reflect Montgomery County’s diversity. The theater reopened in 2021 with an ambitious summer season on the center’s outdoor stage that featured 50 events and more than 100 artists, designed to introduce new types of performances and serve new audiences. Shows included dance, jazz, spoken word,

Best New Way to Learn About Slavery in Montgomery County 88

Black Root performing at Olney Theatre Center last summer

cabaret, drag, and musical performances from different spiritual traditions. For the summer and fall season, the theater introduced a “First Time Free” initiative, giving new patrons four free tickets to certain shows. About half of the audience members who came to summer performances hadn’t seen a show at Olney Theatre Center before, according to Joshua Ford, director of marketing and communications, and the hope is that having been once, they will return. The shows drew larger numbers of African

There’s a lot of history packed into a patch of land in North Bethesda, and a farmhouse renovation and recently added visitor center there help tell parts of the story of slavery in Montgomery County. The site of the Josiah Henson Museum & Park on Old Georgetown Road is the former Riley plantation, which included 3,500 acres and more than 20 enslaved people. One of them was the Rev. Josiah Henson, whose remarkable story and memoir were the basis for the character of Uncle Tom in

American and Asian American people than usual, Ford says. This season and going forward, Olney Theatre continues to prioritize diversity theaterwide, an effort most visible onstage with casts that include more actors of color, and also in its creative and technical teams and designers. The result is art that’s more reflective of the community.

Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, 301-924-3400, olneytheatre.org

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In 2021, a new visitor center opened at the site. The historic Riley farmhouse also reopened in 2021 after a restoration and installation of new exhibits about slavery in the county.

The displays include historical artifacts, such as buttons and horseshoes, found at the site, where archaeological excavations are ongoing. Henson was enslaved on the Riley plantation from 1795 to 1825, when Isaac Riley ordered him and other enslaved laborers to move to his brother’s plantation in Kentucky. In 1830, Henson escaped to freedom in Canada with his wife and children and started a community for formerly enslaved people.

He also helped free more than 100 others as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Exhibits at the museum link Henson’s inspirational story, Stowe’s book and the ongoing fight for justice today. Timed entry tickets for self-guided tours, which take about an hour, are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. FridaySunday. Tickets are required and can be purchased online for $5; $4 for ages 6-17 and 55 and older; free for children 5 and younger.

Josiah Henson Museum & Park, 11410 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, 301-765-8790, josiahhenson.org

TOP PHOTO BY LLOYD WOLF; BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTGOMERY PARKS

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After years of running his own music academy and recording studio in the town of Kensington, Sean Gaiser opened GIGS Courtyard, a live-music venue outside of his business, in 2019. The idea was to host events that felt like big block parties, complete with food and drinks. “We’re trying to create an outdoor festival, live-music environment with a big sound system and stage,” Gaiser says of the courtyard, which can accommodate up to 500 people standing, and by day is a parking lot for local businesses.

Two concerts were held before the pan-

demic put a pause on the enterprise, then GIGS revived it in September 2021. The lineup kicked off with Rock-a-Boil, catered by Capital Crab and featuring music by Kentucky Avenue, The 19th Street Band, and Ryan Cain and the Ables. Country and soul singer Maggie Rose, a Potomac native, played a concert in early October, and two local rock bands, Andrew Deerin featuring the DeVilles and Utris, were headliners later in the month.

Gaiser, who grew up in Kensington, also works at Georgetown Preparatory School, where he teaches video production and audio

PHOTO BY ERICK GIBSON

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Best Emmy Win by a Local Production Company

TOP PHOTO BY MARK VON HOLDEN/INVISION FOR THE TELEVISION ACADEMY/AP IMAGES BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FOR DISNEY+/ADAM GEIGER

PHOTO BY ERICK GIBSON

And the winner is…Red Rock Films for outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. The Silver Spring production company took the 2021 Emmy award for Secrets of the Whales, its four-part documentary series distributed by National Geographic and streaming on Disney+. The series, which took more than three years to produce, follows five whale species to 24 far-flung locations around the world. Using a new technology that allowed photographers to take video cameras deep underwater, the series captures spectacular and rare footage of whales interacting in ways the filmmakers believe show the animals’ culture and emotions. Series director and Chevy Chase resident Brian Armstrong, president of Red Rock Films, says it’s no surprise the company is based in Montgomery County. The region is home to National Geographic, PBS and the Smithsonian Channel, making it a production center for science and nature programs. “There’s a hub of documentary filmmaking here that you don’t see anywhere else,” he says.

Secrets of the Whales Emmy award winners in September

Andrew Deerin featuring the DeVilles at GIGS Courtyard in October

engineering, and operates the music studio. At GIGS, he offers lessons and workshops that feature contemporary songs, including tunes by Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift, and he often sings and plays guitar with his students.

The next GIGS Courtyard concerts are slated for April. Minimum age is 21; food and drinks are for sale. VIP tickets include access to balconies overlooking the stage and an indoor lounge with a liquor bar.

GIGS Courtyard, 3762 Howard Ave., Kensington, gigscourtyard.com

A humpback mother and calf in the series

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Best park for family fitness

With an outdoor gym, street hockey rink, soccer field, paved walking/biking paths, a track for running and one for kids to ride around on their bikes or scooters, Dewey Local Park in Silver Spring is a great spot for family exercise without fitness center fees. The outdoor gym in the middle of the 14.5-acre park includes two elliptical machines, bars for doing dips, pull-ups and chin-ups, equipment to work the arms, lats and chest, as well as sit-up and push-up benches.

While the fitness equipment is recommended for ages 14 and older, the park provides plenty of ways for younger people to get moving. Playground areas—one for kids ages 2-5 and the other for ages 5-12—offer slides, swings and lots of climbing structures. There is a 22,000-square-foot dog park so Fido can get some exercise along with the rest of the family. The park’s 2020 renovation included a covered picnic pavilion, colorful murals by Montgomery County artist Juan Pineda, and the hockey rink, which can be used for in-line hockey (on skates), street hockey (without skates) and futsal (5-on-5 soccer). The rink can be reserved online or used on a first come, first served basis.

Dewey Local Park, 11720 Dewey Road, Silver Spring, 301-495-2595, montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/ dewey-local-park

PHOTO BY SKIP BROWN

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Best places to pick up a paddle The secret is out: Pickleball is everywhere. But some courts around here are better than others—and Bauer Drive Local Park in Rockville has some of the best.

Opened in October, it’s one of the county’s newest pickleball sites (also the largest), with six dedicated courts.

Another top pick: King Farm’s Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in Rockville. The park’s four well-kept courts have been popular with fans of the sport for several years.

Both venues are outdoors, well lighted and free, with no membership required. They’re also drop-in style, so players can come alone or with a friend. Plus, the courts in both places are designed specifically for pickleball, so there’s no need to bring your own net—or compete with tennis players for court time. (Most other pickleball courts around the county, whether outdoors or inside a rec or community center, are tennis courts

painted with pickleball striping to make them dual purpose.)

Like tennis, the sport involves volleying a ball back and forth over a net. But in pickleball, the courts are smaller so the game is faster paced, with less running and more socializing. “It’s an easy sport to learn,” says Olney resident Rob Campbell, a U.S. Capitol Police officer and district ambassador for the USA Pickleball Association. “An 80-year-old or a 70-year-old can be just as advanced as somebody in their 20s.”

Bauer Drive Local Park, 14625 Bauer Drive, Rockville, montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/bauer-drivelocal-park; Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park, 1800 Piccard Drive, Rockville, rockvillemd.gov/facilities/facility/ details/mattie-jt-stepanek-park-37

The pickleball courts at Bauer Drive Local Park

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PHOTO BY EDGAR ARTIGA

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Best Place to Catch Air

PHOTO BY EDGAR ARTIGA

Just in time for the summer of 2021, the city of Rockville unveiled a new 15,000-square-foot, stateof-the-art skate park outside the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center on Martins Lane. The surface at the Rockville Skate Park is a specially engineered, super-smooth concrete, not asphalt, which makes for a better riding experience—and less abrasive falls. And it’s the only concrete skate park in the county where staffers are around to handle crowd control, ensure that everyone is wearing helmets, and offer pointers to young skaters.

With its 7-foot-deep kidney bowl and series of manual pads, quarter pipes, and a “pull jam,” the place is popular with experienced skaters looking to fine tune their moves, but versatile enough for beginners, too. The course’s flow makes it easy for everyone—whether on boards, skates or BMX bikes—to share the space without creating roller derby-style chaos.

Open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the week (closed Mondays) and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, the skate park is free to everyone. Music

is piped in over speakers: Disney and pop songs during family skate hours (10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays), and “clean hard rock” later in the day, says Recreation Programs Supervisor Jordan Perry.

On weekend mornings, the park is often filled with young children, some decked out in cartoon character helmets, who navigate the twists and turns on their scooters while parents chat on covered benches nearby. Middle schoolers turn up most days after they finish their homework, Perry says, and teens and young adults seem to favor the evenings (the park is lit for nighttime skating).

But the venue isn’t just for kids. “An older gentleman, probably in his 60s,” arrived practically every morning this summer with his in-line skates and headed straight to the bowl, Perry says. “He would come in his red pickup truck…put his knee pads on…elbow pads...towel over his shoulder… walk right in, and just skate.”

Rockville Skate Park, 355 Martins Lane, Rockville, 240-314-8620, rockvillemd.gov/383/skate-park

Hunter Cubbins, 12, at the Rockville Skate Park

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most inclusive story time

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Beginning last summer, a bright and colorful new attraction started drawing crowds to Brookside Gardens—and it wasn’t just the flowers. It was Drag Queen Story Hour, a monthly event that features a children’s story read by a local drag queen performer.

The program, which began in July, is a partnership between Montgomery Parks, Drag Queen Story Hour of Montgomery County, and WAM & Fam (formerly Wheaton Area Moms). It’s an effort to celebrate inclusivity, showcase artistic expression, and bring new audiences to the park, says Albert Arévalo, volunteer and community engagement coordinator at Brookside Gardens. Each hourlong event starts with some stretching, movement and sometimes a song, followed by a story read aloud by local drag queen

Citrine. Some stories have themes about inclusivity, while others are about nature or garden topics. During National Hispanic Heritage Month, special guest drag queen Lady J. Monroe, adorned with sparkly antennae and rainbow-colored wings, read Senorita Mariposa, a book about monarch butterflies that’s written in both Spanish and English. The free program has drawn more than 100 people to each event, Arévalo says. It’s geared toward children, but all ages are welcome. The next story hours are planned for Jan. 22 and Feb. 19.

Drag Queen Story Hour, Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/ brookside-gardens

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTGOMERY PARKS/BY MARILYN SKLAR

Citrine at Drag Queen Story Hour

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cool school spaces Virtual learning in makeshift classrooms—bedrooms, basements, dining rooms—made us appreciate school buildings way more than in the past. Sure, most of the square footage in schools is filled with the basics, but here are three Montgomery County public schools with cool spots where kids can explore science or the arts.

SEEING STARS

Even though it’s been around for nearly 40 years, the planetarium at Wood Acres Elementary School in Bethesda still feels special. It’s the only one in a county public school, and it allows kids to explore the night sky while sitting under a 14-foot metal dome. Five years ago, the school upgraded from a manually programmed projector to a computerized digital camera system that allows trained parent volunteers to project dynamic presentations onto the dome, including the use of animation to connect constellations and show how the stars appear to move through the night sky. Students can also view celestial bodies as they would if they were flying around the galaxy in a spaceship. “You can swing by Saturn and fly through the rings,” says Ajit Vaidya, cochair of the Wood Acres planetarium volunteer program.

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SETTING THE STAGE

Behind the soaring glass facade of the nearly 1-year-old performing arts center at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School for Creative and Performing Arts in Silver Spring, students produce shows in a 425-seat black box-style theater that has “all the bells and whistles” of a professional theater, including computerized light and sound systems, dressing rooms and a concessions area, Principal Megan McLaughlin says. A large industrial room equipped with tools provides space to build sets that can easily be moved onto the stage through garage-style doors. A bonus: The theater has movable wall partitions and seats that retract to provide space for two dance studios and a theater classroom.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

At Bayard Rustin Elementary School in Rockville, students can enjoy lunch and even hear classmates practicing in nearby music classrooms when they sit in an outdoor amphitheater adjacent to the school building. With rows of cinder block seating built into a grassy hill, the amphitheater was designed to be a creative use of outdoor space when the school opened in 2018.

Acting Principal Kathryn West says the amphitheater has come in handy during the pandemic as one of three designated eating areas, allowing about 50 students to socially distance in a space that can seat 150.

LOIEDERMAN PHOTO BY PATRICK ROSS PHOTOGRAPHY; BAYARD RUSTIN COURTESY PHOTO

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KIDS & SCHOOLS

EDITORS' PICKS

best Hometown Hero When Cavanaugh Bell was in kindergarten and classmates called him “weird,” he asked his mom if he could go speak with the president. He said he didn’t want other kids to ever feel the “darkness inside” that he felt when he was teased at school. He told her he wanted to “go get a law about it.”

Llacey Simmons told her son that it might be tricky getting the president’s attention, but he could try the mayor and the city council.

So in January 2019, at age 6, Cavanaugh took to the podium at a Gaithersburg City Council meeting and petitioned for a day to be set aside as Bullying Awareness Day in the city of Gaithersburg. (It’s now Feb. 21.)

“He is thoughtful beyond his years,” says Mayor Jud Ashman.

Today, the 9-year-old leads a nonprofit called Cool & Dope, which he founded three years ago with the goal of ending bullying by 2030, the year he turns 18. His title is chief positivity creator, and he runs the group from the Gaithersburg home he shares with his mom, aunt and cousins.

When the pandemic hit, Cavanaugh used his own savings to create care packages to 102

bring to his grandma and the other residents at her senior living community—but decided he wanted to do more. He posted on Cool & Dope’s social media accounts that he hoped to open a food pantry and needed help. News outlets picked up the story, and soon even Barbra Streisand was tweeting about him.

Cavanaugh didn’t know who Streisand was, but “my mom did tell me that she is a very good singer,” he says.

With about a hundred volunteers (including lots of kids), borrowed warehouse space in Gaithersburg, and $10,000 in donations, Cavanaugh opened his pantry in April 2020.

Cars pulled up and their trunks were loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, shelfstable foods and hygiene products. Cavanaugh’s dad, Clifford Bell, who lives in Laurel, helped out on weekends, picking up donated produce from nearby orchards and hot meals from local restaurants, then delivering them to the pantry for distribution.

By the time the pantry closed in November 2020 (when the organization lost its free warehouse space), Cool & Dope had raised enough in donations to serve about 18,000 people, Simmons says. And that help went beyond Montgomery County: Cavanaugh had visited the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota during a cross-country trip with his mom in 2017 and was struck by the poor living conditions, so he asked if Cool & Dope could help the people there, too. A total of four 53-foot trailers full of food and supplies

made trips to the reservation in 2020 and 2021, Simmons says.

In May 2020, then-Sen. Kamala Harris had Cavanaugh as a guest on her YouTube show. “When you were my age…did you know you wanted to help others?” he asked Harris over Zoom. Yes, she answered, “I didn’t start a food pantry, though. That’s a pretty big deal.” After the election, Team Biden called Simmons to ask if Cavanaugh would participate in the televised “Celebrating America” special airing on inauguration night. (He prerecorded the introduction of a song performed by Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons). And in February 2021, Cavanaugh met via video conference with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who presented him with an official citation for his activism and philanthropy.

But Cavanaugh’s favorite moment came this past September, when he and Simmons were flown to Atlanta so he could appear on The Steve Harvey Show. “Not that many people get to meet Steve Harvey,” he says.

“That was really cool to me.”

Simmons says Cool & Dope’s work to end bullying, help underserved communities and fight food insecurity all fall under its broader mission: empowering kids to become community leaders by showing them “how to speak up and speak out, and…that their voices matter.” Her son wants to be a mayor when he grows up. “Before, I wanted to be the president,” Cavanaugh says, “but a mayor can do a lot more.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF COOL & DOPE CORP.

Cavanaugh Bell is pictured with meals that were donated by local restaurants to his nonprofit, Cool & Dope; the food was distributed to families impacted by the pandemic.

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KIDS & SCHOOLS

EDITORS' PICKS

Best Kids parties for fresh-air fun With COVID-19 still a concern, planning a kid’s birthday party can be tricky.

Zoom gatherings and car parades have run their course, and not everyone has the backyard space to host a celebration at home. Here are five cool places for parties where you can take advantage of the outdoors.

CLIMB TIME

For kids who like to climb—trees, playground equipment, kitchen counters—The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring offers two birthday party packages that get partygoers off the ground. The Labyrinth, a two-tier climbing structure featuring swinging bridges, ladders and zip drops, is available for private group rentals for ages 7 and older.

The $480 party package includes 90 minutes of exclusive use of the Labyrinth for 16 climbers (12 guests and four chaperones for 7- to 11-year-olds), plus nearby picnic space. With the Aerial Forest party option, guests ages 5 and older get access to an obstacle course with 15 trails through the trees (ranging from 12 to 65 feet in the air), made up of swinging bridges and zip lines—along with picnic table reservations. The cost is $49 per person with a 10-person minimum; there are two-hour or three-hour options for the same cost, but the two-hour option includes goodie bags. Bring your own food, or order from the park’s on-site food truck. As an add-on upgrade, groups can also reserve the Black Diamond Area, a private section that includes picnic tables and a firepit stocked with wood. That’s $50 for two hours; $25 per hour for additional time. The park is closed for climbing until March, but the office is open and taking reservations for parties in 2022.

The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring, 16701 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, 240-847-3352, sandyspringadventurepark.org/groups-parties

Wheaton Sports Pavilion, 11751 Orebaugh Ave., Wheaton, 301-905-3070, montgomeryparks.org/ parks-and-trails/wheaton-regional-park/wheatonsports-pavilion/open-field-programs

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IT’S ONLY NATURAL

For kids who love the great outdoors, Locust Grove Nature Center is a prime location for a celebration.

Run by Montgomery Parks, the Bethesda facility offers packages that include use of the Armstrong Cabin party room (windows and doors stay open for ventilation) and its adjoining outdoor patio, and an hourlong outdoor activity led by a naturalist.

Favorite themes include the Dinosaur Discovery, where kids get to dig for fossils; the Campfire Caper, where guests learn about building a campfire, roast marshmallows, and go for a nature walk; and the Stream Splash!, where partygoers can search for fish, crayfish and other wildlife in Cabin John Creek. Party packages are $275 for three hours (including setup and cleanup) and up to 20 children.

Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, 301-765-8660, montgomeryparks.org/ parks-and-trails/cabin-john-regional-park/locust-grovenature-center/program-events/birthday-parties

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADVENTURE PARK AT SANDY SPRING

FIELD DAYS

Perfect for sports fanatics, the Wheaton Sports Pavilion offers two-hour party packages ($210) with one hour on the outdoor covered turf field and an hour in a party room. Parties can include up to 20 guests, age 6 and older. Groups bring their own sports equipment and refreshments.

Favorite activities on the field include soccer, flag football, dodgeball and obstacle races. If you’d rather skip the party room and play sports the whole time, ask about a field rental; prices vary depending on the time, season and whether you live in the county.

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PARTY ANIMALS

PHOTO BY REBECCA DROBIS

ECHOES OF FUN

With art deco architecture, neon signs and a historic carousel—remnants from its days as an amusement park—Glen Echo Park is an enchanting setting for a party. Groups of up to 30 are welcome to use the free public picnic area, available on a first come, first served basis. For larger celebrations, the park offers a variety of covered spaces for rent, like the Putt-Putt picnic area ($75 for four hours), which comes with six picnic tables under a 10-by-10-foot tent and accommodates 30 to 40 people. There’s a playground with swings and climbing structures, and the carousel runs from April 30 through late September. Party hosts can bring their own food and refreshments. Under normal operations (non-pandemic times), the park also offers party packages that come with an art lesson, a show at the children’s theater, or a visit to the aquarium.

Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, 301-634-2222, glenechopark.org

Hang out with the farm animals at Butler’s Orchard, where packages include the use of a picnic area and full access to the farm park with its giant slides, wooden play structures, pedal tractors and barnyard friends (think goats, pigs, chickens and donkeys). Site rentals range from $150 to $395, depending on the time of year.

Party activity options change with the seasons.

Harvest Parties (offered June through September, $395) include fruit-picking and a tractor-driven wagon or trolley ride. During offseason parties, groups can also add on trolley or hayrides, campfires and fruit picking if crops are available, for an additional cost. Food packages, such as a picnic meal including hot dogs ($8) or hamburgers ($9), with chips and soft drinks, are available on-site—or you can bring your own refreshments.

Reservations are available from late March through October.

Butler’s Orchard, 22222 Davis Mill Road, Germantown, 301-428-0444, butlersorchard.com

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SHOPPING

EDITORS' PICKS

Best New store for Buying Locally Made Items

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When Stacey Hammer and Heather Luxenberg put the word out that they were opening a store in Gaithersburg featuring locally handcrafted items, they were overwhelmed by the response from the creative community. They chose jewelry, pottery, candles, soaps and other products from 70 artists and makers (mostly from Maryland, with a few from Virginia and D.C.); 100 more are on a waiting list. “During COVID, people had so much time on their hands; they were crafting and making,” says Luxenberg, who opened Locally Crafted with Hammer in October. The Rockville moms became friends years ago at a local crafts fair after realizing they both had kids at Lakewood Elementary School.

Hammer, an attorney, makes jewelry; Luxenberg, a former teacher and assistant principal who most recently worked in college admissions, does scrapbooking and creates greeting cards. Sensing

a demand from consumers, they gave up their day jobs to open Locally Crafted.

“We think people are tired of Amazon products and giving their money to the big corporations,” Hammer says.

“There’s an eagerness, too, for people to just get out and interact…to see, feel, touch the products that they’re buying.”

In their 4,000-square-foot storefront at rio, they sell funky, durable and fun-toplay-with jewelry by Charm City Fidgets; handmade one-of-a-kind dolls and crocheted giraffes by V’s Inspirations; photo collages of local landmarks and sporting events by Reinventing-Reality; and lots of whimsical crab-themed items. Space is available in the back of the store for the community to rent for events and DIY workshops.

Locally Crafted, 125 Boardwalk Place (rio), Gaithersburg, 240-428-8797, locallycraftedshop.com

PHOTO BY LIZ LYNCH

Locally Crafted’s Stacey Hammer (left) and Heather Luxenberg

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VACCINES AND CO-PARENTING: WHAT IF WE DISAGREE?

best new place to Shop— and Pay It Forward When New4You Thrift Boutique opened this past summer, downtown Bethesda gained a shop that is big on space—and also big on doing good. The nonprofit, all-volunteer-run store in the spot formerly occupied by Capital Consignment sells donated clothes, home goods and accessories, and gives the proceeds to a local charity chosen annually by New4You’s board of directors. For the 2021-22 fiscal year ending on June 30, the beneficiary is Silver Springbased Shepherd’s Table, whose mission is to help people in the community experiencing food and housing insecurity.

New4You is filling the gap left by the 2020 closure of the Montgomery County Thrift Shop, a Bethesda institution for more than 75 years.

While New4You’s facade is small and low-key, the store stretches back the length of a city block and has well-organized women’s, men’s and children’s departments, and a room featuring coffee tables and end tables, framed art, and pottery from all over the world. During its limited hours (10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday), the place is often filled with shoppers browsing the designer bargains— maybe a silk Chico’s blouse tagged at $9, or a men’s polo shirt by Ralph Lauren for $6—and unique pieces, such as a crystal-draped lamp priced at $25. With new merchandise coming in every day, you never know what you might find—but you do know you’re helping someone in need when you make a purchase.

New4You Thrift Boutique, 4909 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, 301-6562002, new4youthrift.org

MONICA GARCIA HARMS & SONDRA M. DOUGLAS Family Law Attorneys

With the COVID-19 vaccine now available to children ages five and older, parents need to decide whether they want their children vaccinated.

What do you do when one parent wants to vaccinate a child and the other does not? The decision to vaccinate a child can spark controversy among divorced and separated parents, particularly those with a history of conflict, thereby complicating the co-parenting relationship.

In determining your options, it is important to keep in mind what type of legal custody arrangement governs. Parents having been through a divorce or custody case will have an order or agreement in place dictating the legal custody arrangement. That arrangement will be spelled out as joint legal custody (requiring the consent of both parents), sole legal custody (requiring the consent only of the parent awarded sole legal custody), or joint legal custody with tie-breaking authority (requiring both parent to discuss and confer with one another to attempt to reach a shared decision, but allowing one parent to break the tie in an unresolvable dispute).

If you have joint legal custody and disagree with your co-parent’s decision on whether to vaccinate your child, you can take the following steps to help resolve the issue.

• Speak with an expert together. Talk to your child’s pediatrician about the risks vs. the benefits of the vaccination. Obtain the pediatrician’s recommendation based on the child’s medical condition.

• Try to settle on an agreement or compromise. Communicate your concerns and discuss possible alternatives and accommodations.

• Consult with an attorney. In matters where the parties have joint legal custody, it is important that neither parent act unilaterally. If you can’t reach an agreement, speak with a family law attorney to determine what your legal rights are and what actions can be taken.

301-340-2020 • www.steinsperling.com BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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SHOPPING

EDITORS' PICKS

best pop-ups to catch before they're gone Pop-up shops come and go.

Here are three stores to check out before their short-term leases end.

Salt & Sundry, a D.C.-based “home + lifestyle” boutique with locations in Union Market and Logan Circle, opened an outpost in Bethesda last summer. Owner Amanda McClements’ emphasis on businesses owned by women and people of color means you’ll find 100% vegan Vela Negra candles made by Cuban-Guyanese American Aisha Cort (a Howard University Spanish lecturer) and batik-inspired throw pillows by xN Studio, a decor company founded by designer Nasozi Kakembo, who grew up in Silver Spring and whose pieces are inspired by her Ugandan heritage. McClements promises her Bethesda Row pop-up will stick around at least through February.

Salt & Sundry, 7126 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda, 301-312-6313, shopsaltandsundry.com Sustainability-focused fashion boutique Wylie Grey signed a lease last summer that goes through August 2022 for a Bethesda Row space. The shop, which has operated online since 2016, experimented last May with a three-month pop-up on Bethesda Avenue before deciding to commit more long term to its current location. With owners Nikki Yazdanian and Rachel Grinney’s eye for emerging designers from around the world, it’s the place to discover new American fashion brands Donni, Kule and Sea New York; Copenhagen-based Samsøe Samsøe; British knitwear designer Hayley Menzies; and handmade jewelry by Paris-based Hypso.

Culinary pop-up Provisions, in Bethesda’s Wildwood Shopping Center, is the brainchild of John Helm and Caroline Liberty, the founders of Red Orchard, another Wildwood store. This tiny gem of a shop offers kitchen accessories like herb strippers and cheese knives, and specialty food products such as spiced honey and Mexican hot chocolate.

Don’t wait long: Helm says he can only guarantee that Provisions will be open through January.

Provisions, 10231 Old Georgetown Road (Wildwood Shopping Center), Bethesda 108

COURTESY PHOTOS

Wylie Grey, 7125 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda, 301-302-8997, wyliegrey.com

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Staying on a healthy path isn’t easy. We’re with you.

Holy Cross Health is a leader in providing innovative and collaborative health care. Guided by our mission and committed to caring for all in body, mind and spirit, we continue to adapt and expand our services and facilities to meet our community’s growing needs. Learn more at HolyCrossHealth.org.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

EDITORS' PICKS

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BEST NEWS FOR MOCO FROM ANNAPOLIS

WORST NEWS FOR MOCO FROM ANNAPOLIS

In 245 years as a state, Maryland has elected 62 governors—none of them a resident of Montgomery County. (Lt. Gov. Blair Lee of Silver Spring was acting governor for a year-and-a-half in the 1970s but not elected in his own right.)

MoCo’s dry streak could finally end in 2022: Of nine Democrats vying for the party’s nomination in this June’s primary in heavily Democratic Maryland, seven—former nonprofit exec Jon Baron; state Comptroller Peter Franchot; former state Attorney General Doug Gansler; former Obama administration official Ashwani Jain; former Obama Education Secretary John King; former Obama Labor Secretary Tom Perez; and author/activist Jerome Segal—live in Montgomery County. One more—former foundation CEO Wes Moore—was originally from Montgomery before adopting Baltimore as his base.

Montgomery County has enjoyed a monopoly on key statewide offices—attorney general, comptroller and treasurer—for much of the past two decades. That grip on power is coming loose. Takoma Park resident Peter Franchot, comptroller since 2007, is taking a shot at the Democratic gubernatorial nomination—and his current post is all but certain to be filled by a Baltimore or Prince George’s County Democrat or a Harford County Republican. Nancy Kopp of Bethesda, treasurer since 2002, retired at the end of 2021, succeeded by Prince George’s County Del. Dereck Davis. Also calling it a career: Brian Frosh of Chevy Chase, whose tenure—along with that of Doug Gansler of Bethesda before him—kept the attorney general’s job in the hands of a Montgomery County resident since 2007.

A MADISON AVENUE SPIN ON THE BELTWAY

A FIRST FOR MCPS LEADERSHIP

Gov. Larry Hogan’s proposal to widen the Beltway and I-270 with funding from private financing and toll lanes has faced years of unrelenting criticism. A regional transportation panel almost killed the plan in June—before it was rescued thanks largely to lobbying by Hogan.

Weeks later, the state Department of Transportation borrowed a page from Madison Avenue.

Working with a PR firm, it rebranded the “I-495 & I-270 P3 (Public-Private Partnership) Program” as “Op Lanes Maryland”—as in “options” and “opportunities,” according to a professionally produced video. The video never mentions “tolls,” and critics who had derided the prospect of high-priced “Lexus Lanes” pounced: Frederick County Councilmember Kai Hagen was quoted

by Maryland Matters as accusing state officials of employing “the slick and manipulative sales techniques of someone trying to sell you an overpriced timeshare package in Bermuda.”

Monifa McKnight made history last March when she became the first Black woman to lead Montgomery County Public Schools. After Jack Smith retired as superintendent, McKnight, the district’s deputy superintendent since 2019, was named acting superintendent for one month, then interim superintendent. She is scheduled to remain in that role through June 2022 while the district, using an outside firm, searches for Smith’s successor. McKnight has applied to be superintendent. Paul Vance was the first Black MCPS superintendent, serving from 1991 to 1999. “If there is in some way a spark of inspiration for a young woman or people of color in our community and abroad,” McKnight says, “I’m happy to be able to do that because I know that that inspiration has paved the way for me in my goals and dreams in life.”

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BEST OF BETHESDA

READERS' PICKS

Spanish Diner: Best New Restaurant

Nearly 7,000 people voted in our online readers’ poll. Here are the winners and runners-up for everything from the best coffee shop to the best therapist.

OVERALL RESTAURANT IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY/ UPPER NW D.C. Woodmont Grill La Ferme MoCo’s Founding Farmers Mon Ami Gabi Raku Clyde’s Millie’s NEW RESTAURANT IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY/ UPPER NW D.C. Spanish Diner King Street Oyster Bar Tatte Bakery & Café Hawkers Asian Street Food

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RESTAURANT YOU’D GO TO WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS PAYING Ruth’s Chris Steak House The Capital Grille Woodmont Grill Morton’s The Steakhouse La Ferme INDIAN RESTAURANT Kadhai Passage to India Bombay Bistro Commonwealth Indian ITALIAN RESTAURANT Olazzo Pines of Rome Gregorio’s Trattoria Mamma Lucia Il Pizzico

MEXICAN RESTAURANT Uncle Julio’s Guapo’s Gringos & Mariachis Villa Maya Casa Oaxaca MIDDLE EASTERN/ MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT Moby Dick House of Kabob Bacchus CAVA LEBTAV

STEAK Ruth’s Chris Steak House Medium Rare Morton’s The Steakhouse The Capital Grille SUSHI Raku Kusshi Sushi Sushiko Hanaro Sushi TACOS Fish Taco Gringos & Mariachis Taco Bamba Casa Oaxaca Uncle Julio’s

PIZZA Ledo Pizza Frankly...Pizza!

Pizzeria Da Marco THAI RESTAURANT Mamma Lucia Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Sisters Thai Tara Thai Wings Kiin Imm Thai Sala Thai

PHOTO BY LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY

FOOD & DRINK

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PHOTO BY LAURA CHASE DE FORMIGNY

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BEST OF BETHESDA

READERS' PICKS

The Growing Years Remix Recycling Co. Kid to Kid FINE JEWELRY STORE Boone & Sons Jewelers Secrète Fine Jewelry Tiffany & Co. Pampillonia PLACE TO BUY GLASSES (NOT A NATIONAL CHAIN) Wink Eyecare Boutique Voorthuis Opticians Apex Optical Colonial Opticians

VEGETARIAN DISHES True Food Kitchen Yuan Fu Vegetarian Flower Child PLNT Burger St. Veg DOG-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT/BAR Bark Social Caddies on Cordell World of Beer Java Nation The Comus Inn SANDWICH SHOP Jetties Bradley Food & Beverage Gemelli’s Italian Market Potbelly Sandwich Shop LOCALLY OWNED COFFEE SHOP Java Nation Quartermaine Coffee Roasters Compass Coffee Black Lion Café Sunday Morning Bakehouse Ceremony Coffee Roasters BRUNCH MoCo’s Founding Farmers Silver Medium Rare Summer House Santa Monica Tatte Bakery & Café 114

MOST IMAGINATIVE COCKTAILS MoCo’s Founding Farmers (TIE) Julii (TIE) Duck Duck Goose Hawkers Asian Street Food Millie’s Gringos & Mariachis BAR SCENE Caddies on Cordell Tommy Joe’s Gringos & Mariachis Millie’s King Street Oyster Bar

FARMERS MARKET Bethesda Central Farm Market Kensington Farmers Market Pike Central Farm Market Norman’s Farm Market Olney Farmers and Artists Market BUTCHER SHOP Butchers Alley Chop Shop Butchery Wagshal’s Market

OUTDOOR DINING Millie’s Old Angler’s Inn Mon Ami Gabi Caddies on Cordell Java Nation King Street Oyster Bar Summer House Santa Monica

SHOPPING NEW STORE Salt & Sundry Indigo Octopus

FOOD TRUCK Call Your Mother Corned Beef King Hardy’s BBQ Brisket Root & Flavor BREWERY 7 Locks Brewing Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co. Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Denizens Brewing Co. Silver Branch Brewing Co. Brookeville Beer Farm

BOUTIQUE Belina Boutique South Moon Under The Blue House Morley Irresistibles

CONSIGNMENT/RESALE STORE Reddz Trading Sunflowers Consignment

Boutique

PERSONALIZED GIFTS Whyte House Monograms The Blue House Occasions Pink Dot Styles SHOPPING CENTER Wildwood Shopping Center Westfield Montgomery mall Pike & Rose Bethesda Row

BEAUTY SALON IN BETHESDA Bella Bethesda Salon Aveda Bethesda Salon & Spa Franz Sebastian Salon Salon Nader SALON IN CHEVY CHASE DESSANGE Paris Lume Hair Styles Salon Lofts Salon Roi SALON IN GAITHERSBURG Alozio Hair O’HAIR Salon + Spa Shear Reflections Salon Red SALON IN POTOMAC Zohra & Zohra [Men] Bella Moda Salon & Spa Potomac Hair Design Samantha James Salon

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Bella Bethesda Salon has been a staple in the community for over 14 years. Bella Bethesda is not just a hair salon but a place that inspires fabulous hair while allowing our guests to escape their busy lives. Our services go far beyond standard cut and color. We feature services for straightening & smoothing as well as special occasions such as weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, etc. At Bella Bethesda Salon, we’re not just committed to delivering great-looking, sophisticated and manageable hair. We arm our guests with the knowledge to maintain their “just from the salon” look in between cuts and color.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE SALON SOON!

Readers’ Pick, Best Salon in Bethesda

2022

Winner

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BEST OF BETHESDA

READERS' PICKS

The Elm: Best Luxury Apartments

SALON IN SILVER SPRING Alchemy Hair Salon Headlines Hair Designers Spa Mesu SALON IN UPPER NW D.C. PR at Partners Célia’s Salon Salon Familia

HOME ARCHITECT FOR CUSTOM HOMES Carib Daniel Martin GTM Architects Anthony Wilder Design/Build Claude C. Lapp Architects Studio Z Design Concepts BUILDER FOR CUSTOM HOMES Sandy Spring Builders Castlewood Custom Builders

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Douglas Construction Group Classic Homes of Maryland structure.

Jendell Construction REMODELING FIRM Jendell Construction Case Architects & Remodelers Anthony Wilder Design/Build structure.

Meridian Homes KITCHEN DESIGN FIRM Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens Case Architects & Remodelers Anthony Wilder Design/Build Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath Aidan Design CONTRACTOR FOR OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES Anthony Wilder Design/Build Jendell Construction FRED Home Improvement Fine Earth Landscape McHale Landscape Design CONTRACTOR FOR SWIMMING POOLS Crystal Pools Browning Pools & Spas

PLACE TO BUY OUTDOOR FURNITURE Offenbachers Home Escapes Home Depot Country Casual Teak Yardbird CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS/DRAPERIES Rockville Interiors The Shade Store Yi’s Interiors REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE FOR LUXURY HOMES Long & Foster Real Estate | Christie’s International Real Estate Compass TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Washington Fine Properties HOME STAGING FIRM wowed! Home Staging JS Home Design Town & Country Staging LUXURY APARTMENTS The Elm Palisades of Bethesda Windsor Bethesda

NEW LUXURY CONDOS Tower Oaks The Ritz Carlton Residences, Chevy Chase NEW TOWNHOME COMMUNITY Tower Oaks Crown East Quarry Springs Cabin John Village

HEALTH HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM Suburban Hospital Sibley Memorial Hospital Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center Holy Cross Hospital– Silver Spring CONCIERGE MEDICAL PRACTICE MDVIP Premier Senior Care Foxhall Internists Prime One Medical

PHOTO BY JEFFREY SAUERS, CPI PRODUCTIONS

SALON IN ROCKVILLE/NORTH BETHESDA Progressions Spa Salon Store Kindle & Boom New Wave Salon and Spa Oxygen Salon and Day Spa

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a new look for the old homestead

structure. home reinvented

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Precision Physical Therapy: Best Physical Therapy Practice (pictured: owner Therese McNerney)

DERMATOLOGY PRACTICE Capital Laser & Skin Care DermAssociates Drs. Jaffe, O’Neill & Lindgren—An Affiliate of

Anne Arundel Dermatology ICON Dermatology &

Aesthetics Chevy Chase Dermatology

Center Gerson Zatezalo Skin & Face ORTHODONTICS PRACTICE Rad Orthodontics Drs. Ensor Johnson and Lewis Gerlein Orthodontics Frederick S. Fritz DDS Harmony Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Heller Orthodontics Dr. Jill J. Bruno Orthodontics AUDIOLOGY PRACTICE The Centers for Advanced ENT Care—Feldman ENT Division Potomac Audiology Bethesda Audiology Center ORTHOPEDIC PRACTICE OrthoBethesda Washington Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Summit Orthopedics

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Greater Washington Orthopaedic Group Montgomery Orthopaedics PRACTICE/PLACE FOR MEDICAL AESTHETICS Capital Laser & Skin Care ICON Dermatology & Aesthetics RENU by Dr. Schoenfeld Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery West Institute

SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY Maplewood Park Place Leisure World of Maryland Fox Hill The Village at Rockville Riderwood by Erickson Senior Living

MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY RISE Liberty Cannabis Health For Life Harvest Peake ReLeaf gLeaf Medical Cannabis THERAPIST FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS Washington Psychological

Wellness The Counseling Center of

Maryland Georgetown Psychology Potomac Therapy Group

IN-HOME HEALTH CARE PROVIDER Family & Nursing Care Capital City Nurses Montcordia Home Instead Advanced Nursing + Home Support CarePlus Home Health

PHYSICAL THERAPY PRACTICE Precision Physical Therapy ProAction Physical Therapy Issa Physical Therapy & Wellness Point Performance OrthoBethesda CHIROPRACTOR Complete Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Bethesda Chiropractic Center Bethesda Spine & Posture Moskowitz Chiropractic Proactive Chiropractic and Physical Therapy

KIDS & SCHOOLS PRESCHOOL/DAY CARE Geneva Day School Washington Episcopal School Christ Episcopal School Georgetown Hill Early School Bender Early Childhood

Center Bradley Hills Presbyterian

Church Nursery School PRIVATE SCHOOL—LOWER SCHOOL Washington Episcopal School McLean School Bullis School Christ Episcopal School Norwood School PRIVATE SCHOOL—UPPER SCHOOL Bullis School McLean School Holton-Arms School Landon School Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

COURTESY PHOTO

BEST OF BETHESDA

READERS' PICKS

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BEST OF BETHESDA READERS’ PICK

WINNER

Best Architect for Custom Homes

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Through our architecture, interior, and landscape design we collaborate with our clients to create custom homes that reflect their unique personality. caribdanielmartin.com/best

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BEST OF BETHESDA

READERS' PICKS

Great Falls Park: Best Park for Hiking

TUTORING FIRM PrepMatters Learning Essentials Bass Educational Services Prep U YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAM Tru2Form Hoops MSI (Montgomery Soccer Inc.) Koa Sports Maryland Nationals Baseball Potomac Soccer Association Pat the Roc Basketball Skills Academy KIDS ART OR MUSIC CLASSES Bach to Rock Bethesda VisArts Washington Conservatory of Music Maryland Youth Ballet ArtWorks Fine Art Studio Red Panda Art Studio Glen Echo Park

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PLACE FOR KIDS PARTIES My Gym Henry’s Sweet Retreat Pat the Roc Basketball Skills Academy Glen Echo Park BusyBees The Little Towns Children’s Museum

SUMMER DAY CAMP Geneva Day School’s Summer Program SummerEdge at McLean

School Summer@WES (Washington

Episcopal School) Calleva Creative Summer at Holton-Arms School Green Acres Camp

Camp JCC at the Bender Center SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS Tru2Form Hoops Bullis Summer Programs Pat the Roc Basketball Skills Academy Potomac Soccer Association Landon Summer Koa Sports Camp

INDOOR PLAY SPACE The Little Towns Children’s Museum My Gym Sky Zone Trampoline Park+ ZavaZone Pat the Roc Basketball Skills Academy

THINGS TO DO PLACE TO SEE A LOCAL BAND Caddies on Cordell Hank Dietle’s Tavern Java Nation The Comus Inn The Fillmore Silver Spring TRIVIA NIGHT Quincy’s World of Beer Caddies on Cordell Brickside Food & Drink 7 Locks Brewing GOLF COURSE Falls Road Golf Course Congressional Country Club Woodmont Country Club Bethesda Country Club Kenwood Country Club

PARK FOR HIKING Great Falls Park (Maryland Side) Rock Creek Park C&O Canal Billy Goat Trail

PARK FOR MOUNTAIN BIKING Schaeffer Farms Cabin John Trail Rock Creek Park C&O Canal

BEST OF THE REST FINANCIAL ADVISER David Hurwitz, Ameriprise Merrill Morgan Stanley Anna Behnam, Ameriprise FAMILY LAW PRACTITIONER Lloyd Malech Erin Kopelman Tammy Begun Geoffrey Platnick Jeffrey Greenblatt

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PRIVATE SCHOOL WITH RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION Washington Episcopal School St. Jane de Chantal School Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

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S R E N T R PA salons

Thank you for recognizing our passion with your vote

Thank you for voting us Best Hair Salon Northern Virginia Magazine PRatPartners 13 VIRGINIA Chevy Chase LOCATIONS www.PRatPARTNERS.com 202.966.6771

PRatPartners

www.PRatPARTNERS.com

A special thanks to our many clients for your vote and continued support.

195 homes in Bethesda...and counting!

Doug Monsein DCG Offices 301.983.6947 www.dcghomes.com

Reader’s Pick A Top Vote Getter Best Builder BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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Michelle Katz (@pike.and.rozay): Best Local Instagram Influencer

DEALERSHIP FOR PRE-OWNED CARS Fitzgerald Auto Mall Chevy Chase Acura CarMax Criswell Auto Euro Motorcars

PHOTOGRAPHER FOR FAMILY PORTRAITS Michael Bennett Kress Photography Danielle Sara Photography Katy Murray Photography Jason Weil Photography

VETERINARY PRACTICE Potomac Animal Hospital Friendship Hospital for Animals Alpine Veterinary Hospital Kenwood Animal Hospital Falls Road Veterinary Hospital Bradley Hills Animal Hospital

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FIRM AMR Commercial CBRE

PET GROOMING Bone Jour PetSmart Bark in Style Groomingville Olde Town Pet Resort Canine Design

LOCAL INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER Michelle Katz (@pike.and.rozay) The MoCo Show (@themocoshow) Justin Schuble (@dcfoodporn) n

2022 Readers’ Pick Best Veterinary Practice

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED FOR 49 YEARS.

The BEST pets.

The BEST clients.

The BEST of Bethesda.

COURTESY OF MICHELLE KATZ

BEST OF BETHESDA

READERS' PICKS

2022

Winner

Veterinary Services Boarding Services Grooming Services • wellness pet care • dentistry • surgery • radiology • laboratory • geriatrics • boarding • grooming • special needs animal care

(301) 299-4142

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WASHINGTON EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

Thank You!

2022

Winner Best Lower School

2022

Winner

Best School with a Religious Affiliation

2021

Winner Best Job at Distance Learning

2021 A Top Vote Getter

2021 A Top Vote Getter

Best School for Academics

Best School for Music & Arts

Kind. Confident. Prepared.

Nursery-Grade 8/Co-Ed | www.w-e-s.org | 301-652-7878 | 5600 Little Falls Parkway, Bethesda, MD

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BEST of the BEST

HOME

Fine Earth Landscape 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020: Winner, Best Landscaping Company 2019: Best Outdoor Living Area Builder 2020: Winner, Best Contractor for Outdoor Spaces 301-972-8810 | fineearth.com

Front Row: Jonathan Hernandez, Fredy Guzman, Makenzie Blocher, Ann Canning-Schruben, Jacob Hafner, Joel Hafner, Bernie Mihm, Dorothy Horton, Nathan Leatherman, Larry Reader Back Row: Heather Walsh, Melinda Boswell, Morgan Hafner, Irene Hafner, Georgette King, Judith Petersen

HOME

Fine Earth Landscape is an award-winning design-build landscape company serving the greater Washington, D.C. area. In business for over 45 years, we have built our reputation on excellent personalized service. We use our breadth of resources to meet your landscape needs and to create and maintain your beautiful outdoor environment. Fine Earth offers a complete solution from landscape design and landscape maintenance to patios, walls, plantings and swimming pools.

Deb Levy Senior Home Lending Advisor Chase | NMLS ID: 481255 2012: Winner, Best Mortgage Broker 2013: Winner, Best Mortgage Broker 2015: Winner, Best Mortgage Broker 2017: A Top Vote Getter, Best Mortgage Broker 2021: A Top Vote Getter, Best Mortgage Broker

I began my career with the then Chase Bank of Maryland in 1985 while attending the University of Maryland at night. It’s exciting to see Chase expanding our banking services to the Washington, DC area. As a native Washingtonian, my family and I are personally invested in this community and see it as a wonderful place to live. If you’re looking for a mortgage or financing solutions, I’ll guide you every step of the way, from application through closing.

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PHOTOS COURTESY

202-702-3262 | deb.levy@chase.com

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BEST of the BEST

HOME

GTM Architects 2017, 2019, 2021: Winner, Best Architect 2016, 2018, 2020: Winner, Best Architect for Custom Homes 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015: A Top Vote Getter, Best Architect 7735 Old Georgetown Rd, Suite 700, Bethesda, MD 20814 240-333-2000 | general-info@gtmarchitects.com gtmarchitects.com

Established in 1989, GTM Architects is a full service, award-winning design firm. We believe the most important quality of a well-designed home is its ability to perfect the homeowner’s vision. We pride ourselves on being responsive and talented professionals who bring vision, creativity and passion to our work, prioritizing the client’s needs above all else. Our strength at GTM is diversity, both in style and knowledge, which excites our clients and lets their vision shine.

HOME

Dana Rice Group of Compass 2018-2021: A Top Vote Getter, Best Real Estate Team 5471 Wisconsin Ave #300, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 202.669.6908 | danaricegroup.com

Named the #1 Small Team in Maryland by REAL Trends, the Dana Rice Group has sold more than $440 million, in the top 1 percent of residential agents globally. With backgrounds in architecture, staging, marketing, sales and communications, agents serve first-time buyers and those looking in the upper brackets with diligence, care and excellence.

Complimentary staging? Done. Need someone to grab your mail? Absolutely. Your dog needs a bath?

Why not! When it comes to your next real estate move, Dana Rice Group isn’t your typical real estate team. With savvy and smart agents, an on-staff designer, not to mention complimentary staging, you have a full-service team dedicated to you from search to settlement. And a bit of fun thrown in.

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BEST of the BEST

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Andy Alderdice 2022, 2020: Winner, Best Real Estate Brokerage for Luxury Homes (Long & Foster® Real Estate) 2019: A Top Vote Getter, Best Real Estate Agent 4701 Sangamore Road, Bethesda, MD 20816 301-466-5898 | andy4homes.com

We are thrilled to be included in Bethesda Magazine’s Best of the Best. We know there are many Realtors to choose from to represent you; we never stop striving to be even better and our clients agree. With a combined experience of over 43 years, we are proven and continue to grow and change with the market. We are always at the forefront of new technology, support, marketing and negotiation strategies. Integrity. Experience.

Commitment. Local.

From Left: Andy & Jessica Alderdice

BEAUTY & FITNESS

Bella Bethesda Salon 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016: Winner Best Salon in Bethesda 2021, 2012, 2010: Winner Best Hair Salon 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2008: Top Vote Getter Best Hair Salon 2021, 2015: Top Vote Getter Best Place for Men’s Haircuts

All staff and guests must provide proof of vaccination against covid-19 upon entering.

Proof of vaccination will need to be shown once which we will record.

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Bella Bethesda Salon has been a staple in the community for over 14 years. Bella Bethesda is not just a hair salon but a place that inspires fabulous hair while allowing our guests to escape their busy lives. Our services go far beyond standard cut and color. We feature services for straightening & smoothing as well as special occasions. At Bella Bethesda Salon, we’re not just committed to delivering great-looking, sophisticated and manageable hair. We arm our guests with the knowledge to maintain “just from the salon” look in between appointments.

PHOTOS COURTESY

Demetrios Bafitis, Owner 301-718-9111

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BEST of the BEST

BEAUTY & FITNESS

Progressions Salon 2022: Winner, Best Salon N. Bethesda/Rockville 2021: A Top Vote Getter, Best Hair Salon 2020: A Top Vote Getter, Best Salon N. Bethesda/ Rockville 12211 Nebel St. North Bethesda, MD 20852 301-231-8757

Progressions Salon Spa Store, where safety is the new luxury, is located in North Bethesda.

Progressions is a full-service, award-winning salon that has grown into a world-class retreat focused on service, sophistication and serenity. Since opening its doors in 1984, Progressions has evolved its brand and built a reputation for its unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. Their highly skilled team offers services including haircuts, color, extensions, nails, lashes, facials, HydraFacials, massages and waxing services.

HOME

Claude C. Lapp Architects 2013 - 2021: A Top Vote Getter, Best Architect 2016 - 2022: A Top Vote Getter, Best Architect for Custom Homes 2020: A Top Vote Getter, Best Architect for Home Remodeling 301-881-6856 | Info@cclarchitects.com www.CCLArchitects.com

Claude C. Lapp Architects, LLC is a distinguished and award-winning architectural firm specializing in custom residential design. For nearly 30 years we have helped clients in the D.C. area make their dreams a reality.

Our mission is to provide our clients with the highest-quality design suited for their lifestyles, expectations and budget. Whether you are looking to design a custom home, renovation or addition, we would love to earn your business.

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BEST of the BEST

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Margie Halem The Halem Group 2010-2021: A Top Vote Getter, Best Real Estate Agent 2021: A Top Vote Getter, Best Real Estate Team (Margie Halem Group) 7200 Wisconsin Ave, Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814 margiehalemgroup.com

Compass Bethesda’s number one team for 2021 and the nation’s top onepercent agents, The Halem Group has the real estate experience, marketing prowess and in-depth local knowledge to help you buy or sell your dream home. Discover what sets us apart—and why our clients return to us again and again!

HOME

Sandy Spring Builders 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021: Winner, Best Builder 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022: Winner, Best Builder for Custom Homes 2012, 2016, 2018: A Top Vote Getter, Best Remodeling Firm 2014: Winner, Best Remodeling Firm 2012, 2014: A Top Vote Getter, Best Green Builder 2020: A Top Vote Getter, Best Builder for Home Renovations

Sandy Spring Builders is the premier custom homebuilder in the Washington, D.C. area. For over 40 years, they have built new and done large-scale renovations of award-winning homes, bringing their client’s vision to life. They have won the Bethesda Magazine’s Best of Bethesda award for “Best Builder” every year since its inception, and myriad other awards. They are full-service custom builders, and their expertise is unmatched in the industry.

They are your builder for life.

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PHOTOS COURTESY

4705 West Virginia Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814 301-913-5995 | www.sandyspringbuilders.com

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BEST of the BEST

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Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc. Top Vote Getter: 2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2012: Best Architect 2021, 2019, 2015, 2013: Best Builder 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016: Best Architect for Custom Homes 2020, 2018, 2016: Best Builder for Custom Homes 2022, 2020, 2016: Best Kitchen Design Firm 2022, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012: Best Remodeling Firm 2017, 2015: Best Interior Designer Winner: 2022, 2020: Best Contractor for Outdoor Living Spaces 301-907-0100 | anthonywilder.com

Anthony Wilder Design/Build is an architecture-led design/build firm known for artful and expressive designs unique to each home they design. Named

by Bethesda Magazine as one of the “Top Places to Work”, the 50-person team consists of architects, interior designers and craftsmen working collaboratively on all projects which range from residential renovations, additions and custom homes to interior design and home maintenance.

For over 25 years, Anthony Wilder has been creating award-winning projects in and around the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area.

HOME

The Banner Team The Banner Team 2021, 2019: Top Vote Getter, Best Real Estate Team Long & Foster 2022: Winner, Best Real Estate Brokerage for Luxury Homes Wendy Banner 2021: Top Vote Getter, Best Real Estate Agent 4650 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814 301-365-9090 | Info@BannerTeam.com www.BannerTeam.com

Front Row: Brooke Bassin, Michelle Teichberg, Wendy Banner, Julia Fortin, Ilene Gordon Back Row: Gail Gordon, Jody Aucamp, Ashley Vonada, Pat Karta, Emily Moritt

Even more than a love of real estate, Long & Foster’s top-producing Banner Team is driven by a love of community and guiding friends and neighbors through the home buying and selling process. The 16-member allwomen team is passionate about their Pay it Forward Program, donating a portion of every commission to local charities, hosting community events and serving local organizations. They strive to make buying and selling a home an enjoyable, anxiety-free experience, providing a team behind every transaction!

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KIDS & SCHOOLS

Geneva Day School 2022, 2020, 2014, 2012, 2008: Best Preschool 2016: “Top Vote Getter” Preschool 2022: Best Summer Program 2020: “Top Vote Getter” Summer Program 11931 Seven Locks Road, Potomac, MD 20854 genevadayschool.org

Encouraging a lifelong love of learning for nearly 60 years, Geneva Day School provides spectacular classes and superlative programs for children aged two through kindergarten. Environmental Education, Art Enrichment, Physical Education and Mindfulness are some of the many “specials” that define our “Geneva Method.” As a Maryland Green School with sprawling gardens, a monarch butterfly waystation, elaborate playground and nearby creek, student-scientists take the lead when discovering the natural world. See you outside!

KIDS & SCHOOLS

St. Jane de Chantal School 2021: A Top Vote Getter, Private School that did the Best Job with Distance Learning 2020: Winner, Best Private School with Religious Affiliation 2020, 2019, 2016, 2014: A Top Vote Getter, Best Private School - Lower School 2018, 2014: A Top Vote Getter, Best Private School with Religious Affiliation

St. Jane de Chantal School, located in the heart of Bethesda, offers Catholic education for children Pre-K through Grade 8. Instructional strategies are used to ensure learning is interactive, dynamic and effective. Teaching models include cooperative learning, use of textbooks, Chromebooks, iPads and experimental learning in all disciplines. STEM and Fine Arts programs challenge students to acquire new skills. This is a school where your children will grow in spirit and in mind.

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PHOTOS COURTESY

9525 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814 301-530-1221 | dechantal.org

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BEST of the BEST

HEALTH

Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery 2020, 2022: A Top Vote Getter, Best Practice for Medical Aesthetics 2017, 2020: Top Vote Getter, Best Cosmetic Surgeon 2021: Best Cosmetic Surgeon 2019, 2021: Top Doctor 7201 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 515, Bethesda, MD 20814 301.652.8191 | ChevyChaseFace.com

Eighteen years and counting, the award-winning Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgery has been growing under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Parker Porter, a double board-certified Facial Plastic Surgeon. Dr. Jigar Sitapara, a specialist in Hair Transplant, Buccal Fat removal and Extended Deep Plane Facelift, adds new areas of expertise. Focused on natural results, we strive to a enhance your natural beauty, whether a surgical procedure like rhinoplasty or a skin tightening treatment like Morpheus8©. Skin care treatments like Microneedling, HydrafacialMD®, AerolaseNeo® and Chemical peels pair well with our curated selection of medical grade skin care treatments. Book your Botox through our Tox2GO™ app for savings.

BEST OF THE REST

Geoffrey S. Platnick Strickler, Platnick & Hatfield The Modern Family Law Firm 2022: Top Vote Getter Family Law Practitioner 1201 Seven Locks Road, Suite 360-7A, Potomac, MD 20854 240-617-0404 | www.modernfamilylawfirm.com

Geoffrey Platnick (“Geoff”) is managing partner of Strickler, Platnick & Hatfield in Potomac, which concentrates its practice exclusively in family law in D.C. and Maryland. As an exceptionally skilled litigator and negotiator, Geoff’s singular focus is achieving his clients’ goals. He is respected for his creative problem-solving and strategic approach to complex divorce, custody and other family law disputes as well as his relentless focus on achieving his clients’ objectives in a manner that suits their unique needs.

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KIDS & SCHOOLS

Bullis School 2022, 2020, 2016, 2014, 2007: Top Vote Getter Private School–Lower School; 2019, 2016, 2007: Top Vote Getter Private School–Lower School; 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018: Winner Private School–Upper School; 2022, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2014: Top Vote Getter Summer Sports Camps; 2021, 2015: Top Vote Getter Best Private School for Academics; 2019, 2017, 2012, 2010: Winner Best Private School for Academics; 2021, 2017, 2015: Top Vote Getter Best Private School for Music/Arts; 2019, 2012, 2010: Winner Best Private School for Music/Arts; 2021, 2019, 2017: Vote Getter Best Private School for Girls/Boys Sports 10601 Falls Road, Potomac, MD 20854 301-299-8500| www.bullis.org

Bullis School provides a rich intellectual experience that inspires students to be critical thinkers, lifelong learners and impactful global citizens. Our student-centered community embraces diversity, honors integrity and fosters belonging. Meaningful opportunities in academics, arts, athletics and service stimulate individual and collective growth and enhance joy.

FOOD & DRINK

La Ferme 2022: Top Vote Getter Overall restaurant in MC/Upper NW DC; 2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008: Winner Most Romantic Restaurant; 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2011, 2009: Winner or Top Vote Getter Best Restaurant Chevy Chase; 2021, 2019, 2017, 2009: Winner or Top Vote Getter Best Special Occasion Restaurant; 2020: Top Vote Getter Restaurant with Best Service.

Since 1985, La Ferme has been a staple of the area’s culinary scene. From escargots and sweetbreads to Chateaubriand, sole Meunière or trout amandine and a Grand Marnier soufflé, patrons enjoy classic French fare in a charming and romantic setting.

Gracious hospitality, attentive service and live piano music always offers a memorable experience.

“La Ferme is one of the area’s most pleasant places to catch up with friends, do business or toast a big day.”

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PHOTOS COURTESY

7101 Brookville Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-986-5255 | lafermerestaurant@gmail.com www.lafermerestaurant.com

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BEST of the BEST

HEALTH

RENU by Dr. Schoenfeld 2022: A Top Vote Getter - Practice/Place for Medical Aesthetics RENU by Dr. Schoenfeld 2011, 2013, 2021: Top Vote Getter - Cosmetic Surgeon Philip S. Schoenfeld, MD 5454 Wisconsin Ave. Suite 1625, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 301-652-7368 | www.renudc.com

From Left: Susette Lapina, Elena Aigro, Angela Goldin, Dr. Philip Schoenfeld MD, FACS, Jennifer Whitman, Lissette Arevalo, Lydia Kurland, Aregash Sied

BEST OF THE REST

Board-certified in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, Dr. Philip Schoenfeld MD, FACS specializes in rhinoplasty, revision rhinoplasty, face-lift surgery, NeoGraft Hair Transplant, as well as non-surgical procedures such as Botox, dermal fillers, laser skin rejuvenation and PRP Hair Restoration.

RENU by Dr. Schoenfeld’s MedSpa offers medical grade facials, chemical peels and skincare

by Master Esthetician Susette Lapina, PRP, microneedling and laser services by our certified RN and PA and therapeutic Massage by our LMT.

Malech Law 2022: Winner for “Best Family Law Practitioner,” Best of Bethesda Readers’ Poll 2020-2021: Attorney and Practice Magazine’s “Top 10 Family Law Attorney in Maryland” 2021: Lawyers of Distinction’s “2021 Power Lawyers, Recognized for competency in jurisprudence and reputation among his peers” 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 1430, Bethesda, MD 20814 202-441-2107 | www.Malechlaw.com

Lloyd Malech and his team represent clients with respect, empathy and excellence. In practice for over 25 years, Malech Law focuses on a wide range of areas including divorce, child custody, child support, modifications, enforcement, domestic violence and other related family law matters. Mr. Malech supports clients through all aspects of the legal process and understands the modern family. At Malech Law, equity, diversity and inclusion are the foundation of the practice.

Family Law, Reenvisioned.

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KIDS & SCHOOLS

PrepMatters, Inc. 2020, 2022: Winner, Best Tutoring Firm 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016: A Top Vote Getter, Best Tutoring Firm 2012, 2015: Winner, Best SAT Prep 5001 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814 301-951-0350 | www.prepmatters.com

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The

Race Ison

BY LOUIS PECK | PHOTOS BY JOSEPH TRAN

FOR MUCH OF Marc Elrich’s first term

as Montgomery County executive, voter attention has been focused on governmental efforts to protect their health and finances during a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.

Will COVID-19 remain the focus of voters come June’s primary election, or will their attention turn to long-range needs such as jobs, affordable housing and improved transportation?

The answer to that and other key questions could determine whether Elrich is nominated for a second term in a jurisdiction where success in the Democratic primary has become tantamount to election in November, given the Democrats’ nearly 4-1 edge in registered voters.

Among the other questions: • How will Elrich and the three other white men starring in the Democratic primary for executive—businessman David Blair and county councilmembers Tom Hucker and Hans Riemer— position themselves to represent a liberal jurisdiction in which a solid majority of residents are people of color? And will a Democratic primary electorate that has remained disproportionately white begin to more closely resemble the county’s changing demographics?

• In a contest that’s fundamentally a

COVID and economic growth are on the front burners in the Democratic primary for county executive. But old grudges and new rivalries are simmering in the background.

referendum on Elrich, will his longtime base among progressive voters and his ties to county unions provide enough reinforcement in the face of attacks over his vision and effectiveness?

• Will Hucker’s surprise entry into the contest, combined with his progressive credentials, split the left side of the party, providing opportunities for Blair and Riemer, with their appeals to more centrist Democrats?

Four years ago, to the dismay of many in the local political and business establishment, Elrich, then a county councilmember, emerged as the winner of a six-way primary by the narrowest of margins. This year, rivals as well as allies consider him the early front-runner.

At 72, Elrich has been a presence in county elections—and often a lightning rod—for more than three decades. He’s a policy wonk with a soft voice who has nonetheless been blunt in taking on local development interests. He was an outlier during 12 years on the council but found success on issues ranging from early advocacy of a bus rapid transit system to sponsorship of the law raising the hourly minimum wage to $15.

The issue that has dominated Elrich’s first term—COVID-19—has yielded high approval ratings for him in recent private

polling. The county boasts vaccination rates among the highest nationally for large jurisdictions, and it has implemented strict policies to stem the virus’s spread.

That has hardly discouraged this year’s major Democratic challengers, whose criticism of the incumbent on substance and style presages a reprise of the negative tenor of the 2018 race, when two so-called independent expenditure campaigns underwrote attack ads: one in an effort to elect Elrich, the other in a bid to defeat him. (Such campaigns can’t be coordinated by or with candidates and are typically financed by corporations, unions or political action committees.)

Blair, the target of one of those efforts four years ago, is making another run after finishing just 77 votes behind Elrich in the 2018 primary—when he poured $5.4 million of his personal assets into his first bid for elected office, a campaign that emphasized economic development.

The 52-year-old Potomac resident was CEO of Catalyst Health Solutions Inc. until he sold it in 2012. He appears more at ease as a candidate this time, following an intervening period in which he founded a local advocacy and research group and supported a multibilliondollar education reform package that cleared the General Assembly in 2021.

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Elrich also will be confronted on the ballot by two former council colleagues.

Riemer, 49, is a fellow Takoma Park resident with whom Elrich has had a strained political and personal relationship dating back to when they briefly went head-tohead for a council seat in 2006. The affable Riemer is in the final year of his threeterm limit on the council, where he was president in 2018. Riemer and Elrich have been at odds over Riemer’s support of high-profile initiatives ranging from the construction of accessory dwelling units (so-called “in-law suites”) to the placement of 5G towers in neighborhoods and the opening of a portion of the county’s Agricultural Reserve to solar panel arrays.

Hucker, meanwhile, is a longtime Elrich friend who has fallen out with his former colleague over management of the county during Elrich’s first term. A 54-year-old Silver Spring resident with an intense demeanor, Hucker founded Progressive Maryland, an advocacy group, before winning two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates. He’s in his second term on the council, where he was president in 2021.

Challengers’ prospects may rise or fall on an ability to change the subject from COVID to issues where they contend Elrich is vulnerable, ranging from economic development to climate change.

“I’m talking to voters at my house parties, and what I’m finding is almost an electric interest in talking about the economic future of the county,” Riemer says.

“They’re concerned about where we’re going to be in 10 years.”

But former Councilmember Steve Silverman, once a county executive candidate himself, is less optimistic than Riemer that economic development will capture voter attention.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic is still with us, as is the need for more vaccinations, more testing, more rental assistance, more food banks,” says Silverman, a lobbyist with close ties to Empower Montgomery, which was behind the independent expenditure effort targeting Elrich in the general election four years ago. “And those issues continue to crowd 140

out a lingering problem—which is a lack of new businesses in the county, and the jobs they produce.”

IN THE AFTERMATH OF his narrow

loss in 2018, Blair says it “probably took me more than three full months before I slept all the way through the night,” as he contemplated what he could have done differently. He began discussing a second run for executive in late 2019, and by 2020 “it became pretty clear to me that I wanted to run again,” Blair says. “I think watching the continued deterioration of the county led me to that.

“The stats are shocking that we have less businesses here in Montgomery County than we did 10 years ago, and that we have less private sector jobs,” Blair says.

Riemer has made little secret throughout his final term of his interest in taking on the incumbent.

Growing up in Oakland, California, he says, “the primacy of economic development, the importance to families and communities of having good jobs, has been something to me of overriding importance. So, coming to Montgomery County, I was sort of bewildered to see local elected officials and a local politics where the primary mission seemed to be to get in the way of economic development.”

He regularly invokes the epithet “NIMBY,” echoing criticism aimed at Elrich throughout his career for being in the corner of those with a “not in my backyard” attitude toward economic development and housing growth. Riemer gibes that “there is one piece of property in Montgomery County that [Elrich] can support development on without pissing off his NIMBY supporters”: the Metro-owned parcel in White Flint that Elrich hopes will become a hub for life sciences firms.

In turn, Elrich accuses Riemer of pursuing a strategy that is “very Koch Brothers, Reaganesque—like, let the private sector solve everything. …He never met a developer he didn’t like.” Elrich levels similar salvos at Blair, contending he “had his hands all over” a report Empower Montgomery released in June, triggering an

opening volley in the 2022 executive race.

The report found that over 12 years ending in 2019, the county lost more than 14,000 jobs in “key industry sectors” to other jurisdictions in the region, notably in Virginia, and proposed a $275 million incentive fund for companies to locate or expand in Montgomery. Blair, who says a 2017 listing of him as a co-founder of Empower Montgomery overstated his role in that organization, insists he had nothing to do with the report. Both he and Riemer, as announced candidates at the time of its release, praised its findings.

Elrich dismissed the report as “a piece of garbage” and, in a subsequent interview, complains: “I hear about Virginia all the time. But there’s no examination of why we lose—it’s just like, ‘You should give away more money.’ …This has been the most frustrating part of dealing with some people on the [county] council and in the business community in general.”

At the same time, Elrich boasts of streamlining processes in areas such as contracting and procurement, while working with individual developers to remove bureaucratic logjams.

Like the other challengers, Hucker has been critical of Elrich on economic development. He and Riemer blast what they say is the incumbent’s undercutting of the Viva White Oak commercial-residential project near the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s campus in the county’s eastern section.

Elrich contends the de veloper, Jonathan Genn of Percontee Inc., has “got all these acres over there, and he hasn’t done a damn thing in a decade.”

In a recent statement to Bethesda Beat, Genn responded to Elrich’s criticism by saying, “Perhaps it would be best if we just agree to disagree; and let what actually happens at Viva White Oak, in both the near term and the long term ... be the best evidence of whose perspectives turn out to be most accurate.”

IF BLAIR AND RIEMER were long seen as likely challengers to Elrich, Hucker’s July 2021 announcement that he was exploring a run came as a sur-

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MARC ELRICH AGE: 72; born Nov. 2, 1949, Washington, D.C. HOME: Takoma Park; divorced, four children EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree, University of Maryland, 1975; master’s degree, Johns Hopkins University, 1993

prise to political insiders. (He confirmed in November that he was indeed planning to run.)

Generally, Hucker seems to be taking aim less at Elrich’s policies than what he sees as an inability to produce results.

“Marc and I agree on certainly many issues,” Hucker says. “[But] as a friend and longtime supporter of Marc’s who defended him to so many people four

years ago—and said that he would be open-minded and transparent, and would bring in the best people—none of those things have come to pass. “…I don’t think things are going to get better unless the county changes direction. …There’s a lot of disorganization, there’s a lot of confusion, there’s no accountability—and there’s a lot of mismanagement.”

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: teacher (Rolling Terrace Elementary School, Takoma Park, 19902006); retail store manager (Montgomery Ward, Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op) POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Montgomery County executive, 2018-present; member, Montgomery County Council, 2006-2018; member, Takoma Park City Council, 1987-2006; ran for county council at-large, 1994 and 2002, and in District 5, 1990 and 1998

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TOM HUCKER AGE: 54; born April 9, 1967, St. Louis, Missouri HOME: Silver Spring; married, two children EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree, Boston College, 1988 PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: regional campaign director, U.S. Public Interest Research Group/ Environment America, 19901995; director, Progressive Montgomery, 1998-2001; founder and executive director, Progressive Maryland, 2001-2006; consultant, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 20092011; consultant, Natural Resources Defense Council, 2013-present POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: member, Montgomery County Council, 2014-present (chair, Transportation and Environment Committee, 2018-present; council president, 2021; council vice president, 2020); member, House of Delegates, Maryland General Assembly, 2007-2014 142

Over nearly three hours of interviews, the incumbent is alternately dismissive and defiant toward criticisms, asserting, “We’ve put together, I think, some major advances here.”

“It’s so easy to talk,” Elrich says. “It comes from being able to say, ‘You should do this and this and this,’ with no knowledge of how you actually make something work.” His soft voice rising, he

says, “It comes particularly from Tom, who doesn’t have to run anything.”

While Elrich and Hucker are widely seen as sharing a base among progressives and labor, Hucker dismisses suggestions that they could split that base— to the benefit of another candidate. But supporters of both men worry.

“I have personally told Tom there is that risk,” says Gino Renne, president of

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UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, the union that represents most county government employees and has long backed Elrich and Hucker. “It makes it difficult for the union when two allies square off.”

AS COUNTY COUNCIL members

received their weekly COVID briefing at the height of the pandemic in August 2020, new data confirmed the worst fears of Gabe Albornoz and Nancy Navarro, the council’s Latino members: Over a fourweek period, more than 78% of the county’s positive test cases were among the Hispanic community—which accounts for only one-fifth of the county’s population.

“That was a shocking number. It just jumped off the screen,” Albornoz recalls.

“Since the very beginning of the pandemic, we had been talking about the need for multicultural outreach, bilingual operators, health promoters in Spanish—and we kept being told, ‘It’s in the works.’ … But there was not nearly enough action.”

Albornoz and Navarro met the next day with officials of the county’s Latino Health Initiative, and a program to deal with the situation—Por Nuestra Salud y Bienestar (For Our Health and WellBeing)—was quickly formulated. The result was clear: When shots became available, the vaccination rate among Latino residents often surpassed that of the county’s overall population.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated Elrich’s first term, the amount of credit he deserves for what has been widely regarded as a success story has emerged as a point of contention.

“Overall on the county’s response to COVID, the proof is in the pudding with our high vaccination rates and what we’ve been able to work out,” Albornoz says. “[But] there were numerous instances that were difficult and painful and didn’t have to be.”

Hucker is more pointed. “The outstanding Montgomery County response to COVID has been in many ways despite Marc and his approach, and not because of it,” he says. “It was the members of the council who had to step in and close the

racial equity gap.”

Elrich lauds the efforts of Albornoz and Navarro, but challenges Hucker’s characterization, declaring: “I made the changes in the structure in the county government, I made the changes in saying we’re going to put our money into these efforts, I made the decision to reduce…the traditional government role and extend more of the community involvement in all this. The council didn’t order anything.”

Riemer and Hucker suggest that the comparatively late arrival of a mass vaccination site in Montgomery County hurt residents of color. “Most people in this county had to leave this county to get vaccinated through much of the pandemic,” Riemer says. “That was devastating.” Despite being the state’s most populous county, Montgomery was the 12th of 13 mass vaccination centers set up around Maryland; the site at Montgomery College in Germantown opened months after some other locations. “…We didn’t get our fair share of vaccines, and some people would say that’s due to Marc’s toxic relationship with the governor,” Hucker says. Elrich downplays the fallout from his feuding with Gov. Larry Hogan and attributes the late opening of the Germantown site to the county’s high vaccination rates.

Multiple sources, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss private conversations with the governor’s office, say Elrich’s office largely remained on the sidelines in efforts to procure a mass vaccination site, with members of the county’s legislative delegation conducting the ultimately successful lobbying effort. It received a quiet boost from former County Executive Ike Leggett.

The debate over the county’s pandemic response—particularly as it has affected communities of color—comes as census figures released last summer show 20.5% of Montgomery’s population is now Latino, with Black people accounting for more than 18% and those of Asian ancestry at more than 15%.

Quiet efforts to recruit a county executive candidate from among the four

current council members who are Black or Latino were unavailing. “Not having any people of color or women in the race for executive—I think that’s a problem.

It’s not representative of who we are,” says Councilmember Will Jawando, who is African American and has decided to run for reelection to his at-large seat.

Jawando and Albornoz, another atlarge member seeking reelection, are seen in political circles as potential future candidates for the executive post. But this year the Democratic field is five white men (including longshot Devin Battley; see sidebar, page 147) reaching out to the county’s large electorate of people of color.

Elrich can highlight the appointment of Black people to numerous positions in his administration. Hucker chose Kaldi’s Social House, a Black- and immigrant-owned business in downtown Silver Spring, to announce his exploratory campaign last summer—with a diverse array of testimonials. Speakers included Del. Kumar Barve of Rockville, who is Indian American and a senior member of the county’s legislative delegation; Navarro, the county’s longest serving Hispanic officeholder and now a candidate for lieutenant governor; and state Sen. Will Smith of Silver Spring, who is Black and a rising power in Annapolis.

Hucker and Riemer have pushed legislation on police reform, an issue of particular concern to communities of color. A Hucker bill approved in November seeks to boost police accountability with random reviews of body camera footage; a 2019 law sponsored by Riemer created a Policing Advisory Commission designed to bring community leaders together with police and union officials.

In 2019, Blair personally financed the creation of the Council for Advocacy and Policy Solutions, billed as a combination of a local think tank and an advocacy group. Among its numerous minorityrelated initiatives: a “Rise and Run” program to help Black leaders prepare to run for office, and an entrepreneurship lab at The Universities at Shady Grove.

“A third of our residents were born outside the United States,” Blair says of

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the county population. “It’s entrepreneurial in and of itself just learning a new language, culture, systems.”

Navarro says of Latino support in this year’s county election: “I think it’s still wide open.” Navarro, who encouraged Hucker to run for executive, adds: “This is a community that is definitely maturing quite a bit when it comes to civic participation. …It’s not a monolith, and they’re going to be very curious about who understands the nuances and needs of this community.”

It’s Silverman’s observation, however, that Democratic primary voters remain “overwhelmingly old and white, and that, I believe, is where the ultimate focus is” among the primary electorate’s policy priorities.

WHILE ON THE all-Democratic coun-

cil, Elrich’s relationships with his colleagues were often strained. He was never elected president and was often on the losing end of 8-1 votes.

Today, his relationship with the council is perhaps even more tenuous. Over the past 15 months, it has overwhelmingly overridden three Elrich vetoes.

Elrich says he faces a “more overtly oppositional council” than previous executives did, pointing to council members’ term limits as a reason some are “running against you since the day you got elected.” Still, he likens tensions with the council to those faced by his predecessors as county executive, such as Leggett.

But Navarro, who joined the council during Leggett’s first term, feels relations have worsened. “Even when I had disagreements with the Leggett administration, at least I knew I could rely on a solid response, a timely response,” she says.

Hucker recounts weekly meetings with Elrich during his tenure as vice president and then president of the council, saying, “In general, …Marc likes to have an endless freewheeling debate, about every possible issue, but is uncomfortable with deadlines and is uncomfortable with decisions.”

“I’ve always been thoughtful,” Elrich responds. “... In terms of laying stuff out on the table, I’m not laying stuff out there 144

until I understand whether it’s going to work and what the consequences are going to be.”

He cites police reform as a key issue to emerge since the 2018 election. While Hucker charges that there’s been “next to nothing—a commission” from Elrich, the incumbent says that “the council has legislated willy-nilly on police reform.”

He says the commission he created has brought in an outside group of experts, including former officers. Recommendations are expected early in 2022.

Elrich also has faced complaints for slowness in delivering on a 2018 campaign promise to restructure the government—and find cost savings. Elrich blames part of the delay on COVID, but also points at some senior civil servants within the executive branch. “It’s been frustrating dealing with restructuring,” he says. “It’s not widely embraced by upper management.”

In a swipe at Hucker and Riemer— both political organizers before running for office—Elrich says, “I have more of a management background than anybody but David Blair. I’ve worked in business and actually had to run things.” He cites experience as a manager at the Montgomery Ward retail chain and the Takoma Park/ Silver Spring Co-Op early in his career.

AT $5.7 MILLION, Blair’s campaign

spending in the 2018 primary more than doubled the previous record in a county executive race. That included $5.4 million in contributions and loans that he underwrote. Financial disclosure forms filed that year showed Blair with personal investments exceeding $50 million.

Blair’s campaign budget was nearly six times what was spent by Elrich, who opted for the county’s public campaign finance system. In exchange for access to government funds, the public system places strict limits on the size and sources of donations a candidate can accept.

“I can’t imagine we’ll spend that much money this time,” Blair says.

Hucker is expected to reach a decision on whether to utilize public or private funding after annual campaign finance

disclosure reports are filed in January.

Hucker has not ruled out initially relying on private financing and later switching to public funding.

Elrich is again tapping into public funding, as is Riemer, whose criticism of Blair’s background goes beyond limited governmental experience.

“David Blair, first of all, is a former Republican,” Riemer says. “He has spent probably more of his life as a Republican than a Democrat, so that’s a real concern.”

Actually, Blair switched his registration to Democratic in 2003, according to state Board of Elections records, following about 15 years as a Republican. After growing up in “the Ronald Reagan era,” knowing little about politics, Blair says, he eventually switched his registration because “I found myself consistently voting for Democratic candidates, and my positions aligned with the Democrats.”

Blair’s past political affiliation was highlighted four years ago in an independent expenditure campaign by Progressive Maryland, which endorsed Elrich in 2018.

That effort also pointed to a $15 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Catalyst Health Solutions, alleging fraud in the marketing of catastrophic insurance policies. The suit was settled in 2017 with no admission of wrongdoing, five years after Blair left the company, although it covers activity while Blair was CEO. Riemer terms the suit “very relevant” to this year’s campaign, charging that Blair’s firm “sold a phony insurance product.” Blair, noting that the lawsuit was filed a year after his departure, bristles at the allegations: “I don’t remember the specifics, but here’s what I do know— we were one of Fortune magazine’s most admired health care companies. … I am so proud of what we built here in Rockville, Maryland. We created thousands upon thousands of jobs.”

Riemer’s attacks reflect a belief that the jockeying between Elrich and Hucker for the party’s hard-core progressive base leaves him and Blair in competition for the remaining Democratic electorate. “The important thing to under-

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HANS RIEMER AGE: 49; born Sept. 5, 1972, Oakland, California HOME: Takoma Park; married, two children EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree, University of California Santa Cruz, 1995 PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: policy associate, Save Our Security Coalition, 1995-1996; founder and director, 2030 Center (public policy organization for young people), 19962001; senior policy analyst, Campaign for America’s Future, 2001-2003; political director, Rock the Vote, 20032007; national youth vote director, Obama for America, 2007-2008; senior adviser, AARP, 2008-2010

stand about this race is that David Blair is not very strong,” Riemer says. “A lot of his supporters in 2018 were people who really didn’t like Marc.”

Riemer’s stance on labor issues diverges from the views of Elrich and Hucker. He has opposed generous union contracts and advocated a vaccine mandate for county employees this past fall.

Union leaders accused Riemer of a conflict of interest because his wife is a Washington-based lobbyist for Pfizer, which manufactures one of the COVID vaccines. Riemer quickly produced an opinion from the county’s ethics commission saying there was no conflict.

On the county council, Riemer has sought to straddle constituencies. “He’s

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: member, Montgomery County Council, 2010-present (chair, Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee, 2018-present; council president, 2018; council vice president, 2017); ran for county council, 2006 (District 5)

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DAVID BLAIR AGE: 52; born Aug. 20, 1969, Silver Spring HOME: Potomac; married, six children EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree, Clemson University, 1991 PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: health care industry (executive chair, Accountable Health Inc., 2013-2017; CEO, Catalyst Health Solutions Inc., 1999-2012); minority partner, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, parent company of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards, 2013-present; founder and chair of the board, Council for Advocacy and Policy Solutions, 2019-present POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: ran for Montgomery County executive, 2018; co-chair, Vote No on [Ballot Questions] B & D, 2020 146

trying to say, ‘I’m the business-friendly guy and I’m also the progressive,’ ” says one veteran of county politics who requested anonymity in order to speak frankly. “That’s one of those, ‘How do you get endorsements from either The Post or the teachers?’ I think that’s a problem.”

It’s a reference to The Washington Post and the Montgomery County Education Association’s “Apple Ballot,” both

of which have been influential endorsements in county elections. The Post backed Blair four years ago, while Elrich captured the MCEA endorsement. Earning either endorsement could be key to another candidate gaining traction this year.

For his part, Blair—running in the primary of a party that has been moving leftward in Maryland and nationally—is seeking to avoid the “business candidate”

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label. Rather, he appears to be positioning himself as the outsider, and his opponents as part of a failing establishment.

“I would broadly describe it as two lanes, in which one lane is the status quo—which is a county that is losing jobs, struggling to pay for our basic services, watching our schools deteriorate; and there are three choices for that lane,” he says. “The lane that I’m running in is about action, it’s about…actually creating jobs, building businesses.”

Blair’s background—“I am the only candidate running that has a career’s worth of experience as an executive”— could cut both ways politically. Blair notes that he “ran a business with a similar size budget” to Montgomery County’s (Catalyst had annual revenues of $6 billion when Blair sold it). But his rivals have signaled that Blair’s lack of governmental experience remains fair game.

“You’ve got to know how the county works…you’ve got to know how to work with the council,” Riemer says. “And David Blair doesn’t know any of them.”

Blair seems ready for such criticism.

“For decades, I’ve been involved in nonprofit communities, civic advocacy— I was even on Ike Leggett’s [economic advisory] committee,” he says. “I have a good handle on the county’s needs.”

Riemer has previously appeared on the countywide ballot three times. Hucker has never run countywide. His prospects may hinge on whether the county government unions shift their support—and the get-out-the-vote efforts that accompany it—from Elrich to Hucker.

At present, that appears unlikely. “Our endorsements…are not rubber stamps of decisions we’ve made in the past,” says MCGEO’s Renne. “However, in a race as sensitive as the executive, given the relationship we have with the [current] executive—he’s been a good partner—he certainly has an edge over other competitors.” n Louis Peck has covered politics extensively at the local, state and national level for four decades. He can be reached at lou.peck@bethesdamagazine.com.

THE NEWCOMER: DEVIN BATTLEY A POLITICAL NOVICE WHO has spent much of his career racing and selling motorcycles is a late entry into the Democratic primary for county executive, joining four higher-profile political veterans.

“I’m a wild card, but I’m not a Robin Ficker. OK?” wisecracks Derwood resident Devin Battley, referring to the longtime gadfly of Montgomery County politics.

In contrast to Ficker, a Republican who has run for office no fewer than 20 times (all but once unsuccessfully), Battley, at 71, is making his first run for public office.

And he may be a bit kinder and gentler, as well.

“Anything I have to say about the other candidates I’m always going to preface it with a compliment—and then just put in my comment on why I would be better,” he vows. “Is that a polite way of doing it or what?”

What Battley does appear to share with the often cantankerous Ficker is a vocal contempt for the manner in which county government is run.

“That’s my big problem: Montgomery County—they make everything so difficult,” Battley asserts. Of his candidacy, he asks rhetorically: “Why do I want to do this? I just wish I could do something to end the fraud, waste and abuse of our taxpayers. Anytime you want to do something productive in this county, you experience…government departments [that] just want to extort stuff from you.”

For two decades, Battley has been president of the owners’ association in Lindbergh Park, a 54-acre light industrial area near Gaithersburg. A trigger for his foray into electoral politics was the county’s decision in mid-2021 to appeal a state Tax Court ruling granting thousands of dollars in tax credits to Lindbergh Park property owners for stormwater runoff improvements.

Battley acknowledges “the county totally upset me” by appealing the case after a five-year legal battle over the Water

Quality Protection Charge—derided by critics as the “rain tax.” But that isn’t his only beef with the county. “…They’re trying to make it as difficult as possible for me to do a solar farm on my agricultural property,” he charges—referring to 93 acres he owns just outside the county’s Agricultural Reserve. He complains of “absurd and ridiculous requirements” that he says county officials want to impose.

Born in Arlington, Virginia, Battley became involved in motorcycle racing while in the trucking business. In 1984, he purchased a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership in Rockville—now located near Gaithersburg— that he sold three years ago. Among his customers, he says: the late King Hussein of Jordan, a motorcycle enthusiast.

Battley became a county resident in 1991, and says he has been a registered Democrat ever since. In 2008, he chaired a task force created by the Maryland General Assembly to define all-terrain vehicles and how they should be regulated.

He has filed his intent to tap into the county’s public campaign funding program. “What’s my campaign based on right now? I’m Devin Battley, the one-man band,” he says, adding with a chuckle, “I do have a girl Friday”— Maryna Gusciora, the campaign’s treasurer.

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y p p Ha

Endings

Risa Simon takes in older dogs and cats who need a place to live. Her goal is simple: She wants them to enjoy the time they have left.

BY CARALEE ADAMS PHOTOS BY LIZ LYNCH

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Risa Simon is pictured at home in Rockville, where she runs a pet sanctuary and rescue. Bronx, who’s next to Simon, died in September, a little more than a week after this photo was taken.

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“LET’S GO FOR A WALK!” says

Right: The younger cats at Leashes End can venture outside and explore the yard.

Below: The yard on Simon’s 3-acre property in Rockville is fenced, so the dogs don’t need leashes.

Risa Simon, clapping her hands and prompting se ven dogs , including Buddha, a 20-year-old Chihuahua mix, and Olive, a one-eyed Shih Tzu, to perk up and follow her out the front door.

The yard is fenced, so there’s no need for leashes.

“Everybody goes at their own pace,” Simon explains as she circles her 3-acre property with the pack of misfits ambling behind. The 49-year-old U.S. naval intelligence officer has run Leashes End, a nonprofit pet sanctuary and rescue for senior dogs and cats, out of her Rockville home since 2016. Many of the animals have been neglected, abused or abandoned and come to Simon through shelters or from owners who can no longer care for them. In December, she had 16 dogs and 11 cats. Amid the contemporary decor and hardwood floors in the house, pet gear—dog beds, kitty condos, blankets, litter boxes—fills the rooms.

“It doesn’t matter where they came from. Once they get here, they just love it and they blossom,” says Simon, who does not adopt out the animals. “They are here to live their final chapter.”

FROM THE OUTSIDE, Simon’s mani-

cured lawn and 5,000-square-foot brick colonial blend right into her Avery Village neighborhood. The first clues to the operation inside are the signs on the front door that read: “I was normal three cats ago” and “Dogs are like potato chips.

You can’t have just one.”

It’s pandemonium when Simon gets home from work, she says. Sometimes an 18-year-old puggle named Molly is the scout at the gate, barking when her car pulls into the driveway. Once Molly sounds the alarm, the others rush to the call. As Simon comes in, the animals trail after her and jump on her, and she picks them up for hugs. Some follow her to the powder room after her long commute, 150

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The animals’ meals are prepared twice a day and may include turkey bacon or stewed beef.

she says, often wildly protesting if she tries to close the door. Among the brood is Blue, a 16-year-old schnoodle (poodleschnauzer mix) described by Simon as a little neurotic. “He’s the most vocal of all the dogs, and he just about wails when I come home about how long I’ve been gone,” she says.

After what has been a rough life for many of the animals, Simon says they deserve all the attention she can provide, along with that of the two live-in staffers and regular volunteers who help her out. She always dreamed of starting a rescue in retirement, she says, but she proceeded ahead of schedule when it became apparent that there wasn’t enough room in her Silver Spring town-

house for all the older pets she had rehomed or adopted. Simon is separated from her husband, who shares her soft spot for animals in need and volunteers at Leashes End on weekends. She bought the Rockville house with money left to her by an aunt, who also gave Simon two of her beloved Maltese dogs when she could no longer care for them.

The animals at Leashes End range in age from 8 to 22, though most tend to be on the older side (Simon calls them “super seniors”) and have medical conditions that made it harder to find a home for them. There are cats-only spaces on all three floors, with gates to keep out the dogs. The oldest cats live inside and stay upstairs; the younger ones can venture

out and often enjoy exploring the creek in the back of the yard. Kiva, a 20-yearold blind cat who has been at Leashes End for five years, gets a spacious room all to herself in the basement.

While the animals generally get along, they sometimes get protective over food.

Kelley Carpenter, who lives in the house and prepares meals twice a day according to each animal’s dietary needs, says she separates certain dogs and puts others in their crates while they’re eating to minimize problems. But it’s rare that a dog is too aggressive for group living— the rescue has only returned two poodles to a shelter because they didn’t fit in, but both found homes with families that didn’t have other pets.

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happy endings

Simon shares her room with 11 dogs and a cat.

Most of the dogs Simon takes are smaller breeds. “It doesn’t matter where they came from.

Once they get here, they just love it and they blossom,” she says.

With the chaos of the day behind her, Simon relishes the peace and snuggles that come at night. She shares her room with 11 dogs and a cat—some sleep on the floor in their own beds, a few climb the small set of pet stairs and end up with her. “When they all settle in and it’s quiet, that’s the most precious time for me,” says Simon, adding that she even welcomes Olive, the Shih Tzu who came to her as a stray and “snores like a freight train.”

SIMON GETS CALLS every day from

shelters and owners looking to re-home animals—it’s tough to turn them down, she says, but she has limited space. She generally takes smaller breeds—dogs under 25 pounds—and never has more 152

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than 30 at a time. Montgomery County does not limit the number of animals a person can own if the animals receive proper care. “We give them a soft landing here, and we make sure they are absolutely cherished,” says Carpenter, who was Simon’s pet sitter for years and now is her rescue partner at Leashes End. The two confer on decisions about care for the animals and divide duties. Carpenter lives in a walk-out basement apartment and is in charge of the animals who live downstairs: three cats and five small dogs, often referred to as the “hooligans.” She orders all the food, grooms all the pets, and runs a part-time grooming business. In addition to the live-in staffers, volunteers help keep things running. Diana Domingues discovered Leashes End after her beloved

Chihuahua, Bandido, died in November 2020, and she wanted to donate some of his bedding. Since then, she has spent a few hours at the rescue every Saturday doing laundry, cooking turkey bacon or stewing beef for the animals’ meals, and sometimes putting dogs on her lap when they need help eating.

“It’s all about giving love to these animals who haven’t had it. And you’re getting so much in return,” says Domingues, a part-time piano teacher who lives in Gaithersburg. “Since I haven’t gotten another dog, this is a way for me to be involved with dogs. I’ll probably do it for as long as this place is around.”

Simon, whose deployments have included two years in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq, where she earned the

Bronze Star for meritorious service in a combat zone, uses her military training to keep things organized—even when it comes to picking up poop. “I patrol the front yard once or twice a day. I walk a grid like we do on an aircraft carrier,” she says.

There are times that try her patience, like when multiple dogs have diarrhea, but she maintains it’s worth the effort.

It costs between $6,000 and $9,000 a month to cover expenses, mainly medical bills and food, she says. Because the animals are older, Simon makes a lot of trips to the vet, often paying for medications, subcutaneous fluids and dental cleanings. Some of her animals have had physical therapy on a water treadmill; others have needed tumors removed. Simon says she ultimately makes decisions about

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happy endings

medical care based on whether it will improve the quality of the pet’s life. The nonprofit accepts donations and applies for grants—all of which go directly to pet care, according to Simon, who covers about two-thirds of the costs herself.

She has become so dedicated to animals that she says she recently turned down her dream job with the Navy, which would have required a move.

SOME ANIMALS STAY a few weeks,

others much longer. Buddha, the Chihuahua mix, came to Leashes End three years ago when he was 17. He had a serious heart condition and suffered from fainting spells. The outlook wasn’t good, but he’s under the care of a cardiologist and has responded well to steroids. “He

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just keeps trucking along,” Simon says.

Liz Morgan, who lives across the street from Simon, says her 21-year-old daughter, Alden, and 15-year-old son, Colten, were regular volunteers at the rescue and learned lessons about compassion and death. “We’ve known a lot of the animals that have passed away, and they have had a great ending,” she says.

Recently, the Montgomery County Humane Society asked Simon to care for Bronx, a French bulldog boxer mix who had late-stage lymphoma. The staff knew he’d be more comfortable at Leashes End than he was in their building, which can get busy and loud. “They take on some of the dogs that some people just won’t take,” says Lisa Carrier Baker, director of marketing and community outreach

for MCHS. “It’s a lot of work—and [it’s] heartbreaking because you know their time is limited.”

After just three weeks, X-rays showed that Bronx’s cancer had spread. It was clear that he was suffering, and Simon knew it was time. “It’s hard, but the alternative is to watch a dog laboring to breathe and in obvious pain,” she says.

There’s a memorial garden in her yard that has 25 stones painted with pawprints and the names of her animals who’ve died. “They’re obviously imprinted on my soul and my heart,” she says, “but I have to carry on because there’s so many more depending on me.” n Caralee Adams is a freelance writer in Bethesda.

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Andres Morejon Your Guide to Bethesda and Beyond SA L ES

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interview

A CONVERSATION WITH

COURTNEY KUBE The NBC News correspondent talks about her last trip to Afghanistan, how Tim Russert helped shape her career, and that time her 4-year-old interrupted her while she was live on air

BY MIKE UNGER | PHOTOS BY LISA HELFERT

AS SHE WAS LEAVING Afghanistan this past July, Courtney Kube was struck by the thought that she might never go back. The national security and Pentagon correspondent for NBC News has reported from all over Afghanistan dozens of times since 2006, and she’s developed an attachment to the rugged beauty of the country’s landscape—and to its people.

“I’ve made friends there over the years, people who I got to see every single time,” she says. “It was hard to leave that last time. I definitely feel connected to Afghanistan. I feel very blessed, as strange as that sounds, that I was able to see those places.”

Even when Kube returns to her Bethesda home from an overseas trip or a long day of reporting at the Pentagon, she sometimes finds it difficult to push the job aside. When Syria attacked its own people with chemical weapons and the U.S. responded with a missile attack in 2017, the story hit her hard.

“I felt like every time I looked at social media or did reporting about the region, I was looking at the body of a little kid,” says Kube, 43. “Part of it was [my] twins were really small at the time. I would look at that and say, ‘How come my kids get to live in Bethesda and go to school and play with toys and eat dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets? Why do my kids get to be innocent kids, and these other kids, for no other reason than where they were born, have to suffer like that?’ That was a time where I actually had to take a step back sometimes and stop looking at the pictures and the coverage. It’s tough to separate. ” When we spoke with Kube via Zoom in early October, she had spent the day checking in with her sources at the Pentagon, asking about the continued fallout

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from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and China’s decision to fly fighter jets close to Taiwan’s airspace. She had been scheduled for a live shot, but that was canceled due to a press conference with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“It’s really nice not to put on makeup and do my hair,” she said as she bounced her then 8-month-old son, AJ, on her knee. Her husband, Eric Dent, a former Pentagon spokesman for the Marine Corps who’s now working in the civilian world, was due home any second. They have three children together—twins Ryan and Jackson are 7—plus Dent’s sons Eric, 26, and Ethan, 25. In October 2019, Kube went viral after then 4-year-old Ryan made an unscheduled appearance on camera as she was reporting live on MSNBC from the network’s D.C. studios. “Excuse me, my kids are here,” a smiling Kube said. “Live television.”

Kube didn’t grow up dreaming of a high-profile career as a network news reporter. Her father, Robert, is an environmental engineer, and her mother, Dianne, worked as a nurse and medical practice administrator. A cheerleader and soccer player at Bethesda’s Walt Whitman High School, Kube wanted to be a doctor.

But an internship after her junior year at the University of Michigan changed the course of her life. She was living with her parents in Bethesda and working at Hamburger Hamlet when she got an offer from Meet the Press, one of dozens of places to which she’d applied.

“It was actually a pretty small staff, so they let me do a lot for a 20-year-old kid,” she says. “I loved being in the studio; I thought it was so exciting to watch the cameras moving around and see the people on the set. I remember Madeleine Albright came in, and John Lewis

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Courtney Kube at home in Bethesda

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Kube, holding AJ, with sons Jackson (left) and Ryan

came in, and I couldn’t believe they were letting me walk them to makeup.”

After graduating from college in 2000, Kube got a job as a desk assistant at NBC News in Washington, D.C., and she’s been with the network ever since.

“On Sept. 10, [2001], I actually had a phone interview with a tiny little affiliate, and I thought, ‘I’m going to go be a reporter in the middle of nowhere.

I’m going to learn all about it and work my way up.’ The next day was 9/11,” she recalls. “I remember working for about two days straight. Right after that, Meet the Press offered me a job as a production assistant. I never really looked back.”

Bethesda Magazine spoke with Kube once in October and again by phone in November.

How big of an influence was Tim Russert on your career?

Because we were such a small staff, I got 162

to learn a lot from him. He was a perfectionist. He would drive you hard, but he prioritized family and personal life, too.

When my grandfather died, he showed up in my office with a six-pack of Rolling Rock and said, ‘What do you need?’

One of my favorite shows that we did was a Christmas show. We were having Caroline Kennedy on. She didn’t speak very much then—this was before she was an ambassador. We knew in advance that she was going to be on, so I spent a lot of time looking for video and photos of her, and I found these old videos of her as a little kid at the White House at Christmas with her brother, who had died only two or three years earlier. I spent a bunch of time getting the film switched to video, and then of course we go through the show and Tim wasn’t able to run all of the video. So after the show he walked over to me and said, ‘What did you think of the show, kiddo?’ I said,

‘It was a great show.’ He looked at me and said, ‘But…’ I said, ‘You know, I had that video of Caroline Kennedy and I was so looking forward to seeing her reaction on the air when you showed it to her.’

He said, ‘OK, hang on,’ and he walked away and comes back with Caroline Kennedy and one of our tech guys and one of the studio monitors. The director had it all set up for her to watch it. It was video she had never seen before. He didn’t have to get Caroline Kennedy and ask her to stay and look at video for me, but he did it because it was important to me and I had worked on it and he cared.

That’s the kind of thing that Tim did.

In 2005, you left Meet the Press to go cover the Pentagon as a producer.

Why did you make that switch?

I went to Tim and said, ‘I love politics, but if I keep covering it, I’m going to start hating it.’ The fun of it had started to go

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Relationships.

Resolve. Results. away. He said, ‘What do you want to do?’

And I said, ‘Anything but the Pentagon.’

He said, ‘Why’s that?’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know anything about it—what if I can’t learn it fast enough?’ He said, ‘Let’s see what else we can find for you.’

A couple weeks later my phone rings and it’s Tim. He says, ‘All right, kiddo.

You’ve got six weeks. Start studying, we’re sending you to the Pentagon.

Go get Rummy [Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld].’

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FOR MORE INFORMATION TEL 301.986.9600 ■ selzergurvitch.com I had always been behind the scenes. I liked being the person in khaki pants and my hair in a ponytail telling the M&WLawFirm_final_with-construction.indd 1 11/19/21 cameramen where to go and taking my notes. I wasn’t good at putting on makeup, and I’m still not good at putting on makeup. But Rachel Maddow was so encouraging, and she was such a good mentor to me, so I started doing her show more and more.

Then I started doing The Diane Rehm Show on NPR. I got more and more used to it. NPR was an excellent venue for me because it taught me how to speak more in sound bites. You need to know how to speak succinctly and how to wrap up your thoughts quickly.

Readers’ Pick, A Top Vote Getter Take us inside a Pentagon media Best Dentist 2013 | 2015 | 2017 | 2019 | 2021 briefing. What’s it like?

We’re actually a very collegial press corps even though it’s competitive.

Readers’ Pick, Best Dentist Before the briefings, everyone’s talking 2011 and gossiping. The tone of the briefing depends on the subject and on the briefer. We’ve had several really contentious ones lately with the withdrawal from Afghanistan. But for the most part, the questions are not very political. We’re more interested in the facts, sort of the wonk of the story. There was BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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a guy who used to work for Secretary Rumsfeld named Larry Di Rita who said, ‘The Pentagon press corps has an endless thirst for tedium.’ We really want all of the details.

Early on, I was really nervous in the briefings. Especially my very first briefing with Secretary Rumsfeld. The last briefing I did with him, it was only a couple of days before he resigned, I said, ‘Mr. Secretary, members of Congress are calling for your resignation,’ and I listed all these people who were calling for him to resign. I said, ‘Mr. Secretary, are you considering resignation?’ He said, ‘No,’ and turned to the next person. And I said, ‘Well, why not?’

And he said, ‘I said no, Courtney,’ and he turned around. I had been there about a year and a half, so most of my nerves were gone by then. But early on that would have freaked me out. It still does get your

heart rate up a little bit when you’re trying to get your question in.

How, if at all, did your job change after President Trump took office?

Everything became busier. We would get news at all hours of the day and night.

The one that I often think of is the 7 a.m. or so tweet about transgender service in the military, which kind of came out of nowhere. It wasn’t anything we were really tracking. The Trump White House kept a lot of decisions at a very high level—the midlevel people didn’t even know necessarily that something was coming. Seven o’clock in the morning and the president tweets something that’s going to really drive the news cycle.

That was very different than anything I had experienced, even when covering the busiest times of [wars].

That being said, I actually found it was a period that I grew as a journalist. Because there was so much scrutiny about all of our stories, I was more meticulous and more careful than I had ever been before. I’ve always been a stickler for detail and facts, but under the Trump administration I was even more careful because a lot of times they would deny a story or say something was wrong and I wanted to make sure I had everything 100% buttoned up.

In October 2017, you reported that President Trump asked for a tenfold increase in the nuclear arsenal. He called the story fake news. How do you react when the president of the United States is saying that about your work?

That was the first time I had ever

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experienced anything like that. The first thing that I did was go back through every single note I had. I went back to every source. That was a well-reported story. We worked on that for days. I went back through everything and made sure that everything was ironclad. I knew the story was right. I was confident in it, but having the president tweet that your story is wrong is scary. You can almost feel it in your stomach.

Do you remember your first trip to Afghanistan? Were you nervous?

My first trip was with a pool. You travel with the secretary of defense, so it’s very safe, it’s very choreographed. I didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous—I admit it. I was single at the time, so that, I think, made it a little bit easier. Every time, I got more and more comfortable

going. The next time that I was really anxious about going was right after I got married. We were going into eastern Afghanistan to Jalalabad, toward the border with Pakistan. We were doing several different stories about troops at Christmas. I remember for the first time thinking, if I get killed, my husband’s going to be a widower. I always hated how upset my parents would get when I would travel. Then the first time I went back after I had the twins—it’s a very different responsibility because you think you’re leaving people behind.

out in the cockpit. When we landed, the pilot said to me, ‘We lost all comms. We lost everything for a little bit.’

Once, we were driving from Kabul to Bagram. It’s all dirt roads. I can see ahead there were a couple of guys on the side of the road with guns. It was clearly a checkpoint, but we didn’t know if it was a legit checkpoint. Given the area, we figured it probably wasn’t the Taliban, but you never really know. There are times like that when you get a little nervous, but there’s never been a time when I thought, oh, this is the end.

Were you ever in a precarious situation where you felt unsafe?

There have been several. There was one time when we were riding in a helicopter at night over Kabul, I think it was 2012.

All of a sudden, half of the lights went

Is there one story that you’ve reported from Iraq or Afghanistan that was particularly emotional for you?

One of my favorites was in Nawzad. The Marines had secured this town, and we went to this marketplace. There were

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interview little kids running around us while we were getting video. All the shacks had pockmarks and bullet holes in them. It was one of my most vivid memories of Afghanistan because I felt the humanity of the moment. I couldn’t communicate with them, but I had some candy in my bag and I was giving them things and they were poking through my bag.

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You achieved social media stardom when your son wandered into your live shot in 2019. What happened?

My husband was out of town traveling for work. That morning there was some breaking news about strikes in Syria. At the time, the boys went to a day care.

We’d usually drop them off at 8 in the morning and then go over to the Pentagon. But I had to be in earlier that morning, and I just couldn’t make it work. That happened every so often: I would take them in [to work], bring an iPad, some toys, and I would buy them some yummy breakfast in the cafeteria, doughnuts or something.

I thought it would be a normal morning, but I kept having live shots and news kept breaking. They were sitting in the newsroom coloring and actually being pretty good for hours. It was 10, and I was going to break free, then take them to day care and go to the Pentagon. Next thing I know, I kind of felt a presence next to me.

I looked down and Ryan was there, and he was reaching out for me to pick him up. A guy on the studio crew who was running the camera knew them. They went to a graphic and he lunged down and picked him up. Luckily, Ryan knew him or otherwise he would have screamed. As soon as the camera went off, my heart dropped and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, am I going to get in trouble? Am I going to get fired for what just happened?’ ... NBC was great.

They loved it. It was very real; it was very personal.

Can you believe it went viral?

No, I couldn’t. It was actually an amazing moment for me because I felt so supported. For once, I didn’t feel like I was the

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WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE? crazy mom who’s rushing from place to place and can’t always get it together. ... It was really nice to know that people looked at it and thought it made me look real.

This past September, NBC News ran a story online about you that was headlined “Breast pumping around Baghdad.” Why is publicizing your experiences as a nursing mother on the move important to you?

Part of it is demystifying it. When I first started traveling after I had the twins, I didn’t have any friends who were traveling to conflict areas and trying to pump.

The first trip after I had the boys was to Iraq. I remember so many people saying to me, ‘So you’re going to quit nursing before you go?’ I didn’t want to, but it’s not easy to walk around with a breast pump and to find places to go. I was so surprised by how many people were really supportive of me, especially people in the military. Look, it’s a little embarrassing to talk about breastfeeding and nursing, but I do hope that maybe other women will look at it and see that they don’t have to compromise. You don’t have to be embarrassed or ashamed about it. Maybe it will make people feel a little bit more comfortable continuing to make it a part of their work life.

What is a normal work schedule for you over the course of a week?

Things are really different during COVID. The 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. shows I can do from home if I have to do them.

Then I get the boys ready for school, get the baby up and feed him, and then head into the Pentagon. The Pentagon is a different beat than a lot of places. It’s sort of like a big police beat in a way: You’ve got to go see your sources every day. A lot of people I talk to, their phones are subject to monitoring because they have access to classified information, so you’ve got to talk to them face to face.

Most of my day I spend between live shots for MSNBC, for our streaming service, and a little bit more for CNBC now.

In between that I’m meeting sources. If

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I have [NBC Nightly News], I’ll get home at 7:30 or 8. If I don’t, I can try to be home by 6.

How many hours of sleep do you get these days?

I think between three and four most nights. I rarely get more than two hours at a time. [AJ] is just a really bad sleeper.

He’s super sweet, super pleasant—he just doesn’t sleep. And the twins are still bad sleepers.

What are a few of your favorite restaurants and places to hang out around town?

We are Fish Taco regulars. It’s embarrassing. Part of it is because it’s really close, but we also love it. The Irish Inn, we had our rehearsal dinner there. It’s probably our most special restaurant.

Normandie Farm on Falls Road is another one that, when we get the very rare date night, it’s one of our places to go. Everyone treats you like family there.

Why do you choose to live in Bethesda?

After I came back from college, I bought my first house in Silver Spring, which I loved. Then I moved into D.C. and bought an old townhouse that I renovated. Once Eric and I decided to move in together and then get married, I knew I wanted to come back to Bethesda. I just love it here. Our kids go to Carderock Springs, which is excellent. We have the most wonderful neighbors. They’re like family. Bethesda has always felt like home to me. My husband grew up in Ohio and he feels the same way. We feel genuinely blessed to live here. n Mike Unger is a writer and editor who grew up in Montgomery County and lives in Baltimore. The Bethesda Interview is edited for length and clarity.

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This Is Your Spouse’s Second Marriage. Someone who has said “I Do” before may have strings attached – like it or not. How will your partner finance ongoing alimony payments to his or her first spouse? Does your intended spouse own property with a former spouse or owe a duty of child support? A prenup can address how these expenses will be paid.

You or Your Partner Have Children from a Previous Relationship. Couples with children from previous relationships often use prenups to earmark marital and non-marital assets for those children. In most states, including Maryland, property acquired during the course of a marriage is considered “marital property” and, in the absence of a prenup, is subject to broad-brush rules with regard to asset division at the time of divorce or death. Use of an effective and enforceable prenup can proactively address these issues and significantly mitigate conflict between the children and step-parent – now and in the future.

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To establish a prenuptial agreement, it is recommended that each person retain their own lawyer to represent their individual interests. An experienced family law attorney is helpful in anticipating sources of conflict or disagreement given their detachment from the emotions of the impending marriage. In addition, attorneys who practice in areas of estate planning, tax and business law can add helpful perspective, as each of these professionals will encourage unique and case specific considerations based on their areas of practice.

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Weddings of the year

In our annual feature, we peek inside the celebrations of four couples

PHOTO BY JANA SCOTT

BY CARALEE ADAMS

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With 17 guests at their backyard wedding, a bride and groom kept things small and personal

Greenfield-Weiss (maiden name Greenfield), 37, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 2002. She has a master’s degree in social work and is involved with breast cancer outreach and advocacy.

Brett Weiss, 38, moved from Alabama to Potomac in 1999.

He is a 2002 graduate of Winston Churchill High School and is head of operations at Fairway Asset Corp., a mortgage lender in Silver Spring. They live in North Bethesda.

HOW THEY MET: In June 2017, they matched on the Jewish dating app JSwipe. Brett lived in Bethesda and Elizabeth was in graduate school at Columbia University in New York. They texted and talked on the phone, but Elizabeth says she didn’t think anything would come of it since they lived in different cities. “Because I never really thought that we would meet, I was more open with him. I sort of let it all out there, and he was still interested,” she says.

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THE FIRST DATE: A few months later, Elizabeth was in Maryland for a friend’s baby shower, and she and Brett went on a date at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda.

“It was comfortable from the start,” says Elizabeth, who was charmed by Brett telling her that she was pretty and opening doors for her. They had dinner at Del Frisco’s Grille (now closed) and walked around the shops. Brett says he thought it was a good first date: “We had some vibe going on between the two of us and I was hoping for a second date.”

DIFFICULT NEWS: The couple dated long distance until Elizabeth moved back to Maryland in the spring of 2018. They were getting serious, with talk of ring sizes and wedding dresses. Then, in June 2018, Elizabeth was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. “I didn’t want him to feel he had to stay,” Elizabeth says, “that he had to do anything sooner than he was ready to do because of the situation.” Brett says it was a lot to process, but he was

PHOTOS BY VINCE HA

A LongAwaited Day

THE COUPLE: Elizabeth

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Weddings of the year

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made themselves. “We were pleasantly surprised that we got it all accomplished.” But there were downsides to the scaled-down affair. Elizabeth says she missed not having the help of a matron of honor.

They had a music playlist, but without a coordinator it didn’t get played as planned. And at the end of the night, the couple pitched in with cleanup—not a typical way to end your wedding festivities.

THE PROPOSAL: On the one-year anniversary of their first date, Elizabeth was a little suspicious when Brett started cleaning their house and suggested that she get her nails done. While she was gone, Brett went to the crafts store and bought faux butterflies, birds and grapes.

He moved the furniture out of the living room and used the items—along with roses, sunflowers, seashells and rocks—to create a large heartshaped arrangement on the floor. When Elizabeth walked in, Brett got down on one knee.

They celebrated with dinner and Champagne at Sushiko in Chevy Chase.

THE WEDDING: Originally, they were going to get married 174

in October 2019. Elizabeth was still in the midst of cancer treatments, so they put their plans on hold. They were considering a spring 2020 wedding on Zoom but waited until they could safely hold a ceremony in person. They got married on Oct. 18, 2020, in Elizabeth’s parents’ backyard in Bethesda. They had 17 guests.

THE CEREMONY: Brett and Elizabeth were married

by Mikhail Manevich, the cantor from Washington Hebrew Congregation who had performed at Elizabeth’s bat mitzvah in 1997. Close family and friends participated in the Jewish wedding tradition of the seven blessings, in which seven people offer a blessing for the couple.

THE SETTING: Elizabeth’s parents had spruced up their backyard by stringing lights on trees, adding plants and installing a flower-covered

chuppah. It rained the night before, so Elizabeth’s heels sank a bit into the soft soil during the wedding. But it was warm enough that they didn’t need heaters for the tent that was put up for the reception.

THE DRESS: Elizabeth bought a new dress two weeks before the wedding because she’d recently had another surgery related to her reconstruction and wanted something that fit better. It was formfitting with a slight train, a halter neck, and a keyhole opening in the front that she had a seamstress fill in with lace to cover her scars.

DIY PROS AND CONS: “The most important part was trying to make it as personal and homey as possible,” Brett says of the decorations (flower garland, candles, face masks printed with the bride and groom’s names) that they either ordered online or

THE UNEXPECTED: Elizabeth’s brother posted real-time congratulations online to his sister and new brother-in-law, not realizing the couple hadn’t told anyone else that they were getting married and hadn’t planned to until after their mini-honeymoon at the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore.

“I had like 75 messages on my phone, and my parents started getting calls from their friends,” says Elizabeth, who posted the news herself the next day and quickly set up a registry in response to all the inquiries. “I thought we were going to end up with a menorah for every night of Hanukkah if we [didn’t] set up a registry. That’s when we did a mad dash and put things online.”

VENDORS: Dress, Amsale from BHLDN; flowers, Bell Flowers; photography, Vince Ha; seamstress, Designs by Nicole; tent, Talk of the Town.

PHOTO BY VINCE HA

hoping for the best. He stayed by her side through surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, and Elizabeth’s cancer is now in remission.

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Weddings of the year

United in Faith For a bride and groom who grew up going to the same church, their wedding was a celebration of shared beliefs

PHOTOS BY G-DAY PHOTOS

THE COUPLE: Lauryn Butler (maiden name Cofer), 27, and Nathan Butler, 28, are both from Silver Spring. She graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring; he graduated from Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville.

Lauryn is a research assistant with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Forest Glen; she focuses on HIV research. Nathan does geospatial intelligence work as an image technician with Maxar Technologies in Herndon, Virginia. They live in Columbia, Maryland.

HOW THEY MET: Lauryn and Nathan grew up together. Their families were longtime friends, and both attended Living Word International Christian Church

They say their first “actual date” as a couple was in downtown Silver Spring. They ate at Nando’s, then went to Guitar Center (now closed) to browse the merchandise. Lauryn plays guitar and keyboard, and sings; Nathan plays bass guitar.

THE PROPOSAL: In Decem(formerly Immanuel’s Church) in Silver Spring. After college, Lauryn and Nathan returned to the area and discovered that they shared similar ideas for starting a young adult ministry at their church. They formed a leadership team with mutual friends and began getting to know each other better while working on the program.

THE FIRST DATE: Nathan asked Lauryn to dinner at Panera in 2016 under the guise of talking about churchrelated business. They spent two hours chatting about their lives and interests, and their friendship deepened over the next couple of years. In 2018, Nathan brought Lauryn to Brookside Gardens in Wheaton to tell her how he felt, and their relationship became official.

ber 2020, Nathan decorated a gazebo at Brookside Gardens with lights, candles and rose petals. He’d arranged for Lauryn’s best friend to bring her there, blindfolding her to ensure the surprise. He timed the proposal for sunset. Lauryn says she got a bit emotional.

“I shed a few tears, and I’m not known for being much of a crier,” she says.

THE WEDDING: The ceremony was at Life Source International Church in Baltimore on Oct. 17, 2021, with 200 guests.

THE MUSIC: As worship leaders at their church, Lauryn and Nathan are part of a band, so they wanted live music at the wedding. A string trio played Canon in D as Lauryn

walked down the aisle. A husband-and-wife duo sang at the ceremony and led guests in singing worship songs.

FAVORITE MOMENT: Given their religious backgrounds, taking Communion together was meaningful. “We’re both rooted in the Lord,” Lauryn says. “So starting our marriage off that way was really special.”

THE UNEXPECTED: Lauryn’s dress had a long train, and she struggled with its weight while walking to the altar. “I had my bouquet in one hand and was holding Nathan’s with my other—no hands to free my dress—so I stumbled up the steps a bit,” Lauryn says. She did make it to the altar. “You look back at it on video and it doesn’t look that bad,” Nathan says. Lauryn says: “It was pretty bad. When I finally made it up the steps there was like a sigh of relief.

It was kind of funny.”

THE RECEPTION: Dinner and dancing were at Martin’s Valley Mansion in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The venue featured

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TIME OUT: The couple reserved a private room to enjoy their own cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres with their wedding party during the time between photos and dinner.

“We didn’t miss out on the food, which I’m really happy about,” Lauryn says. “They say brides don’t eat, but I ate.”

FUN MOMENTS: They asked a good friend who is a pastor to give a blessing before dinner, and he first got the guests to do “the wave” all around the room.

“It was a fun way to start things off,” Lauryn says. In a nod to Nathan’s Liberian heritage, the guests did a traditional group dance known as the grand march. People follow one another dancing in pairs and then hold up their hands to create a tunnel that others pass through continuously, typically to a West African Afrobeat song. “It’s very 178

festive sounding,” Nathan says.

“Everyone joined in and they looked like they were having a great time.”

THE SPEECHES: Several tributes were given in honor of Nathan’s father, who died of heart failure in March 2021.

“That made it feel like he was there. I was really appreciative,” Nathan says.

THE HONEYMOON: Right after the wedding, the newlyweds spent a week on Florida’s Marco Island. They went sightseeing on bikes and hung out on the private beach at their hotel.

VENDORS: Catering, Martin’s Caterers; decor, Mocha Events (Kimberly Cofer and Risa Mason); dessert, Creative Cakes; DJ, The Covenant Child (Maurice Opera); flowers, La’Brand’s Florist; hair, Styles & Designs by Tie (Tie Carrington); invitations, Zazzle; makeup, IDO Kreationz (Michline Brice); limousine, Lasting Impressions; orchestra trio, Melodic Strings; photographer, G-day Photos (Jide Durosomo); videographer, K and A Photo and Video; wedding planner, Adelines Events (Addy Simms).

PHOTOS BY G-DAY PHOTOS

an elegant Victorian style, with columns, high ceilings, and a large chandelier over the dance floor. Keeping to the burgundy, gold and blush colors of the venue, the couple added burgundy flower centerpieces in gold vases, candles and some pink lighting around the room.

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Weddings of the year

Ballroom Bash

Lockwood (maiden name Yi), 32, grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. She is an attorney adviser with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. John Lockwood, 33, grew up in Annapolis. He is an attorney adviser with the Federal

Communications Commission.

They recently bought a house in Bethesda.

HOW THEY MET: In 2018, Candice and John were working as judicial law clerks for trial judges in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County in Rockville. Both had graduated

PHOTOS BY KYLA JEANETTE PHOTOGRAPHY

A Bethesda couple’s wedding at the Willard featured vows they wrote themselves, a choreographed first dance and a cake with five tiers

THE COUPLE: Candice

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from The George Washington University Law School, but never met as students. “John was the smartest of our clerkship group.

He was my go-to guy for asking questions,” Candice says. “I also noticed how he treated others in the courthouse. He was so respectful. That really started to open my eyes to him being more than just a friend.”

John was struck by how pretty, kind and genuine Candice was—plus, she could hold her own in the law clerk softball league. “Candice was the leadoff hitter and was quite the star,” he says.

THE FIRST DATE: After a day of work at the courthouse, John made a spur-of-themoment decision to ask Candice out for dinner that night. They went to Barcelona Wine Bar in D.C.’s Cathedral Heights neighborhood. Candice knew that John was an avid traveler and had spent a summer in Spain, so she thought the Spanish restaurant was a good chance to learn more about him and get his recommendations on tapas and drinks. They enjoyed tempranillo, a Spanish red wine that’s now one of their favorites because it reminds them of their first date.

THE PROPOSAL: During the first year of the pandemic, Candice and John had new jobs and were dating long distance, each living with their parents in their hometowns and saving money on rent. They went on a getaway in October 2020 to upstate New York. John’s

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THE WEDDING: On Oct. 16, 2021, the couple got married at the Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington, D.C., with 100 guests.

THE VOWS: The pair wrote their own vows. “John really embodies the values of kindness and unconditional love. I tried to express that the best I could,” says Candice, who also added some humor about John’s favorite baseball 182

team. “I vowed that I would grieve with him when the Detroit Tigers lose season after season.” John says he tried to make his vows heartfelt. “Because we each took the time to carefully craft them for each other…that made it so special,” he says.

frosting. Candice and John also served sticky rice cakes, a Korean wedding tradition. “It helps the couple remember to stick through life’s challenges together,” says Candice, who is Korean American.

THE DESSERTS: The

A HIGHLIGHT: Candice and John basked in the moment while sitting at a sweetheart table in the middle of the room. “Everyone was just happy, laughing, enjoying the evening,” John says. “There’s so much going on in the world.

We wanted an evening away from it, where they could enjoy themselves and each other’s company.” Candice says she savored the feeling of having all their friends and family in one room without a care in the world.

“After the year of isolation, it was so great to be together.

That feeling is something I really treasure,” she says.

Willard’s pastry chef made a five-tiered cake with alternating layers: lemon chiffon cake with raspberry cream filling and Swiss meringue buttercream frosting; and chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache and chocolate buttercream

THE DANCE: Candice and John choreographed a first dance to “Conversations in the Dark” by John Legend and had been practicing in their basement, but not with Candice wearing her bridal gown. They

THE FOOD: Candice and John say they are “big foodies,” so they enjoyed planning dinner with the Willard’s in-house chef. Appetizers included mini beef Wellington, baconwrapped scallops, tuna tartare on a wasabi-infused cracker shaped like a spoon, and lamb lollipops. Dinner started with watermelon, feta and apple salad, and cauliflower soup; the main course featured ovenroasted chicken or salmon topped with crabmeat.

were concerned about pulling off the moves. “Right before we came in for our grand entrance to the reception, we did just a quick little practice in one of the side rooms and I kept stepping on her dress. I was very nervous,” John says. “But when it came showtime, everything went smooth and well.”

THE HONEYMOON: In late October, the newlyweds spent two weeks in Hawaii. They hiked the Kãlepa Ridge Trail in Kõke’e State Park on Kauai, snorkeled with sea turtles on a catamaran tour, and took surfing lessons at Kalama Beach in Maui.

VENDORS: Alterations, My’s Bridalterations; bridesmaids dresses, Revelry; bridal gown, Demetrios; dance floor lighting, SMERFEvents; DJ, Premonition of Mixing Maryland; flowers, Petalos; hair and makeup, Shine, Tina!; invitations, Minted; music, Amaris Trio; photo booth, The Prop Stop Photo Booth; photographer, Kyla Jeanette Photography; rentals, Honeywood Event + Tent; tuxes, Lapel; videographer, Riverlight Films.

PHOTOS BY KYLA JEANETTE PHOTOGRAPHY

plan was to go to Indian Lake in the Adirondacks and canoe with Candice to a campsite, then hike to a beautiful vista to propose. “Mother Nature had a different idea. There were thunderstorms in the area, so we couldn’t really be out on a lake in a canoe,” John says.

They went to Ithaca instead.

John found a little-known trail to hike near Cornell University, and when they reached the top of a cliff overlooking a bend in the river with the fall colors in the background, he knew it was the perfect spot. He got down on one knee. “I was really taken aback. I didn’t see it coming,” Candice says.

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PHOTOS BY ANNA MEYER

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Weddings of the year

Vineyard Vows A Gaithersburg couple infused a sense of humor and fun into their celebration at a winery in Virginia THE COUPLE: Caroline Umosella-Marinos (maiden name Umosella), 32, grew up in Olney and graduated from Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac. She works in digital advertising for Single Grain. Cory Marinos, 30, is from Florida and works as a physical therapy assistant at Manual & Sports in Rockville.

They live in Gaithersburg.

HOW THEY MET: In 2015,

THE FIRST DATE: They met for brunch at MoCo’s Founding Farmers in Potomac. “I had been talking about how much I loved chicken and waffles and I wanted to take her there,” Cory

THE PROPOSAL: After four years of dating, Caroline was convinced Cory was going to propose while they were on a trip to Seattle. “By convinced, she means expected,” Cory says. “She sent me an article with the top 10 destinations in Seattle to get engaged.” Caroline did her hair and makeup every day, wore cute outfits, and waited while moments like sunset at the Space Needle came and went. Cory instead surprised her the next weekend at one of her favorite places— Assateague Island. “I wanted to come out of left field and really get her heart going,” Cory says. After a day at the beach, he got down on one knee on a boarded pathway. “I’m not dressed up, my nails are bro-

ken and then he just randomly proposes with a Ring Pop,” Caroline says. Throughout their relationship, when Cory would say he was saving for a ring, Caroline always said she didn’t need a ring—she just wanted to marry him and would say yes to a Ring Pop. He had a real ring at the beach condo.

THE WEDDING: Caroline and Cory planned to get married on June 12, 2020.

Because of COVID-19, they rescheduled to Oct. 23, and then finally tied the knot on May 21, 2021. They cut their guest list from 170 to 85 to comply with safety restrictions and livestreamed the ceremony for those who couldn’t attend.

THE VENUE: The festivities were held at Morais Vineyards and Winery in Bealeton, Virginia. They were married outdoors under a pergola and celebrated afterward in a ballroom that was decorated in dusty blue and rose gold.

PHOTOS BY JANA SCOTT

the two were introduced by a mutual friend at the Wine in the Woods festival in Columbia, Maryland. Caroline was working at the festival as the director of marketing for a winery, and Cory was volunteering as a wine pourer with a friend. “I thought he was hilarious, super nice…very ‘go with the flow,’ ” Caroline says. A month later,

the two spent time together with friends in Ocean City and the sparks flew. “It was pretty immediate. We never left each other after that,” Caroline says.

It wasn’t until later on that the couple realized through a memories app on Caroline’s phone that their paths had first crossed on Halloween in 2013 at Union Jack’s (now closed) in Bethesda, where they had randomly taken a selfie together.

says. The next day they went to rio in Gaithersburg for brunch, then walked around and talked, and later had dinner. “It was one of those dates that turned into a whole weekend event,” Caroline says.

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THE CEREMONY: “My favorite part was the vows. Cory is a man of few words and was really nervous about writing his vows, but he did the best job,” Caroline says. Cory acknowledges that writing his vows was stressful: “She’s an incredible writer and wordsmith, and I knew I couldn’t compete with that.” But in the end, their sentiments overlapped. “She said she’d always be my cheerleader and I bust out laughing because I had the exact same line in my vows,” Cory says. “It was so coincidental and fitting for us.” most people were eligible for vaccinations, and before the delta variant, Cory says. “It was definitely worth the wait. It hit all our expectations,” Caroline says. “One thing that COVID has taught us is that togetherness and being with friends and family is a gift. …It really made everything sweeter and made us a lot more appreciative.”

A SENSE OF HUMOR: “We are a very silly couple, always try to laugh, play pranks on each other, joke around, so we tried to infuse that into our wedding,” Caroline says.

They knew that Gary Rutter, Caroline’s godfather, was the right choice to be their officiant when he showed up at the rehearsal dinner wearing an over-the-top pope outfit and a hat like Moira Rose’s from the Schitt’s Creek sitcom. He added just the right amount of humor to the ceremony, including a joke about Cory and Caroline getting married on their third wedding date. In a nod to the couple’s shared love of The Office, Caroline walked down the aisle to an orchestral version of the theme song from the popular television show.

THE FIRST DANCE: Cory and Caroline took dance les-

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newlyweds spent 10 days at the Cocobay Resort on the island of Antigua, where they had a private villa and their own pool. They went snorkeling and discovered the fun of handheld sea scooters to propel them underwater.

sons at Arthur Murray Dance Center in Gaithersburg and did a choreographed first dance to “Cheerleader” by Omi. Midway through one of many twirls, the unseasonably hot day and heavy ball gown caught up with Caroline, who recalls thinking: “This is not good.” Feeling queasy, she ran from the dance floor and Cory followed. She got

sick, but quickly recovered to enjoy the rest of the evening.

“Luckily, the bridal party started dancing on the dance floor like nothing even happened. It turned out to be totally inconspicuous,” Cory says.

GOOD TIMING: The couple felt lucky to have their wedding in the “golden time” when

VENDORS: Cake, The Passion Bakery Cafe; catering, The Chef’s Table; decor and florist, Electric Events DC; dress, Curvaceous Couture; event planners, Christine Ash, Danielle Fisher and Linor Shemesh of Save the Date LLC Events; hair, Nancy Kongsomboom; makeup, Sweet Virginia’s Beauty + Salon; music, ‘Round Midnight (Entertainment Exchange); photographer, Jana Scott; transportation, Coughlin Transportation; tuxedos, The Black Tux; videographer, Washington Talent Agency. n

PHOTOS BY JANA SCOTT

THE CAKE: The Passion Bakery Cafe in Sandy Spring designed their cake, which included a custom topper—a scuba diver and a mermaid— that picked up on the couple’s wedding logo. The cake also featured an edible golden retriever that looked like their dog, Waffles.

THE HONEYMOON: The

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Kentlands

Mansion Experience its timeless elegance.

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Our editors are looking for unique, stylish and heartwarming weddings to be featured in future issues.

You’ �e invited TO SUBMIT YOUR WEDDING

If you or someone you know got married this past year and are interested in having the wedding featured in Bethesda Magazine, please send details about the wedding and 8-10 photos to kathleen.neary@bethesdamagazine.com.

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AN UNFORGETTABLE FIRE Forty years after a firefighter rescued a child—and another firefighter fell nearly to his death—some memories blur, but others snap sharply into focus TEXT AND PHOTOS BY MIKE M. AHLERS

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THERE’S A MIND GAME we all play,

and it goes like this: Your house is on fire. Everyone is safely outside except you. As the fire spreads, you have time to grab one thing.

Just one.

So what do you value most among your material possessions?

What do you save from the flames?

For most of my life, the answer was easy. I’d save a framed black and white photo that I took a long time ago—a photo that is hanging, conveniently, near my front door and, coincidentally, is of someone saving someone from a fire.

I took the photo just minutes after midnight on Oct. 28, 1981—40 years ago.

And though I’ve taken uncountable photos in the intervening years, it remains my favorite, ever since I saw the image slowly reveal itself in a tray of sloshing chemicals in a newspaper darkroom.

Even then, near the beginning of my career, I realized I wouldn’t get many photos like it.

My father, himself a former newspaperman, evidently concurred when he joked, “Did you hand that child to that fireman?”

That child—nearly 2 years old, brighteyed and Gerber cute, hastily swaddled in a white blanket, his bare foot exposed to the cold night air, his bare arm wrapped around the firefighter.

And that fireman—young, stoic, smoke-stained.

Capping it off—though it may have escaped my father’s attention—was the Station 18 shield on the firefighter’s helmet, the insignia of the old redbrick firehouse in Glenmont where a few years earlier I had volunteered as a cadet. There, I had briefly considered abandoning my hopes of becoming a newspaper reporter to become a firefighter instead.

Readers of The Montgomery Journal would say the picture was worth a thousand words. They called it “iconic” and said it perfectly captured the events of that night. But no one picture could’ve captured the many heroic and chaotic, convoluted and lamentable events of that night.

“It’s the call I’ll never forget,” says Robert “Bob” Saulpaugh, four decades removed from the 21-year-old firefighter in the photo. He remembers it not only because of the image that would immortalize him but because other events that night would stick in his brain, including a dark moment firefighters refer to simply as “the fall.”

At roughly the same time I was taking the photo of Saulpaugh walking out the front entrance of the high-rise clutching a child named Rocky, Saulpaugh’s good friend, firefighter David Flowers, was crawling down a smoke-filled corridor on the building’s 12th floor. Inexplicably, Flowers stood up and took a step.

And he plunged down an open elevator shaft, falling 14 floors.

Even with the passage of 40 years, the events of that night in 1981 remain a touchstone for firefighters and residents who were there. The fire marked the first time many of the firefighters would so fully confront the darkest possible consequences of their chosen profession. They remember well the sad and sober atmosphere at Station 18 as they awaited word about the fate of David Flowers.

Eight firefighters in all were taken to area hospitals, and a half-dozen police

officers who assisted in the evacuation were treated for smoke inhalation.

All told, about two dozen people were injured, the most severely burned being a 26-year-old mother, Cynthia Nugent.

Her son Delondo, who was also burned, today says the fire profoundly affected him, even though he was only 6. It has given him humility, he says, and a hardwon perspective on the fleeting nature of life. “You understand how easily your time can be up,” he tells me.

Rocky and his family survived the fire, but four decades later, they had no desire to revisit it.

Time has given clarity to some of the events. But it has only deepened the mystery around some aspects of the fire, such as who set the blaze. Montgomery County’s top fire investigator at the time, Lt. Carvel Harding, says he knew who started the blaze—one in a series of fires at the apartment building—but he needed proof that would stand up in court. Proof never came.

David Flowers survived his 14-story fall.

He still doesn’t know how.

And he still doesn’t have any recollection of this defining event in his life.

The son of a bricklayer and a homemaker, Flowers was 15 when he joined the

Opposite: Kensington volunteer firefighter Robert Saulpaugh carries 1-year-old Rocky out of a fire at the Rock Creek Terrace apartments in Rockville on an October night in 1981.

Right: David Flowers, another Kensington firefighter, recuperating in what was then Montgomery General Hospital in Olney

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Top: Firefighter Saulpaugh attends to young Rocky on the back step of a fire truck.

Bottom: Mario Reda Jr., then a Kensington VFD medic, carries Rocky after the rescue from the Rock Creek Terrace apartments.

Kensington Volunteer Fire Department as a “junior firefighter.” He was captivated by the large trucks and the activity at Station 18 in Glenmont, and he absorbed its lingo, culture and secrets like a sponge.

Junior firefighters couldn’t do much.

Jim Dimopoulos, a predecessor of his who became a cadet at age 13 and was known as “Greek,” recalls climbing on fire trucks and pretending to make radio calls, and racing to fires on his bike by following the trail of water left by the station’s leaky pumpers.

Flowers joined four years after Greek and remembers countless trips to McDonald’s to get firefighters their meals. That was fun, but the real thrills came when the house siren would blare. Volunteers would race to the firehouse, abandoning their cars at the intersection if they were stuck at the light. As they ran to the fire trucks, “they’d point to their car, still running, keys in it, door open,” Flowers recalls.

Still too young to drive legally, Flowers would jump into the cars and park them after the fire trucks roared by. When the firefighters returned, they would shout for the cadets. The cadets, expecting thanks, instead got orders for Big Macs and fries.

“No respect!” Flowers says with a laugh.

When I joined their ranks as a cadet at 17, the large contingent of cadets was already a close-knit group. Now older, with driver’s licenses and only a year away from becoming full-blown volunteers, the junior firefighters were becoming a group of hell-raisers. The cadets worked together and partied together, and if there wasn’t excitement to be found around the firehouse, we would create our own, pulling pranks or staging fire drills—racing down streets in an attempt to impress some cadet’s girlfriend.

But as we got near the magic age of 18, we also began to focus on the job ahead.

Instructors would weigh us down with heavy running coats, leather helmets, cumbersome masks and oxygen bottles, and have us crawl in pitch black firehouse

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attics or bunk rooms searching for “bodies.” Amid the shouting and the chaos, the drills exposed the difficulty of saving yourself from the imaginary flames, much less saving someone else.

It was during first aid training at Station 5—the department’s motherhouse in Kensington—that I got some of the best life instruction I’ve ever received.

The teacher, a seasoned firefighter, was teaching CPR and gave us a scenario that wasn’t in the Red Cross manual.

“What do you do,” he asked, “if you’re giving a person CPR and they puke in your mouth?”

The very question sickened me. Does that really happen? I wondered. But beyond that, I didn’t have a clue. What do you do? What would I do? The question haunted me.

“Puke back on them,” he said matter of factly. “And get back to work.”

Soon after his 18th birthday, Flowers became a full-fledged volunteer firefighter. He remembers the first fire in which he served as the tip of the firefighting spear.

“I was scared s---less,” he says. “But I took the hose in, and the officer backed me up, and I put the fire out. And from that point on I figured I could do this.

Because I was scared to death, but I didn’t stop.”

Flowers thrived, earning live-in status at Station 18, working days installing gutters and downspouts, and spending nights on a firehouse cot, running on calls whenever the bells rang. Station 18 became his official mailing address.

Cadet Robert Saulpaugh became a full-fledged volunteer on his 18th birthday, three years after Flowers. He also remembers his first fire and the exhilaration of the job. During business hours, he worked as a clerk at a Bethesda Safeway. Off-hours, he lived his passion, running calls from Station 18.

On the evening of Oct. 27, 1981, I got word of a shooting at O’Brien’s Pit Bar-

becue in Rockville. Two men had forced their way into the closed restaurant and one of them shot and killed Michael O’Callahan, the 45-year-old night manager, before fleeing with cash from the till.

I talked to police and bystanders, took photos of an ambulance pulling away and headed home, since my newspaper’s deadline had passed.

On the way, my car’s scanner beeped with news of a fire at 12630 Veirs Mill Road—the high-rise Rock Creek Terrace apartments.

That same evening, volunteer firefighters Flowers and Saulpaugh had stopped at the Stained Glass Pub in Glenmont to pick up a pizza. Back at the firehouse, Saulpaugh plopped the pizza on a table.

Flowers was grabbing a soda when the fire bells rang. Dinner would have to wait.

The two jumped into separate trucks and headed to the scene.

By the time they arrived, firefighters from Station 21 were already in the building. Flowers’ team headed toward the fire, while Saulpaugh and two rookie firefighters stayed outside with his truck.

On his truck’s radio, Saulpaugh could hear in the stress in the firefighters’ voices that conditions inside the building were bad. Frustrated by his inability to reach the upper floors with his truck’s ladder, he remembers telling the two rookies, “Let’s go. We’re going in.”

I remember sitting at a red light on Veirs Mill Road—a right turn would take me home; going straight would take me to the fire—when intensifying commotion on the scanner made my decision for me.

The red light was excruciatingly long.

I looked around. It was midnight, and there wasn’t a car in sight. I ran the light.

A minute later, I was at the apartment building. I headed to the front door and shot three quick photos of police officers helping an old woman, a towel pressed to her mouth. Right behind them I spotted

a sweaty firefighter carrying a cute kid. I grabbed a shot and took several more as he carried the child to the rear step of a fire truck and tended to him.

The scene was dark, noisy and chaotic, and I can’t remember exactly what I was thinking. But then again, I know exactly what I was thinking. I was praying to the news gods that my pictures were in focus.

In the summer and fall of 1981, the Rock Creek Terrace high-rise had been plagued by a series of arsons and false alarms. Investigators later would say the fires appeared to have been aimed at the building itself, not the residents. But this fire got away.

The arsonist piled debris in a freight elevator, doused it with flammable liquids and ignited it. The cab rose to the 12th floor of the 17-story building, and when the door opened, smoke and flames spewed out, filling the long corridor with toxic fumes and setting fire to adjacent apartments.

Over time, the searing heat in the elevator car burned through its half-inch steel cables and the car fell to the subbasement, where it continued to burn.

Firefighters from nearby Station 21 arrived quickly and started evacuating the residents and searching for the source of the fire, which oddly was now in two locations.

When Saulpaugh got to the 12th floor, the corridor was black with smoke and chaotic. “I can remember the kid. The mother and the father were coming out of the apartment, and they were both pretty well smoked out, and the kid was, too,” he says. “The mother was tripping over things.” So Saulpaugh took hold of the boy and led the family down the stairwell to safety.

Firefighter Ed Klumph, 23, also was on the 12th floor. He was trying to evacuate apartments when he met Flowers, whom he did not recognize because of his mask.

The smoke was thick, and together the two crawled and knocked on doors. In an

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an unforgettable fire

interview shortly after the fire, Klumph said he warned Flowers about the open elevator shaft, but Flowers apparently didn’t hear him.

“The next thing I knew he got up and walked right through it like it was an open door,” he said.

In the basement, firefighters David Kline and Jack Jarnagin were busy putting out the elevator fire when they heard something drop. A leather fire helmet rolled out of the doorway at their feet.

The two ran outside and shouted to colleague Scott Grove, who was manning the hook and ladder truck, that a firefighter had fallen. Grove radioed for help.

Standing near his truck, Saulpaugh heard someone on the radio ask who was wearing Gear 257—the number on the helmet that had rolled out of the burning elevator. Saulpaugh, who was wearing Gear 256, knew exactly who had 257— his buddy Dave.

Flowers landed on a beam that supported a subbasement elevator door.

The impact dented his steel oxygen bottle and his new helmet. It knocked him unconscious, broke his jaw and fractured two ribs, one of which punctured a lung.

It bruised his heart and caused internal bleeding in his chest and abdomen.

And it didn’t stop there. Water being used to put out the fire created steam, which scalded him, causing third-degree burns over 20% of his body. Luckily, he missed—by inches—landing where a metal pipe would have skewered him.

Wedged into the wreckage, he couldn’t be treated delicately. Firefighters tied a rope around him, hoisted him to the opening and made way for the paramedics.

I ran to the back of the building just in time to get a photo of a stretcher being loaded onto an ambulance. I couldn’t see the battered firefighter and didn’t know who it was. But the other firefighters’ grief clearly showed that the injured man was one of their own.

A few firefighters vented their anguish, 192

throwing their helmets to the ground and cursing. Some gathered together to hug.

I stood alongside a freelance photographer named Mark trying to get a clear shot of the remarkable scene. But the unmistakable silhouette of one firefighter blocked our view. Mark—I am referring to him only by his first name for reasons that will soon become clear—set out to correct that.

“Hey, Greek! Get outta the way!” he yelled.

The shout didn’t have its intended effect.

Dimopoulos and the other firefighters looked at Mark, and he became the focus of their emotions, which turned to anger. The firefighters dropped their embrace. Greek and another firefighter strode up to us quickly and purposefully.

When they got to Mark, one reached out, grabbed Mark’s long lens and broke it off the camera.

I was surprised by the attack, but then again I wasn’t. The firefighters had just put their friend into an ambulance. They believed he was either dying or dead.

Emotions were raw and untested.

As a journalist, I thought Mark had violated one of the cardinal rules of photojournalism. Instead of capturing the scene, he had changed it. And he had done it in the crudest way possible—by shouting an order to a grieving person.

That not only violated journalism ethics, that also violated basic human decency.

And as a result, I hadn’t captured a photo of the heartrending scene in front of me. I felt like breaking his lens myself.

“We didn’t think he was going to make it,” Dimopoulos told me recently, sitting in the dining room of his Poolesville home.

“When we left that fire, we thought we lost one of our guys.”

When doctors at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center were informed that Flowers had fallen about a dozen floors, they reportedly asked if that meant a dozen feet, according to a news report at the time. Falls of more

than 100 feet, after all, are not survivable.

And though Flowers’ injuries put him in critical condition, he was alive.

“No,” the doctors were told—he had fallen at least a dozen stories.

Firefighters are still uncertain how Flowers survived. Perhaps much of the impact was absorbed by the steel air tank on his back, or his helmet.

And there is the possibility that Flowers’ right leg became tangled during the fall. His right boot had been stripped from his foot. Perhaps he ricocheted off the walls.

Flowers didn’t know how he survived—but he had a theory. “I think somebody upstairs didn’t want me to die right yet. Otherwise it would have been easy to take my life,” he said when I visited him in a hospital weeks after the fall.

He said virtually the same thing when I saw him recently.

At his North Carolina home, Saulpaugh, now 61, recalls what happened after he heard the radio call about Gear 257.

Saulpaugh says he went to the site where other rescuers were attending to Flowers. It was a highly charged scene.

A photographer, Saulpaugh tells me, was being very pushy.

“He’s in there taking pictures of Dave in the ambulance, all cut up and that. I told him [the photographer], ‘Outta the way,’ because he was getting in the way.

And he came back, and another time. …

He did it three times, taking pictures of a bloody fireman on his deathbed.

“So I got his camera and—phew!— broke it.” “ You broke the camera?” I a sk Saulpaugh.

“That was I,” Saulpaugh says flatly.

Saulpaugh didn’t know that I was standing next to the photographer at the time. And I didn’t know that Saulpaugh was the firefighter who snapped off Mark’s lens. It was dark, tense and quick.

I tell Saulpaugh that his memory is flawed. I don’t know what happened

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an unforgettable fire

David Flowers at his home in Cambridge, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Mounted on the garage wall are the helmet and oxygen tank he was wearing when he fell 14 stories down an elevator shaft.

before I arrived at the back of the building, I tell him, but at the time Saulpaugh broke the camera, Mark and I were standing side by side, out of the way of the firefighters. He wasn’t blocking anyone. That isn’t what upset the firefighters.

It was Mark’s ill-timed, ill-considered shout that prompted the confrontation.

Saulpaugh is adamant that the photographer had been “pushy” and had gotten in the way. He says that when the fire chief later questioned him about the incident, he admitted breaking the lens and said that under the same circumstances, he would do it again.

“It was a tough night, man,” he says.

It took Flowers a couple of days to regain consciousness. He awoke to find his parents at his bedside, and they told him an unbelievable story. Drugged and groggy, it took him awhile to absorb it.

A week or so later, he was transferred from Shock Trauma to Montgomery General Hospital (now MedStar Montgomery Medical Center) in Olney for treatment of his burns.

“That was a fantastic day. I wanted to get out of there so bad,” Flowers recalls.

Firefighters at Station 18 volunteered to transfer Flowers, but instead of taking him directly to the hospital, they swung by Station 18, where his friends crowded the ambulance and joked with him about the fall. Flowers’ broken jaw was wired closed.

“The hospital’s calling, [asking] …‘Where’s your ambulance? Where’s your ambulance?’ Oh, it was great. They were mad!”

At Montgomery General, Flowers was speaking with difficulty when I went to interview him. But he said, with professional firefighter cool, “I’m ready to get back to it.”

I quoted him in my story, but I had my doubts. So did Greek, who wondered if Flowers could ever pass the firefighter physical again.

One or two or maybe three years later, I was driving on Georgia Avenue when 194

I looked at a passing fire truck. There in the bucket was David Flowers. I lost my professional reporter cool and felt overjoyed. And I wondered, given his 14-story fall, where David had landed along that thin line that separates bravery from insanity.

Flowers got a doctor’s clearance nearly a year after the fall. In time, he was hired as a paid county firefighter and was assigned to Station 21—the firehouse next to Rock Creek Terrace. On his first day, he was sent to the high-rise. The call itself was not memorable, but Flowers remembers a county dispatcher, violating protocols, jokingly asking firefighters to check on Dave Flowers.

Over time, calls to Rock Creek Terrace became routine. One day, while taking an older woman out of the building on a

stretcher, his colleague noted that they were descending the same freight elevator shaft in which Flowers had fallen.

Flowers put on a show, acting as if he were in the throes of a seizure. His partner busted out laughing.

“That poor old lady,” Flowers says.

“She must’ve thought we were lunatics.”

One evening this past summer, I track down Mark, the freelance photographer.

He tells me he has absolutely no recollection of the 1981 fire. A series of surgeries has robbed him of large fragments of his memory.

Mark believes, however, that he would not have impeded the actions of working firefighters in 1981, having learned by then, he says, how to do his job without interfering with theirs. I know he wasn’t

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physically interfering when his camera was broken. I was standing next to him.

Based on my description, Mark says, he could have had the firefighter charged with assault or restraint of trade. And he bemoaned the many times police or firefighters ordered him away from accident or crime scenes, only to call him the next day for copies of his photographs. Before hanging up, he adds: “If you see that firefighter, tell him he owes me a camera.”

Forty years later, David Flowers still has no recollection of the fall. “Doctors had always told me that maybe you’ll remember one day, maybe not. And I still don’t remember,” he says when I visit his home in Cambridge on the Eastern Shore.

But it changed his life, nonetheless.

“I’m as happy as I can be,” says Flowers, now 64. “I have been for a long, long time.”

KNOWLEDGE

STRATEGY

Flowers says his brush with death helped clarify some things in his life, as he realized he was given a second chance that is denied to so many others. He has a daily reminder of his plunge. The prefix of his email address is “Fall14.”

After the fire, Flowers sued the owners of the high-rise, saying they were aware of the string of arsons but did not take adequate measures to prevent the fire.

(Rock Creek’s owners declined to comment for this article.) He sued the elevator company, saying the elevator should have been designed to withstand a fire.

Flowers’ attorneys fought to the state’s highest court. But the courts concluded that a legal doctrine called the Fireman’s Rule precludes firefighters from getting damages if they are injured while doing their job, regardless of whether any parties are negligent. At least a half-dozen

states have tossed out the Fireman’s Rule.

A state Senate panel in January 2020 considered legislation that would have eliminated the rule in Maryland. Legal opinions in the Flowers case were mentioned during testimony. But the bill never came up for a vote—a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, one legislative staffer told me, which shuttered the General Assembly early for the first time since the Civil War. Even if the Fireman’s Rule had not been a factor in Maryland law, it’s impossible to say whether Flowers would have been able to prove negligence to a Maryland judge or jury.

Jim Dimopoulos, aka Greek, is now 66.

He says he thought about quitting firefighting in the weeks following the fall.

Ultimately, he decided to stay, becoming a career firefighter for Montgom-

RESULTS

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an unforgettable fire

Robert Saulpaugh at his home in North Carolina

ery County. He retired after 35 years on the job. In all those years, Dimopoulos says, his Greek immigrant father never acknowledged the work he did. Not on that night in October 1981, when he almost lost a colleague. Not on Sept. 11, 2001, when he lost 343 of them. Not on the day he retired.

That changed this past February, just before his father died.

“We were at Holy Cross Hospital, and the nurse says, ‘Oh, George, your son was a fireman. Were you a fireman, too?’ ” Greek recalls.

“He said, ‘No, no, no. My son’s a fireman. He was the best.’

“The only time in over 35 years in the fire department my father ever acknowledges anything about the fire department, ever. He never understood the traumas and the fires and the stress—any of that.

“When he said, ‘He was the best,’ I lost it.”

As for stoic Robert Saulpaugh, he left the fire service after more than 20 years as a volunteer. He moved to the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina, where he’s been buying, renting, selling and flipping houses. He remains close with Flowers, and they often talk on the phone.

196

As I was taking Saulpaugh’s photo recently, I could see that his black hair has grayed and his smooth face has wrinkled. But he hasn’t lost his edge.

When I’m taking photos of people, it’s not uncommon for self-conscious individuals to remark, “I hope I don’t break your camera.” So when Saulpaugh says something similar—“I won’t break your camera”—I give him my rote reply: “You look fine.”

“No,” he says. “I mean it literally.”

Forty years is a long, long time.

The day after the O’Brien’s Pit Barbecue robbery, Raymond L. Offutt, 24, was arrested and charged with the manager’s murder. Offutt wore a mask during the heist to conceal his face. But his white shoes gave him away. He was known for wearing pointy-toed white shoes while working as a dishwasher at O’Brien’s.

Offutt pleaded guilty and received a life sentence. Now 64, he remains in a state prison in Hagerstown.

Lt. Carvel Harding, now retired as the county’s top fire investigator, says investigators conducted countless stakeouts at Rock Creek Terrace. “We lived down there for a long time,” he says.

Investigators developed a suspect and

brought him in for a lie detector test.

“There’s no doubt in my mind we had the right guy,” Harding says. But prosecutors felt they did not have enough evidence to prevail at trial, he says. Lie detector tests are generally not admissible in court. A suspect was never charged.

Delondo Nugent, now 46, was 6 years old when he was awakened, led down a dark and narrow corridor and hustled into a neighbor’s apartment. It was crowded with other neighbors, and he remembers “the look of terror in their eyes when they saw me.”

“I looked down to my left arm and I saw the blisters,” he tells me recently.

“That’s when I felt the pain.”

Nugent and his mother were among the most seriously injured of the residents, with burns to their arms, shoulders and feet. But both recovered. “It made me appreciative of having all five senses, being able to walk and having a normal life,” Delondo says.

As for Rocky, the sweet boy in the photo…I made multiple attempts to contact him through his family. Rocky’s mother at first tells me she remembers the fire “like it was yesterday,” but later the family says it wants no part in this story.

There’s a saying: History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.

In 2017, two firefighters scaled a cellphone tower in Charlotte, North Carolina, to rescue two men trapped there.

As one firefighter rappelled down the 130-foot tower clutching a worker in his arms, TV news cameras caught the action.

Dark and distant, it’s hard to identify the firefighter making the rescue. But it made retired firefighter Robert Saulpaugh proud nonetheless.

The stoic firefighter was his son. n Mike M. Ahlers of Silver Spring has worked as a journalist for more than 40 years. He is a freelance assignment editor for CBS News in Washington.

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Thanks to Bethesda Magazine Readers for Voting Us

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no pu wollof dna stneilc rieht aera CD evititepmoc ylhgih eh dezilanosreP ,esitrepxe dezilacoL tsetal eht fo egdelwonk etad-ot Readers’ Pick: Best Brokerage for Luxury Homes, Long & Foster® Real Estate morf srelles dna sreyub emoH .sdeen tneilc evres retteb ot noitazilaiceps decnavdA dna ,s .ecivres fo level s’euS dna s’neruaL htiw semoc taht trofmoc dna esae eht ot tsetta s Lauren Hatten and Sue Tendall | hattentendallteam.com 301.996.5592 | lauren.hatten@lnf.com 240.441.2972 | sue.tendall@lnf.com Bethesda Gateway Office 301.907.7600

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interior design. architecture. home sales.

PHOTO BY JENN VERRIER

home

The basement of this Bethesda home includes a bar, a pool table, a golf simulator, an exercise studio and a walk-in wine fridge/tasting room. For more, turn to page 206.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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home | HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS

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FRESH START

Enhance your shower experience with accessories from local stores

3

BY CAROLYN WEBER

1.TUNE IN

2. STEAMY SITUATION

3. HAVE A SEAT

Linger in the shower while listening to your favorite playlist or podcast with a waterproof, Bluetooth-enabled wireless speaker that’s integrated into the showerhead. The speaker detaches for charging and for use elsewhere in the house or yard. The Moxie wireless showerhead speaker comes in three finishes, includes a charging dock and charging cable, and sells for $99 to $129 at the Kohler Signature Store in Bethesda (240-534-2688, kohler.com).

Relax, unwind and elevate your senses with an aromatherapy shower steamer. To activate the cube, get it wet, then move it away from the water stream. Each can be used for up to three showers. There are 12 different scents, including pink peppermint and forest pine, and they sell for $5 each (or a bundle of six assorted scents for $25) at Joyful Bath Co. in North Bethesda (301-986-5320, joyfulbathco. com).

Adding a place to sit in the shower is a practical choice for safety and convenience.

This sturdy round stool features flared legs and a curved apron, and is crafted from teakwood, which is naturally water resistant. The Seneca spa stool measures 17½ inches high and 17½ inches in diameter and retails for $310 at Country Casual Teak in Gaithersburg (301-926-9195, countrycasualteak.com).

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6. HIGH AND DRY Wooden accessories add an element of warmth to sleek marble and glass showers.

This beautiful striped zebra wood soap dish is water resistant and the deep grooves enable drainage, making bars last longer. It measures 3 by 4 inches and is three-fourths of an inch thick, so it fits easily into a shower niche. Handmade in Brooklyn, New York, it costs $20 at the Salt & Sundry pop-up shop on Bethesda Row (301-312-6313, shopsaltandsundry.com).

COURTESY PHOTOS

5

4. FULL OF FLUFF

5. CRYSTAL CLEAR

7. THAT’S A WRAP

Start over with luxurious new bath towels.

The Etoile collection is made in Turkey from a blend of fine long-staple cotton and natural modal for extra softness and absorbency.

Choose from 15 solid colors, all accented with a band of tone-on-tone patterned embroidery.

Stock up on the 28-by-55-inch bath towels for $70 each and the 36-by-63-inch bath sheets for $115 at Yves Delorme in Bethesda (301897-5009, usa.yvesdelorme.com).

Make a resolution to keep your shower sparkling clean with a squeegee tool. A pivoting head helps you get every corner of mirrors, glass doors and tile walls without streaking. Made from recycled plastic and bamboo, it stands up to dry and stores away with a hook and suction cup. The Full Circle wipeout pivoting head squeegee is available for $10.99 at The Container Store in Rockville (301-770-4800, containerstore.com).

No spalike experience is complete without the robe. This lightweight cover-up is a natural, made from super soft 100% cotton in the double gauze style. It wraps around and secures with a belt of the same fabric, and comes in six colors—mustard, white, gray, blush, sage and timber—and two sizes, S/M and L/XL, for $96 at Olive & Loom in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose development (240558-3190, oliveandloom.com).

Carolyn Weber lives in Silver Spring and frequently writes about architecture and home design.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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home

A New Look

Reimagining the basement can be a game changer

BY JENNIFER BARGER

WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC forced families to stay home, many had to reconsider how to make the best use of their space. For some, renovating or rethinking what they wanted in a basement proved to be the answer for obtaining the extra room needed for work, study, exercise and entertainment.

“Basements used to just be a nice rec room that you’d send the kids down to,” says Mark Kaufman, principal of GTM Architects in Bethesda. “Now clients want to turn them into more sophisticated spaces: gym areas, nice offices, even golf simulators.

Everyone is trying to get every square inch out of their property.”

Here’s a look at four homeowners’ basements that are made for everything from quarantining to entertaining.

PHOTOS BY JENN VERRIER

A gallery wall in Lan and Michael Rosenblatt’s Bethesda basement features menus signed by chefs at restaurants where the couple has dined.

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A glamorous touch A WINE ROOM WITH two glass walls. A bar decked out in gleaming metallic tiles. A pool table topped in dreamy sapphire felt. The vibe of the lower level in the Bethesda home of Lan and Michael Rosenblatt is more like a plush nightclub than a basement. “I wanted the whole space dark and clubby,” Lan says. “We both work in the hospitality business, and a lot of our inspiration comes from restaurant and bar design.”

Lan and Michael, who own a hotel investment company, chose GTM Architects to create a contemporary five-bedroom stone and glass custom home in 2018. Construction started shortly before the pandemic hit in 2020. “The basement was important to them from the beginning as a place for relaxation and entertainment,” GTM’s Mark Kaufman says. “That’s why we oversized the area, so it doesn’t feel below grade, and put in a big French door that leads out to a hardscaped patio outside, too.”

The 2,500-square-foot lower level provides space for the Rosenblatts’ diverse interests, incorporating a golf simulator, an exercise studio, a walk-in wine fridge/tasting room, and an outsize den with the bar and a pool table.

“We wanted the bar to be inspiring and exciting,” interior designer Annette Hannon says. “The surface really has a dimension to it, which we created by covering it in a metallic Artistic Tile that really shimmers.”

The bar abuts a glass wall of the cli-

mate-controlled wine room, which holds 2,000 bottles stacked four deep, an artful showcase for the South African and French vintages that the Rosenblatts have collected in their travels. “We put low-voltage lights over that beautiful wine fridge, and you see it as you come downstairs,” Kaufman says. “It’s like you immediately relax and want to have a few drinks.”

The den, painted a deep navy blue, also has a pool table custom-made by Blatt’s Billiards in New York City. Its sapphire felt top complements the basement’s color scheme. “We picked the felt, the cues, the legs, everything,” Lan says.

The pool table sits behind what Hannon describes as “an exceptionally comfortable Holly Hunt sectional.”

The art on the walls above the sofa is one of the Rosenblatts’ favorite elements of the space. More than 20 framed menus signed by chefs at restaurants where the couple has dined, such as Eleven Madison Park in New York City, hang above the sectional on a gallery wall. “We love to eat. We love to go out,” Lan says. “Michael and Annette spent a whole afternoon arranging them on the floor like a puzzle before installing it. It’s like a wall of memories, with things like an Inn at Little Washington anniversary date.”

A pool table is next to one of the two glass walls that are part of the Rosenblatts’ wine room.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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home In Chris and Katey Brown’s remodeled basement, a game room is next to the den.

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caption goes here

Study carrels with fans and lights offer privacy for remote work.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL VENTURA

The hangout KATEY AND CHRIS BROWN and their three sons have lived in their six-bedroom Craftsman-style house in Bethesda since 2017. Like other families, the Browns knew the pandemic lockdown meant that they would be spending a lot of time at home. So Katey and Chris, both of whom work in health care, called in Rill Architects in Bethesda to turn their basic basement into a spot where everyone could hang out as a family or on their own.

“It had plain gray walls and carpet down there,” Katey says. “It wasn’t a very pleasing place to let the kids go.”

To make the whole area work better for the family, principal architect Jim Rill flipped the existing layout to create a dedicated space for TV watching, added architectural details to the ceiling and walls, and designed a unique place for the couple’s sons to study and play computer games.

A game room next to the den was remodeled with a wall covered in cork (to protect drywall behind a dartboard) and op en shelving; there’s also a pingpong table and a Pac-Man arcade machine. “Our kids love online gaming, but we’re also trying to get them away

from their screens, and that room is a way to do it,” Katey says.

“It ended up being a very artistic venture with the Browns,” Rill says.

“We added fun shelves to display their music collectibles and used interesting light fixtures.” Vinyl plank flooring that mimics wood was installed throughout the basement, a “lifesaver due to our dog, Fuzzball,” Chris says. “Now if he has a mistake, it’s such [an] easy cleanup.”

The most innovative elements of the project are hidden along one wall of the den: a pair of 8-by-8-foot study carrels with sliding barn doors. The carrels, created with space taken from an existing bedroom, “each have work counters, fans and lights, so they’re comfortable for a long day at [online] school,” Rill says.

The boys frequently used the study carrels when they were attending school virtually during the pandemic. “It was great, because they didn’t always want to sit next to one of their brothers,” Katey says. Now that they are attending in-person classes again, at least one of the rooms remains in use. “Chris just took a new job that’s all remote, so he’s moved in,” Katey says. “It’s nice that the space keeps evolving.”

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home Built-ins and a sauna full bathroom that had an off-center mirror and an outdated metal sink. “It was not a nice bathroom,” Erica says. “Now it has a bespoke blue wooden sink vanity, a Serena & Lily mirror and a freestanding shower. It’s a tight space, but everything is upgraded.”

A small hallway between the home gym and the bathroom holds what may be the basement’s best feature: a cedar infrared sauna by Coastal Saunas. “This winter, I’m going to use it a lot,” Stewart says. “I don’t think we would’ve added it if we hadn’t been home all the time, but now I’m glad we did.”

Built-in shelves (below left) and a cedar infrared sauna were added during a renovation of Erica Haggard and Stewart Crosland’s Bethesda basement.

PHOTOS BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG

WHEN LAWYERS ERICA HAGGARD and Stewart Crosland and their infant son moved into their Bethesda colonial in May 2019, “the basement was just a big open space, and we didn’t know what to do with it,” Erica says. “The couple who owned the house before us were empty nesters, and it didn’t seem like they used the basement much.”

The pandemic forced the couple to work from home starting in March 2020. Living in close quarters with each other, their son and his live-in nanny spurred the couple to hire InSite Builders & Remodeling in Bethesda that summer to rethink the basement. “We knew there would be demand for home improvements, and we knew we needed to get started, since we didn’t know how long it would take,” Erica says. “We needed space for our son and his toys, and we wanted a workout area since we couldn’t go to the gym.”

InSite architect and director of design Tom Reineberg helped them transform their 800-squarefoot basement into a multifunctional family zone.

“The biggest challenge was that the basement had several dropped bulkheads where there were steel beams and ductwork,” he says. “We had to come up with a design where the ceilings didn’t seem out of place or cut up too much.” In the central den, that meant adding built-in bookshelves and a niche for a television to conceal heating and cooling and electrical systems.

The basement walls, as well as the bookshelves, were painted in Benjamin Moore’s Newberry Court Blue.

Two other rooms were turned into a small playroom and a home gym decked out with sports memorabilia. Reineberg installed interlocking rubber flooring in both.

The couple also remodeled an oddly configured

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From left: Graham (with French bulldog Hazel), Caroline, Jessica and Patrick Flynn in their renovated basement

PHOTO BY MICHAEL VENTURA

Shiplap and study space WHEN THE PANDEMIC ARRIVED in March 2020, Jessica and Patrick Flynn’s longtime au pair was living in the basement of their 1955 Cape Cod-style, fivebedroom home in Chevy Chase. Since their teenage daughter and tween son were increasingly self-sufficient, the Flynns helped place the au pair with a family that had younger children, and then “decided to make the basement ours again,” Jessica says. “We tore down the old walls and turned it into a living room and workout space.”

Bethesda architect Tom Flanagan, who spearheaded two earlier remodels and expansions of the couple’s house, added light and created a feeling of more space in the finished basement by reducing the size of the laundry room and installing French doors that open to the backyard. “I wanted them to come down the stairs and have it feel wider and more

open,” he says. “We moved some walls and put in those doors that seem connected to [the] outdoors.” To make heating the area more convenient, a woodburning corner fireplace was converted to natural gas.

During the renovation in the summer of 2020, the basement was reconfigured into a spacious den with an adjoining workout room and office space in a hallway. Rubber flooring was installed in the home gym, where Jessica and Patrick take turns using their treadmill and Peloton bike. “They’ve been great therapy during the pandemic,” Jessica says of the exercise equipment. “I think we’re working out more than before.”

In keeping with the home’s modern farmhouse style interiors, Jessica chose a custom-cut white shiplap for the basement walls and stairway. “It’s a great way to both add character and a nice reveal

as you walk downstairs,” Flanagan says.

Ankle-level lights in the stairway shiplap act as a safety element as well as a design feature. “Patrick kept seeing that idea on Houzz,” Jessica says of the home design website. Vinyl planks resembling white oak cover the floor of the den and hallway.

The family of four—plus Hazel, their French bulldog—used the space often during the height of the pandemic. The couple’s kids attended online classes in the den while sitting at a repurposed Joss & Main dining table placed behind a comfy sectional sofa. The sectional faces a flat-screen TV and the fireplace. “It’s where we gathered then—and now—to watch a TV show or movie,” Jessica says.

“It’s all just so cozy.” n Jennifer Barger is a local design and travel writer. Follow her on Instagram @dcjnell.

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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home | BY THE NUMBERS

Data provided by

OCTOBER’S MOST EXPENSIVE at A peek rea’s f the a some o pensive x most e sold n rece tly s house

HOME SALES

SALE PRICE: SALE PRICE:

$4.9 million LIST PRICE: $4.9 MILLION

Address: 5308 Burling Terrace, Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 18 Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/2

$3.8 million LIST PRICE: $4 MILLION

Address: 1 W. Melrose St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 10 Listing Agency: Washington Fine Properties Bedrooms: 7 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

SALE PRICE:

$3.4 million LIST PRICE: $3 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

Address: 8 Primrose St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 8 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

LIST PRICE: $4.5 MILLION

SALE PRICE:

$4.2 million Address: 11345 Albermyrtle Road, Potomac 20854 Days on Market: 38 Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 8 Full/Half Baths: 8/3

$3.3 million LIST PRICE: $3.1 MILLION

Address: 9905 Potomac Manors Drive, Potomac 20854 Days on Market: 6 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 8 Full/Half Baths: 9/2

SALE PRICE:

$3.3 million $3.9 million LIST PRICE: $3.9 MILLION

Address: 7609 Glenbrook Road, Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 11 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 6/3

LIST PRICE: $3.3 MILLION

Address: 11808 Forum Hill Court, Potomac 20854 Days on Market: 29 Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 7 Full/Half Baths: 7/2

SALE PRICE:

$3.2 million LIST PRICE: $3.1 MILLION

Address: 11618 Highland Farm Road, Potomac 20854

212

COURTESY PHOTOS

SALE PRICE:

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM

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home | BY THE NUMBERS Days on Market: 4 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 7 Full/Half Baths: 7/3

SALE PRICE:

$2.8 million LIST PRICE: $2.9 MILLION

Address: 3903 Legation St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20015 Days on Market: 50 Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.8 million LIST PRICE: $2.8 MILLION

Address: 7106 Clarden Road, Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 7 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.6 million LIST PRICE: $2.6 MILLION

Address: 25 Hesketh St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 2 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 6/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.6 million LIST PRICE: $2.4 MILLION

Address: 6027 Walhonding Road, Bethesda 20816 Days on Market: 5 Listing Agency: Realty Advantage Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.6 million LIST PRICE: $2.5 MILLION

Address: 6807 Florida St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 5 Listing Agency: TTR Sotheby’s International Realty Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 3/1

214

SALE PRICE:

$2.6 million LIST PRICE: $2.5 MILLION

Address: 12 Hesketh St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 3 Listing Agency: Neil P. Cullen Real Estate Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.5 million LIST PRICE: $2.4 MILLION

Address: 5608 McLean Drive, Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 6 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.5 million LIST PRICE: $2.6 MILLION

Address: 7309 Barra Drive, Bethesda 20817 Days on Market: 101 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.5 million LIST PRICE: $2.5 MILLION

Address: 3306 Camalier Drive, Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 16 Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.5 million LIST PRICE: $2.5 MILLION

Address: 74405 Stanford St., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 32 Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.4 million LIST PRICE: $2.3 MILLION

Address: 13309 Drews Lane, Potomac 20854

Days on Market: 4 Listing Agency: Washington Fine Properties Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.4 million LIST PRICE: $2.4 MILLION

Address: 5910 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 16 Listing Agency: Long & Foster Real Estate Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.3 million LIST PRICE: $2.3 MILLION

Address: 4302 Rosedale Ave., Bethesda 20814 Days on Market: 1 Listing Agency: RE/MAX Realty Services Bedrooms: 6 Full/Half Baths: 5/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.2 million LIST PRICE: $2.3 MILLION

Address: 5212 Dorset Ave., Chevy Chase 20815 Days on Market: 21 Listing Agency: Washington Fine Properties Bedrooms: 4 Full/Half Baths: 3/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.1 million LIST PRICE: $2.1 MILLION

Address: 4716 Alton Place NW, Washington, D.C. 20016 Days on Market: 1 Listing Agency: Compass Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 3/1

SALE PRICE:

$2.1 million LIST PRICE: $2.3 MILLION

Address: 6400 Ridge Drive, Bethesda 20816 Days on Market: 6 Listing Agency: McEnearney Associates Bedrooms: 5 Full/Half Baths: 4/1 Note: Some sale and list prices have been rounded.

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home | BY THE NUMBERS

REAL ESTATE TRENDS

BY ZIP CODE

OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 2021

20015 (Upper NW D.C.)

OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 2021

OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 2021

20832 (Olney)

20855 (Rockville)

Number of Homes Sold 20 19 Average Sold Price $651,105 $786,439 Average Days on Market 12 10 Above Asking Price 11 14 Below Asking Price 6 4 Sold Over $1 Million 1 4

Number of Homes Sold 21 16 Average Sold Price $677,548 $684,378 Average Days on Market 17 14 Above Asking Price 12 8 Below Asking Price 6 6 Sold Over $1 Million 2 1

20016 (Upper NW D.C.)

20850 (Rockville)

20877 (Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

Number of Homes Sold 22 18 Average Sold Price $671,445 $874,704 Average Days on Market 23 17 Above Asking Price 12 7 Below Asking Price 5 8 Sold Over $1 Million 1 5

Number of Homes Sold 9 20 Average Sold Price $433,055 $531,219 Average Days on Market 6 15 Above Asking Price 9 10 Below Asking Price 0 8 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20814 (Bethesda)

20851 (Rockville)

20878 (Gaithersburg/North Potomac)

Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

Number of Homes Sold 16 14 Average Sold Price $431,325 $443,450 Average Days on Market 18 20 8 6 Above Asking Price Below Asking Price 6 6 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 35 48 Average Sold Price $771,758 $874,793 Average Days on Market 33 19 19 19 Above Asking Price Below Asking Price 12 17 Sold Over $1 Million 4 12

20852 (North Bethesda/Rockville)

20879 (Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold 14 18 Average Sold Price $915,193 $821,261 Average Days on Market 10 9 Above Asking Price 7 9 Below Asking Price 3 6 Sold Over $1 Million 5 6

Number of Homes Sold 20 12 Average Sold Price $462,412 $550,247 Average Days on Market 11 10 Above Asking Price 15 9 Below Asking Price 4 2 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20853 (Rockville)

20882 (Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold 34 28 Average Sold Price $612,658 $570,155 Average Days on Market 14 15 Above Asking Price 22 12 Below Asking Price 9 11 Sold Over $1 Million 1 0

Number of Homes Sold 16 23 Average Sold Price $675,518 $692,614 Average Days on Market 13 16 Above Asking Price 9 15 Below Asking Price 4 6 Sold Over $1 Million 0 2

20854 (Potomac)

20886 (Gaithersburg)

Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

21 $1.4 Mil. 17 15 4 18

13 $1.4 Mil. 17 7 5 12

31 17 $1.7 Mil. $1.8 Mil. 42 11 15 10 14 5 29 16

23 24 $1.6 Mil. $1.6 Mil. 41 11 7 10 12 9 15 17

20815 (Chevy Chase) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

22 $1.7 Mil. 35 10 8 16

31 $1.6 Mil. 12 15 9 26

20816 (Bethesda) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

22 $1.2 Mil. 13 12 9 17

20 $1.4 Mil. 11 11 8 15

20817 (Bethesda) Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

216

52 40 $1.6 Mil. $1.2 Mil. 37 15 23 20 22 15 35 25

Number of Homes Sold Average Sold Price Average Days on Market Above Asking Price Below Asking Price Sold Over $1 Million

52 $1.4 Mil. 39 22 25 39

48 $1.4 Mil. 17 25 15 30

Number of Homes Sold 16 5 Average Sold Price $533,093 $522,000 Average Days on Market 12 7 Above Asking Price 9 1 Below Asking Price 4 1 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

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OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 2021

OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 2021

OCTOBER 2020

OCTOBER 2021

20895 (Kensington)

20902 (Silver Spring)

20904 (Silver Spring)

Number of Homes Sold 25 23 Average Sold Price $693,884 $795,473 Average Days on Market 42 9 Above Asking Price 11 13 Below Asking Price 7 6 Sold Over $1 Million 2 7

Number of Homes Sold 32 40 Average Sold Price $517,517 $561,123 Average Days on Market 10 13 Above Asking Price 23 18 Below Asking Price 4 16 Sold Over $1 Million 0 1

Number of Homes Sold 37 33 Average Sold Price $544,570 $607,512 Average Days on Market 9 17 Above Asking Price 24 15 Below Asking Price 7 13 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

20901(Silver Spring)

20903 (Silver Spring)

20910 (Silver Spring)

Number of Homes Sold 24 22 Average Sold Price $563,562 $531,045 Average Days on Market 10 16 Above Asking Price 19 14 Below Asking Price 3 7 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 6 4 Average Sold Price $511,166 $593,500 Average Days on Market 8 4 Above Asking Price 4 3 Below Asking Price 1 0 Sold Over $1 Million 0 0

Number of Homes Sold 26 21 Average Sold Price $686,838 $682,647 Average Days on Market 17 11 Above Asking Price 19 10 Below Asking Price 4 4 Sold Over $1 Million 1 1

Information courtesy of Bright MLS, as of Nov. 15, 2021. This information includes single-family homes sold from Oct. 1, 2021, to Oct. 31, 2021, as of Nov. 15, 2021, excluding sales where sellers have withheld permission to advertise or promote. Information should be independently verified. Some sale and list prices have been rounded.

Bright MLS’s real estate service area spans 40,000 square miles throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. As a leading multiple listing service (MLS), Bright supports over 95,000 real estate professionals who in turn serve the more than 20 million homeowners in Bright’s footprint.

In 2020, Bright’s customers facilitated $116.3 billion in real estate transactions through Bright’s system. For more information, visit brightmls.com.

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O AT

THE MARKET IS STILL HUNGRY FOR INVENTORY!

21

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Thinking of making a move?

Over $100 Million in Sales in 2021 Lauren Davis m +1 202 549 8784, ldavis@ttrsir.com, laurendavisteam.com Bethesda Brokerage, 4809 Bethesda Avenue, o +1 301 516 1212

©2022 Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. SIR1

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12/10/21 9:23 AM

Donna Leanos Ranking in the Top 5% of realtors in the DMV, Donna has successfully cultivated her 25+ year career drawing on her knowledge and talent for understanding current and future property values.

These perfected skills allow Donna to stay actively involved in the development process when her clients are deciding on details such as budget, location, lot acquisition, timing, home size, layout and desired features in their new space.

Like a work of fine art, marketing a luxury property demands attention to every detail. Buying or selling, Donna is dedicated to the highest level of service, with strong technical expertise and business acumen. Leveraging the TTR Sotheby’s International Realty brand, she is able to offer quality, refinement and exclusivity to her most discerning clients. m 1 443 841 0512 o +1 301 516 1212 dleanos@ttrsir.com Languages: English, Italian License: MD, VA, DC

VJ Derbarghamian From the highest level of service comes the highest level of success. VJ goes above and beyond to meet our client’s needs and guide them through every step of the Real Estate journey.

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, for most people it’s not only a daunting task but one of the most significant financial decisions of their lives. The ability to deliver a successful and seamless result is extremely satisfying for me. For my sellers, it’s getting their home sold in the least amount of time for a sales price beyond their expectations. For my buyer clients, it’s finding “the one”— the home that checks off all the boxes and they can happily call home. m +1 240 630 1019 o +1 301 516 1212 vderbarghamian@ttrsir.com

© 2021 TTR Sotheby’s International Realty. TTR Sotheby’s International Realty fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated.

Any services or products provided by independently owned and operated franchisees are not provided by, affiliated with or related to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC nor any of its affiliated companies.

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12/10/21 9:23 AM

Trusted Advisors. Outstanding Outcomes.

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fitness. wellness. medicine.

PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

health

Dr. Kambiz “Kaz” Fotoohi, a Chevy Chase prosthodontist, often takes before-and-after photos of his patients. For more, turn the page.

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health | BE WELL

FIXER UPPER A Chevy Chase prosthodontist talks about the impact of stress and anxiety on our teeth

BY ANDREA K. MCDANIELS | PHOTO BY LISA HELFERT

DR. KAMBIZ “KAZ” FOTOOHI understands the tooth ailments that bring patients to him for treatment. The 61-year-old prosthodontist—a dentist who is highly specialized in restorative procedures—clenches his teeth just like many of the people who come to him with worn-down enamel and jaw pain.

He wears a night guard like the ones he often prescribes.

“It’s not the easiest thing to wear,” he says. “After a couple of hours of wearing it, you might find it at the bottom of the bed. Or if you have a dog or a cat, it might disappear.”

Fotoohi has seen more stress-induced dental problems at his Chevy Chase office since the start of the pandemic.

Everybody’s anxieties are in overdrive, he says, and their teeth are suffering the consequences. Scared to leave the house and contract the virus, some have let the problems fester.

“Nobody knew what was going to happen—when the shutdowns would end, if they were going to lose their house because they weren’t working,” says Fotoohi, who lives in Chevy Chase within walking distance of his office. “The unknown factors were what was causing all this stress. And after the reopening, what we ended up seeing was cracked teeth that needed to be managed with extraction, bridges, whatever could treat it.” Some patients were asking for cosmetic changes after seeing themselves every day on Zoom, he says—they’ve come in for veneers and teeth whitening because they want to look better on camera.

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Dentistry wasn’t in Fotoohi’s life plans; he dreamed of becoming an oceanographer. But after graduating from Syracuse University, he found himself stumbling between jobs, including one at a dental office. The dentist didn’t think Fotoohi was good chairside and sent him to the lab, where moldings were made. There, Fotoohi shined. In hindsight, he had always been good with his hands, he says, and he counted woodworking and ceramics as hobbies in high school. He enrolled in dental school at Boston University, where he spent the next four years, then studied there for an additional two years to specialize in prosthodontics.

Prosthodontists are considered experts in mouth restoration, often using implants, crowns, bridges, dentures and veneers to treat an injury or improve a smile. The toughest jobs can involve several operations. Fotoohi has one patient who was knocked to the ground by the mirror of a construction truck that hit her while she was exiting her car. She lost four teeth and bruised her chin and jaw, injuries that took nine months of reconstructive surgeries to repair.

Fotoohi has carved out a special niche in what he calls “salvage operations,” or taking failed dental procedures and trying to fix them. Patients often come to him in distress and ready to give up on dental work—the aim is to save teeth rather than extract them. “At this point they want to rip everything out and forget it,” he says.

“We try to help them with expectations.

Make what they have work for them. Not short term, but long term.” n

IN HIS OWN WORDS...

A TOUGH YEAR “This has been the most challenging time in my career. Not just for me, but for everybody. When we were closed, different groups of my general dentist colleagues were all in different text groups, all texting information to each other. Especially to the younger general practitioners, trying to keep them hopeful, telling them, ‘This will be OK.’ We tried to tell dentists to be prepared when things opened back [up]. But many still weren’t.”

DIGITAL DENTISTRY “Dentistry has changed quite a bit. The materials change every year, but the biggest change is the digital transformation. I still follow my alma mater, and their programs have changed to focus on digital laboratories and how to work with the digital age and being able to manipulate digital images. For those of us who didn’t study that, we try to get all caught up and try to learn the new demands. I had two teenagers when digital came out, and I asked for their help. It’s like trying to get from your old phone to an iPhone.”

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GETTING TO KNOW YOU “What I really enjoy is talking to patients and hearing their backgrounds. They tell me about their kids and spouses, and have all these stories. You can kind of put a picture together about what the patient is like; how they are at home is different.

It helps with the planning of their treatment. It is also just fascinating to get to know the patient. Really, they become a family; they become [a] dental family.

And they want to know about you, too.”

HEARING PATIENTS OUT “Listening to the patient is super, super important. They need to be comfortable with you. They are entrusting their whole face to you. Patients are usually nervous or anxious from past experiences. A couple of dentists refer their emergencies to me. These patients come in raving about their dentists—and I love it. That is how patients should feel about their dentists.”

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health

The

Search As more primary care doctors transition to personalized practices, patients are forced to follow—or look elsewhere for good, affordable care

BY MICHAEL S. GERBER ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH AGOSTA

BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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health

T

THE POST ON Nextdoor resonated

with Heidi Sheppard, mirroring the plight she and her family were facing.

Can anyone recommend a good family doctor in the area, or tell me your experience with SignatureMD? … Potomac Physician Associates will be closed this July and replaced by SignatureMD, which I understand that you have to pay an annual fee of $1500-2000 to join for what they call a “personalized care.” I don’t know if it’s worth it to do that since we are already paying close to $20K/year for our medical insurance right now.

The post was among a number of similar queries that cropped up last spring in local social media groups. They followed the announcement by Potomac Physician Associates (PPA), one of the area’s largest independent primary care practices, that it would be closing and that many of its doctors would be joining new practices affiliated with One Medical, MDVIP or SignatureMD. “We are also in the same situation since we have used the doctors at PPA for years,” Sheppard replied. “I find this trend extremely disturbing as it is moving us even further away from a universal health care system and towards better medical care for those who can afford it.”

Sheppard had only recently started seeing a physician at Potomac Physician Associates, but her husband and two adult children had been seeing doctors at the practice for many years. Sheppard says she was contacted by phone, via email and through the mail to explain the transition and the benefits of a concierge model.

PPA physicians even held webinars to talk up concierge care, in which patients pay a retainer to their physician for care that typically includes longer appointments and the ability to contact your doctor by phone or email nearly 24/7. Still, she and her family opted out.

“I understand doctors are having a hard time, too, and our medical system is awful; but we can’t afford that,” says Sheppard, 61, who lives in Kensington.

“We’re already paying a gazillion dol226

lars for insurance. …Why would I spend $1,300 just so the doctor will call me back? They should be doing that anyway.”

Sheppard had no trouble finding a doctor who was taking new patients, wasn’t charging extra for a boutique practice and was an “in-network” provider with her insurance. She based her decisions on conversations with friends, online reviews and an initial virtual appointment with her new doctor. She believes she found someone she can trust, but is still disappointed that she had to switch doctors for the second time in just a couple of years.

THREE YEARS AGO, Richard Ireland

faced a similar choice: pay $1,800 a year to stick with the doctor he had been seeing for two decades or find a new one. His longtime primary care physician, Collin Cullen, was leaving the traditional practice he ran with his brothers to launch one that promised more personalized care and access in return for an annual fee.

Ireland chose to stay with Cullen, a decision that reflected his comfort and relationship with the physician as much as any desire to see a “concierge” doctor.

In fact, he chose Cullen more than 20 years ago partly because it was early in the physician’s career. Ireland assumed that meant he could build a relationship that would last well past his own retirement from his job as an engineer with the Navy.

“Initially, I was taken aback,” by Cullen’s announcement in 2019 that he was changing to a membership model, “and I was questioning whether I would do it or not,” says Ireland, 72, who lives in Chevy Chase.

“I’ve had quite a few health issues…he’s very familiar with what my issues are and very comfortable talking about them.”

The fee buys Ireland a comprehensive annual exam that he calls “very thorough—the information he passes on to me is about double what I used to get.”

Ireland also appreciates that he can call in the morning and get an appointment with Cullen later the same day if he needs one.

Even Cullen’s office staff, Ireland says, is

more attentive and responsive than before the doctor’s switch to a concierge practice, likely because concierge physicians see significantly fewer patients than most other primary care doctors.

“I also get updates from him—he takes the time to respond to my email directly,” Ireland says. “In the previous arrangement…email was never answered…now the communication is a lot more direct and prompt.”

THE EXACT NUMBER OF physicians

practicing in these models is unknown, but it is clearly rising, not just in the Washington, D.C., area, but across the country. According to a report published

by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a 2019 survey of nearly 2,000 Americans found that more than one in five adults with a household income of more than $500,000 participate in some type of concierge medicine.

In the case of the doctors formerly associated with PPA, those in the practice’s Chevy Chase office transitioned to One Medical, a nationwide company that promises 24/7 access to ondemand virtual care and same-day or next-day appointments for an annual fee of $199. Seven physicians remained in PPA’s former office on Fernwood Road in Bethesda; they opened Bethesda Internal Medicine Partners, a practice aligned with SignatureMD, which operates under a more typical concierge model with a larger annual fee of about $1,800.

The former PPA did not make anyone available to respond to questions from Bethesda Magazine.

Interviews with several local doctors and patients confirmed that these shifts in the primary care landscape are part of a trend: Fewer traditional insurancebased independent practices exist, with more primary care doctors either joining large hospital systems, such as MedStar or Johns Hopkins, or—like the former providers at Potomac Physician Associates—opting for a membership-based

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health model. The trend has raised concerns that a shortage of primary care physicians is only being exacerbated, and also has left some patients confused or questioning what they’re paying for.

It doesn’t help that no two practices look quite the same, with an evolving terminology not even agreed upon by the physicians and certainly not yet understood by most of the public. For example, a “concierge” model typically comes with an annual contract, and services can still be billed “in-network” to insurers with whom those doctors have a contract.

But there’s also “direct primary care,” which typically has a lower fee and doesn’t bill insurance as an in-network provider.

ment, it’s impossible to see your doctor when you’re sick. …The doctor’s staring at the computer screen half the time; they have to click, click, click the electronic record. [Despite] the high premiums everyone pays, that’s what your insurance gives you these days: high-volume, bulk primary care.”

Defenders of concierge or direct primary care practices say they’re not for the super rich or hypochondriacs, but simply for people who feel that a special relationship with a primary care physician is worth paying for. In many cases, the patients tend to be older or suffering from chronic conditions, meaning they spend more time navigating the health

HI! DOES ANYONE HERE currently see a doctor (for yourself ) at Potomac Physicians [sic] Associates (Bethesda/ Fernwood location)? I’m reading over the info about how the doctors there are starting this new personalized practice and I’m a bit confused... Have any other patients made any sense of the options besides paying to become a member? It seems all other locations are closing?

“Same!” Jamie Kramer replied to the Facebook post. “They are going boutique which has become common in recent years. I don’t see the benefit unless you have a lot of ‘stuff’ or have a strong need to be able to text or call your doctor 24 hours a day. It’s more common for people

“We’re already paying a gazillion dollars for insurance,” Heidi Sheppard says. “Why would I spend $1,300 just so the doctor will call me back?”

A 2018 survey of direct primary care practices by the American Academy of Family Physicians found that the majority of responding doctors charged individuals $50 to $75 per month to be members of the practice. The vast majority of those surveyed—87%—said they did not charge any additional fees per visit.

And then there’s e ver ything in between—models like One Medical, with a relatively low annual fee but still innetwork with many insurance plans.

What each of these models has in common is that the physicians who practice within them argue that traditional insurance-based primary care practices aren’t providing what many patients need.

“The problem is not the doctors, though. It’s the system,” says Matthew Mintz, an internist with a concierge practice in North Bethesda. With a traditional system, “it’s volume-based care, which means it’s hard to get an appoint228

care system. Others simply appreciate the time they get with the doctor—often an hour for an annual physical and 30 minutes or more for other visits. They relish the opportunity to sit down in an office and ask questions. Mintz says it’s the same factor that motivated him to start his practice.

“A primary care physician, in my opinion, that practices in Bethesda, Chevy Chase or Rockville should be able to make a salary that supports a family that lives in that area, and currently what primary care physicians are paid does not do that,” Mintz says. But he doesn’t think compensation is driving doctors to other models; it’s the limitations of insurance-based practices. “These doctors are not delivering the kind of care that they want to deliver. The patients don’t have access to them, so they’re not doing the thing that got them into medicine in the first place.”

60+ for example to see a concierge doctor as they are aging.”

Kramer, 35, wasn’t completely surprised by the announcement. She had heard rumors that the practice might be switching to a membership or concierge model. It didn’t take the North Bethesda resident long to decide that she would have to find a new primary care practice.

She quickly made an appointment to see her Potomac Physician Associates doctor one last time in July, just weeks before the practice closed and reopened under the SignatureMD banner.

“I feel very fortunate…that I’m healthy, and I’m young,” says Kramer, who owns a local event planning company. “For me, it’s not something that feels absolutely necessary to do. …There are plenty of great doctors in the area; it doesn’t feel necessary to pay that amount. I feel like it makes a lot more sense for my parents’ generation.”

Kramer hasn’t found another doc-

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tor yet—she doesn’t feel a rush since she sneaked in that last physical with her previous doctor—but isn’t worried about it. Like many people her age, she is less concerned about being able to see the same physician every time she has a medical question, taking into equal consideration factors like convenience, location and cost.

ALTHOUGH DR. TIM ARLING’S

office is in the same building that used to be home to Potomac Physician Associates’ Chevy Chase practice, it wasn’t an elevator conversation or an online neighborhood discussion that alerted him to the news that his fellow primary care providers were shifting to a membership model. In fact, every time a primary care practice makes a similar move—and it’s happened several times in the last few years—Arling usually knows within days.

“Suddenly there’s a dramatic surge of patients of one doctor trying to call around to local doctors to see if they’re accepting new patients,” he says. This time was no different; Arling, who has been with Capitol Medical Group since helping launch its adult internal medicine practice in 2017, has added new patients who previously saw PPA physicians. Some of them don’t feel the need for a concierge practice because they are relatively healthy, he says, while others simply can’t afford it. A third group is just annoyed and thinks the doctors are simply trying to get rich, Arling says.

“I never have them say, ‘Well, I wonder why [the doctors] feel like they needed to do that; I wonder what changed…did something happen in terms of their reimbursement such that the model was no longer as economically feasible’ or anything,” he says. “It unfortunately kind of paints doctors in a bad light, but I don’t think anyone goes into primary care because they think that’s going to be their easiest way to make a ton of money.”

JUDITH MCGUIRE ISN’T ENTIRELY

unsympathetic to physicians—she also accuses insurance companies of being

at the root of the problem—but she doesn’t buy into the idea that concierge medicine is a better model. When Lisa Kaufman, her former primary doctor with an office in downtown Washington, announced that she was changing her model, McGuire didn’t hesitate to find someone new.

“I wasn’t surprised, but I was disappointed,” says McGuire, 71, who lives in Chevy Chase. “I think they said it was going to be 1,800 bucks per year to belong, and that just didn’t make sense to me.”

Kaufman’s practice, Dupont Private Health, says the membership comes with many benefits: same-day or nextday appointments, 24/7 access to your physician via secure messaging, comprehensive wellness coaching and more. But McGuire, expressing sentiments shared by others, thinks that most people who pay the annual fee are “wealthy elitists [or] wealthy hypochondriacs” who “can have someone they can order around.”

McGuire didn’t take finding a new doctor lightly: Earlier this year she shared on a Chevy Chase group email list a spreadsheet of primary care physicians that she had created during her search. She says it wasn’t easy to find one who was taking new patients. In the end, she says, even her new doctor wasn’t supposed to be accepting new patients, but her staff scheduled the appointment anyway. The doctor, part of a practice in the Johns Hopkins system, agreed to keep seeing her.

“I lucked out,” says McGuire, who worries about others who might be having trouble finding a physician.

Mintz fears this will be the experience of more and more people in the D.C. area. As physicians go concierge, they will decrease the number of patients they are willing to see. Many patients will either choose or be forced to seek out the shrinking but still significant number of primary care doctors who qualify as in-network providers by insurance and don’t charge an annual fee.

Arling, though, continues to take on more patients, and he has been able to hire an additional physician and a nurse

practitioner. Many patients, meanwhile, are perfectly happy in systems such as Kaiser Permanente or One Medical, which may not give you immediate access to your personal physician but do provide around-the-clock telehealth or urgent care appointments. McGuire, for example, isn’t concerned that she might not speak to her doctor right away when something comes up suddenly.

“I feel like at Hopkins there’s a lot of other resources,” she says. “You can send an email, and you can get a callback.”

For some, a call from a nurse or an unfamiliar doctor doesn’t match their expectations of a primary care physician.

Some even say that concierge or direct primary care medicine reminds them of the health care of their childhoods. Frank Filderman, 62, grew up in the Washington area and remembers a doctor coming to the house when he or one of his sisters was sick. Filderman’s physician, Mintz, doesn’t make house calls, but Filderman, a resident of Bethesda, appreciates the time he gets when he visits the office.

“What outweighs [only] having to pay a $30 copay is the ability to see somebody pretty much on demand, if you will…and not having to wait,” Filderman says. “He absolutely understands you, takes copious notes when you’re meeting with him.” While previous doctors had to “open up the computer just to get caught up on who I am,” Filderman feels Mintz knows him well enough now to provide personalized care. That’s something Filderman particularly values while recalling an experience in which he was misdiagnosed and referred to urgent care and a cardiologist by a physician he didn’t know—all for what he says turned out to be an allergic reaction.

“When I meet with [Mintz], if something comes up with my heart, with my back, [or] for whatever reason, where he’ll point me [to] is somebody he knows will take care of me,” Filderman says. “Because he knows what my needs are.” n Michael S. Gerber is a writer and consultant in Washington, D.C.

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Q: What trends or changes are you

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A: With so many employees working from home and attending meetings online, people have become more sensitive to their facial appearance. We’re seeing “the Zoom effect,” the result of people staring at themselves on the screen and feeling that they look tired or that their noses look big. Outside, mask-wearing has raised people’s concerns about the appearance of their eyes, because that’s all anyone sees.

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Dr. Goodman is an orthodontist and president of the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists. Dr. Sholander (“Dr. Heather” to her patients) is a pediatric dentist and a diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. They have been practicing together in the area for over 10 years.

Q: Why should parents care about the way their child’s mouth grows?

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only their teeth, but also critical functions such as how well they breathe and even sleep. This is why we’ve established a philosophy that treating the patient as a whole is more beneficial than the traditional specialty approach. A child’s growth and development are influenced by many factors including genetics and lifestyle. So we make it a priority to talk with parents about these factors, such as food choices and bedtime routines. At other times we work to help kids break thumb and pacifier habits or recommend early orthodontic treatment to redirect growth.

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restaurants. cooking. food. drinks.

PHOTO BY DEB LINDSEY

dine

The menu at the recently opened Thai Chef in Rockville includes a cucumber salad with tomatoes and green beans. For our review, turn the page.

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The colorful decor at Thai Chef includes a wall of shadowboxes.

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Overall Rating:

THAI CHEF

A-

29 Maryland Ave. (Rockville Town Square), Rockville, 301-339-8045, thaichefdmv.com FAVORITE DISHES: Purple Rain cocktail; garlic chive cake; cucumber salad; catfish dry curry; Southerner’s Comfort; spicy eggplant; peppery garlic fried rice with shrimp; taro balls in warm coconut milk.

Peppery garlic fried rice with shrimp

THAI WONDERLAND A new restaurant in Rockville Town Square is a visual and gustatory thrill ride

W

HEN I TAKE A bite of the catfish dry curry at Thai Chef—a restaurant Chalisa Fitts and her parents, Pornnapa Pongpornprot and David Weston, opened in Rockville Town Square in October—flavor and texture bombs detonate. Crispy, moist, deep-fried fillets quickly sauteed with green peppercorn clusters, Thai eggplant, red pepper strips, Thai basil and a complexly composed spicy curry paste feature hints of chile peppers, lemongrass, shrimp paste, ginger (it’s galangal, similar to ginger, I confirm

later), Makrut lime leaf, coriander, cumin and cardamom.

The dish is eye-popping, as is Thai Chef itself. The interior of the 3,500-square-foot, bi-level space, which seats 75 inside (and, come spring, 40 outside) is a visual extravaganza meant to evoke a Thai night festival. New York City designer Wirat “Pop” Assawamahasakda, a friend of Fitts’, created the look, even making many of the furnishings himself, including cotton seat covers sporting boldly patterned prints. Every color of the spectrum is represented at

PRICES: Appetizers: $7 to $12; Noodle dishes: $15 to $18; Entrees: $15 to $19; Fried rice: $15 to $18; Desserts: $4 to $7.

LIBATIONS: Wines—three red, three white and one sparkling—by the glass ($8) and four beers ($7) are available, but cocktails ($13) are the way to go. The Pandan-mic, made with Hendrick’s gin, coconut rum and pandan (a leaf with grass and vanilla tones) syrup, brings to mind a piña colada. The Only Word, a riff on a Last Word (gin, lime juice, Green Chartreuse and maraschino liqueur) subs baijiu, a clear Chinese spirit made from fermented sorghum, for gin.

SERVICE: Thai Chef has been short-staffed, especially on busy weekends, but the front and back of the house manage the crowds efficiently. They don’t take reservations, so expect a wait in prime time.

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The restaurant seats 75 inside.

Thai Chef in its decor, which includes a floor-to-ceiling collage of window shutters; painted, glass-covered dining tables with a basket weave inset; a wall sculpture of a clock surrounded by neon signs, houses, a sailboat, a lit-up merrygo-round, beads and crystals; and a giant shadowbox wall filled with bric-a-brac, including a phonograph, vintage TVs and radios, thermoses and a dartboard.

Most of the gear, including a threewheeled taxi parked near the host stand, came from Thailand (shipping issues pushed the opening back by six weeks).

Fitts and her parents also own Aroy Thai restaurant in College Park, which opened in 2013, and the flagship location of Thai Chef, which opened in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood in 2017. Fitts, 32, is the hands-on manager.

“I went into the restaurant business by working at Aroy after college in 2013

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when I realized I couldn’t get a job with the psychology degree I got [from George Mason University],” she says with a laugh.

A giant movie marquee above the restaurant’s small bar in the middle of Thai Chef spells out SCALA in Thai script.

It’s a replica of a sign at an iconic Bangkok movie theater that was torn down this year. Fitts started taking mixology classes five years ago because, she says, it’s annoying that Thai restaurants don’t serve good cocktails, and she was determined to do something about it.

“I just go in the kitchen and find things to make cocktails with,” she says. That kitchen must be well stocked because her cocktails—there are eight on the list—are terrific. Purple Rain, made with passion fruit juice and Stoli vodka infused with butterfly pea flower tea, has a purple ombre effect thanks to the tea’s

hue. Crazy Thai Lady—lemongrass and Makrut lime-infused tequila and rum— comes with a salt and Thai chile rim that packs a kick.

For the food, heavy on street fare that you might find at a night festival, Fitts hired Wheaton chefs Prapavadee (“Lekki”) Limvatana and Satang Ruangsangwatana as consultants, first for the Dupont location, then for Rockville. In addition to creating many Thai Chef dishes, the pair helped choose the restaurant’s quirky, mismatched tableware and assisted with the design and wording of the menu, which is divided into categories: Street Bites, Yum-Zapp (spicy, citrusy salads), Hot Soup, Noods (short for noodles), Shophouse Selfies (entrees), Fried Rice, and Curry. “Lekki and Satang are so good. They turn a simple dish into something so good. I get training from them on the cooking

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Chalisa Fitts co-owns Thai Chef with her parents.

The Purple Rain cocktail

and pass it on to our chefs,” Fitts says.

Garlic chive cake is a standout starter.

Dough made with tapioca flour, rice flour and chopped chives is cut into bite-size cubes, steamed and then deepfried into delicate, irresistible cakes and served with sweet soy sauce for dunking.

Appetizers common to Thai menus in the States, such as pork-and-crab dumplings, curry puffs (flaky empanadas filled with curried potatoes and vegetables) and rocket shrimp (minced chicken with four whole shrimp individually wrapped in spring roll paper and deep-fried) are executed with more flair and flavor than I’ve experienced elsewhere. Fried calamari resemble onion rings and are just as satisfying, these served with sriracha aioli. Our table devoured garlic-andpepper-rubbed chicken wings with a chile tamarind sauce. Cucumber batons, sliced raw green beans and cherry tomatoes dressed with garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, tamarind and palm sugar and

topped with chopped peanuts make a bright and refreshing salad with back notes of heat from bird’s eye chiles.

You’d be happy with familiar noodle dishes, such as pad si-yu (wide rice noodles sauteed with Chinese broccoli, eggs and dark soy sauce), and standard curries (Massaman, Panang, green, red), but don’t pass up something out of the ordinary. Go for Southerner’s Comfort, a dish of ground chicken sauteed with spicy red curry paste, Makrut lime leaves, green beans and red peppers that’s served with cucumber slices and a halved hard-boiled egg. Another stunner is wok-fried beef—cubes of flank steak are seasoned with five-spice powder, braised in a soy sauce-based broth until tender and then wok-fried with bean sprouts, celery leaves, scallions and garlic oil. It’s an example of the flavor layering evident in Thai Chef’s dishes, including my favorite one there, which is meatless: wok-fried Thai eggplant, mushrooms, red bell pepper and fried tofu cubes in a gravy of black soy

sauce, soybean paste and ground chiles.

Even though the entrees come with rice, order a fried rice for the table. The peppery garlic fried rice with shrimp is made by stir-frying cooked jasmine rice, garlic and Thai chile peppers in a superhot wok to impart wok hei (literally “breath of the wok”) smokiness. Then, scrambled eggs, scallions and wok sauce (made with oyster sauce and light and dark soy sauce) are folded in and batterfried shrimp are placed on top.

There are three desserts on Thai Chef’s menu, and all are tasty—even a toasted coconut ice cream Pongpornprot buys at an Asian grocery store. Mango Sticky Rice with coconut cream and toasted mung beans provides a sweet balance to a meal frontloaded with heat, herbaceous flavor and tang, as does Taro Tapioca Dessert, chewy purple taro balls and tapioca pearls in warm sweetened coconut milk dotted with sesame seeds. n David Hagedorn is the restaurant critic for Bethesda Magazine.

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dine | TABLE TALK Johnny (left) and Danny Dubbaneh own Z&Z along with their brother Ronnie.

Z&Z Manoushe Bakery’s Lahm Bi Ajeem is a flatbread topped with ground beef, tomatoes, sumac onions and lemon.

Flatbread Love THE FEATURED ITEM at Z&Z Manoushe Bakery, which brothers Danny, Johnny and Ronnie Dubbaneh opened in Rockville’s Woodley Gardens shopping center in October, is manoushe—round, puffy, 10-inch Levantine flatbreads made on a dome-shaped cast-iron griddle (called a saj) and turned into pizza-like pies with various toppings. The bakery, barely 600 square feet, is in the exact location where, from 1982 to 2006, the brothers’ grandfather, Fayez Khawaja, and uncle, David Khawaja, owned and operated a fried chicken restaurant called Chicken Tonight.

The most popular of the eight offerings at Z&Z is the Classic ($8), topped with Tunisian olive oil and za’atar, which is both an herb (wild thyme) and a seasoning blend made with it. Z&Z’s blend, which they sell, includes sumac, sea salt and toasted sesame seeds. Among the other flatbreads ($10-$14) are Lahm Bi Ajeem (ground beef, tomatoes, sumac onions, lemon); Hot Halaby Honey (Armenian beef sausage, cheese, honey and Aleppo pepper); and Toum Raider (a za’atar manoushe topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, mint and toum, a creamy garlic sauce).

Z&Z, which also sells some grocery items, such as Middle Eastern spices and olive oil, is takeout only, but there is some patio seating.

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Danny Dubbaneh prepares a manoushe, the Levantine flatbread that is the focus of Z&Z.

separately to Montgomery County, their mother, Muna, in 1980 from Jordan, and their father, Issa, in 1977 from Palestine through Jordan. The two met through mutual family connections, married in 1985 and had five kids who all went to Rockville High School and the University of Maryland. The children worked in various fields (some in other parts of the country) but wanted to do something as a family that connected with their culture and centered

on food. Z&Z was born, with the Dubbanehs selling manoushe at D.C.’s Foggy Bottom FreshFarm farmers market in 2016, then expanding to others. For three years, Danny commuted from New York City to work the stand on weekends. In 2019, he and Johnny quit their jobs to work at Z&Z full time. They bottled their za’atar spice mix, which Dawson’s and Yekta markets in Rockville started carrying, and then got it into Whole Foods Market in 2019. They

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acquired a warehouse and a commercial kitchen for food production.

The pandemic hurt Z&Z in the beginning; 75% of sales had been at farmers markets, which all closed down. As markets started reopening and sales improving (including selling frozen manoushes to retailers), the business outgrew its warehouse space and the brothers started looking for a brick-and-mortar store to add to farmers market sales, focusing on

manoushe. “No one in the area does it,” Danny says. “We want to be the manoushe specialist.”

Johnny reached out to the owner of Slice of Rockville, the pizza shop where Chicken Tonight used to be, and asked if she wanted to sell. The brothers (Ronnie lives in New Jersey but helps with strategy) made a deal, created a ruse to get their grandmother and uncle to the space where they had spent so much of their lives and

then surprised them by opening the door with the key. Much weeping ensued. (Fayez Khawaja passed away in 2008.)

“It’s a very supportive community there,” Danny says. “Between that and the memories, it made a lot of sense for that to be our home.”

Z&Z Manoushe Bakery, 1111 Nelson St. (Woodley Gardens shopping center), Rockville, 301-296-4178, zandzdc.com

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Viva Veggies WALKING INTO THE Bethesda Row pop-up of Chaia, the third location of a plant-based fast-casual taqueria co-owned by good friends Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon, the captivating aroma of fresh corn tortillas on a comal, or flat griddle, fills the air. Those tortillas, Stern says, are the backbone of the menu’s tacos, quesadillas and enchiladas. “We have a person making them all day, rolling the masa [corn flour dough] into bollitos [little balls] and pressing them in a cast-iron hand press,” she says. “It’s wonderful theater.”

Chaia’s approach to vegetarian cooking—layering flavors to create complexity— is particularly evident in their tacos ($4.50 each; three for $13). Offerings include braised mushrooms with salsa roja and cilantro; scrambled eggs with black beans, paprika salsa, jalapenos and pickled carrots; creamy kale with pepper jack cheese, poblano crema, salsa verde and pickled red onions; and smoky collard greens with queso fresco, paprika salsa and radishes.

One non-taco Chaia showstopper is nachos ($8.50)—crunchy tortilla chips baked with roasted sweet potato cubes, black beans and pepper jack cheese and topped with arugula pepita salsa, pickled onions and pickled cilantro-lime jalapeno slices.

Stern and Simon signed a one-year lease to take over the 1,100-square-foot former Häagen-Dazs space on Aug. 1 and opened the restaurant, which seats 20 inside and 12 outside, in September. Stern says they will pursue staying in the location.

The co-owners met in 2003 while living in D.C. Both had families with three young children. Sharing an interest in food and cooking, they started a food blog and then decided to go into business. Successful “farm-to-taco” pop-up classes at farmers markets in Washington, using vegetables from each market’s vendors, led to an invitation to open their own stall, which they did in 2013. They then put together a business plan for Chaia (the word means “life” in many languages, Stern says), raised money and opened their first brickand-mortar store in Georgetown in 2015 and their second in Penn Quarter in 2019.

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The plant-based fare at Chaia in Bethesda includes sweet potato nachos (above) and tacos with various fillings (below).

“We wanted to go into Bethesda for a long time because it’s a diverse place with people from all over the world,” Stern says.

“It’s a neighborhood with healthy, fitnessminded people with whom our concept would resonate. Gluten-free, nut-free, veganfriendly…we hit a lot of buzzwords. I think of us as vegetarian for carnivores.” Something

you’ll find only at the Bethesda store is a kids menu, with items such as rainbow rice and beans and “tin foil hobo packs” with kale and tomatoes. “Bethesda is a great place to test fresh ideas,” Stern says.

Chaia Tacos, 7237 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 301-657-2452, chaiatacos.com

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&

COMINGS GOINGS In downtown Silver Spring, Miss Toya’s Creole House, a Creole and Cajun restaurant, will open in the spring.

Wesley Yao, who owns Hanaro Sushi and Poke Dojo in Bethesda and Kusshi Sushi in North Bethesda, will open another sushi restaurant, Kusshi Ko, in the former Gusto Farm to Street space in downtown Silver Spring by the summer.

Another food hall is coming to Montgomery County. Commas, a 13,000-square-foot space on the second level of downtown

Silver Spring’s Ellsworth Place mall, will house 12 vendors offering Korean, Malaysian, Ethiopian, Salvadoran and Italian cuisine, among others.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House in downtown Bethesda closed on Dec. 24. TTT (Tacos, Tortas and Tequila), which opened in Silver Spring in 2018, closed in November. Two restaurants closed in October: Burmese restaurant Mandalay, which operated on Bonifant Street in Silver Spring for more than 20 years, and the Rockville Town Square outlet of French bakery Vie de France, after a 10-year run. n

BECAUSE

COMMUNITY MATTERS

Make Your New Year’s Resolution to Shop Maryland Made Montgomery County is home to 25 amazing breweries, wineries and distilleries. Find their products in countless restaurants and beer & wine shops throughout the County. Shop #MarylandMade.

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Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Magazine will honor writers at the Local Writer's Showcase in March 2022.

ESSAY AND SHORT STORY CONTEST DEADLINE: JANUARY 10, 2022 For eligibility and rules, please visit www.bethesda.org or www.bethesdamagazine.com.

AWARDS

First place: $500 and published in Bethesda Magazine Second place: $250 / Third place: $150 / Honorable Mention: $75

All winners will be published on the Bethesda Magazine and Bethesda Urban Partnership websites and will be honored at a special event during the Local Writer's Showcase.

High School winners receive: $250, first place; $100, second place; $50, third place. Bethesda Magazine will print the first place Essay & Short Story.

For more information, please call 301-215-6660, ext. 117 or 301-718-7787.

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weddings. history. pets. travel.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGARITAVILLE RESORT TIMES SQUARE

etc.

Margaritaville Resort Times Square, which has an island theme, opened last summer in New York City. For more, turn to page 249.

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BY CHRISTINE KOUBEK FLYNN

GET AWAY

OPENED IN JULY IN St. Michaels, Maryland, The Wildset Hotel evokes a sense of the Danish term “hygge,” which refers to a cozy atmosphere built on warmth in many forms: blankets, fire, reading nooks, a convivial ambiance. The hotel, which is composed of five historic structures, features those comforts and more. The 34 guest rooms and suites have wide-plank oak floors, aged brass and pewter accents, and casually elegant custom furniture and bedding, plus a couple of notable novels.

Several rooms also have a built-in bench with pillows, a fireplace and a private balcony or patio. The hotel’s sundry shop includes a coffee bar and shelves lined with bath salts, blankets, candles and literary bestsellers.

Head outside to the oversize stone firepit to relax with a glass of wine or to roast marshmallows (free s’mores kits are available year-round). A complimentary daily breakfast features pastries, yogurt and granola.

Seafood-centric restaurant Ruse—named as a nod to 248

St. Michaels being known as the town that fooled the British during the War of 1812—has a full bar and a lovely oyster bar with a hand-painted tile base.

Learn about the many ways people have lived and played on the bay for generations through an array of watercraft at nearby Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, which also has interactive exhibits.

Bikes are available for cruising around, and a pool is slated to open in May. Rates begin at $197 per night.

The Wildset Hotel, 209 N. Talbot St., St. Michaels, Maryland, 410-745-8004, thewildset.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE WILDSET HOTEL

GET COZY

BY THE SHORE

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CATCH A GAME

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIVE! CASINO HOTEL PHILADELPHIA; PHOTO COURTESY OF MARGARITAVILLE RESORT TIMES SQUARE

LIVE! CASINO HOTEL PHILADELPHIA, which opened in February 2021, is in the heart of the city’s Stadium District with easy access to the venues of four major professional sports teams, making it convenient to see a game in person. Or watch several games at once at the hotel’s Sports & Social bar on a 52-foot LED display and 24 TVs. Within the bar is FanDuel Sportsbook and Lounge, with self-service kiosks and retail windows for placing bets.

Casino highlights include more than 150 table games, over 2,100 slot machines and a 29-table poker room.

Fuel up at The Prime Rib steakhouse or at Luk Fu, which features Southeast Asian fare and private karaoke rooms. Options for grabbing a quick

bite are found in the 10th Street Market food hall; don’t miss Lorenzo and Sons Pizza, a South Philly staple since 1970, and Termini Brothers Bakery, a beloved South Philadelphia establishment that serves desserts such as cannoli, cookies and cakes.

The Event Center at Live! seats up to 1,000 guests and is home to comedy, live music and headliners. The hotel’s 208 contemporary guest rooms include pillow-top mattresses, Nespresso coffee machines and Ultra HD 55-inch TVs. Spacious studio suites offer a separate

TAKE A TRIP TO MARGARITAVILLE GET IN A MARGARITAVILLE state of mind on an island that’s far from tropical: Manhattan. Opened in the summer of 2021, Margaritaville Resort Times Square was designed to feel like an escape, from a lobby check-in desk inspired by the keel of a sailing ship to New York City’s largest Tiki bar and

Times Square’s only year-round outdoor heated resort swimming pool (at the hotel’s LandShark Bar & Grill).

The island vibe is carried through the 234 guest rooms in weatheredtexture wood furnishings with rope cabinet pulls inspired by nearby piers, bleached white walls, turquoise

living area, an expansive marble bathroom, and sweeping skyline views.

Rates begin at $189 per night midweek, $249 on weekends.

Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia, 900 Packer Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 833-472-5483, livecasinohotelphilly.com

accessories, and soundproof windows to help with getting away from the city’s hustle-bustle. The property’s five restaurants and bars include the two-story Margaritaville Restaurant, home to the Tiki bar and a 32-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty playfully holding a margarita in place of her torch. The margarita glass is made from custom LED screens that show images of Manhattan and the tropics set to Jimmy Buffett songs. For a VIP experience, book the booth inside the statue—the text on her tablet reads “No Passport Required.”

The License to Chill Bar on the hotel’s seventh floor has indoor-outdoor seating and cozy firepits on the terrace. The 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar is the spot for craft cocktails with 360degree views from the 31st and 32nd floors. Rates begin at $202 per night.

Margaritaville Resort Times Square, 560 Seventh Ave., New York, 212221-3007, margaritavilleresorts.com/ margaritaville-resort-times-square n

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DRIVING RANGE

Following

A self-guided driving tour offers a glimpse into the heroine’s life

BY ANDREA K. MCDANIELS

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PHOTO COURTESY MARYLAND OFFICE OF TOURISM

Harriet Tubman’s Footsteps

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The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center, one of the 45 stops on the byway tour, opened in 2017 in Church Creek, Maryland.

MY HUSBAND AND I arrive at the Brodess Farm in Dorchester County, Maryland, to quiet and serenity. The only sound is the melodious chirping of insects, birds and other wildlife this city couple can’t identify.

We are at the childhood home of Harriet Tubman, on the farm once owned by her enslaver, Edward

Brodess. In one respect, I am in awe of the site where the mighty Tubman spent her formative years. It was here that she began to build the courage to make the dangerous and harrowing decision to escape to freedom and eventually lead about 70 others north as well.

At the same time, I am overwhelmed

with emotion as I reflect on how savage this now seemingly peaceful place was for enslaved people like Tubman. It was here that she feared she might be sold to another plantation, never to see her family again—where she endured beatings and had no control over her fate.

This was the first of three October outings I would spend making my way

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DRIVING RANGE

along the self-guided driving tour of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. The Brodess Farm in Bucktown is stop 16 on the list of 45 places. I quickly found the byway too involved to do in a one-day voyage if I was truly going to take in each site. Even three days left me breezing past some of the stops (I had to skip Philadelphia entirely).

I made it through 18 stops that first Saturday, starting at the Dorchester County Visitor Center in Cambridge, with its beautiful water views and exhibits on Maryland’s slave history. It’s where I picked up a driving guide and planned out my trip. I ended at the Bestpitch Ferry Bridge in Bucktown, which was 252

closed the day I visited (at press time, it was still closed for repairs). The bridge wasn’t significant in Tubman’s life, but fleeing slaves would stow away on ferries and hide in marshes like those surrounding the bridge.

I felt the flip-flop of emotions that I experienced at the Brodess Farm time and again throughout my journey. I learned the details of Tubman’s life from markers, informational signs and an audio tour as I snaked 125 miles through Maryland’s Eastern Shore and 98 miles through Delaware. A downloadable audio guide made the experience more immersive, as if I were in Tubman’s shoes.

At the Brodess Farm, a narrator

depicting the abolitionist describes when she was old enough to be forced to work at a farm away from her family.

“The man come after me riding horseback,” she said. “He put me up front of him on the horse, and off we went.”

She soon missed her family.

“I used to sleep on the floor in front of the fireplace,” she said. “And there I lie and cry. Oh, I cry.”

THAT FIRST DAY ALSO took us through Cambridge to the Harriet Tubman Memorial Garden in the heart of the city, across from a grocery store and off a busy street. Charles Ross, a descendant of Tubman’s, painted the mural of her that’s located on the site. At the nearby Dorchester County Courthouse, where Tubman’s niece Kessiah and her two children escaped from the auction block in 1850, my husband and I walked down the steps to the spot where the auction was once held—and where a concrete block stands, although it is unclear if it is the

PHOTOS COURTESY DORCHESTER COUNTY TOURISM; MURAL PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREA K. MCDANIELS

Writer Andrea K. McDaniels visited the storefront Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, Maryland, and had her photo taken at the museum’s mural of Tubman (right).

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Above and left: Bucktown Village Store, a restoration of the building where Tubman made her first act of resistance by refusing to assist in another slave’s capture

original. We then went to Long Wharf, where slaves were once sold along the waterfront, now home to recreational boats.

I would spend most of my time that first day at the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in downtown Cambridge. The storefront museum on Race Street is a little worn but has a down-to-earth grassroots vibe that drew me in—and the museum was one of the best parts of the tour. I met volunteers who had fought for decades for more recognition for Tubman, and I took a picture next to a mural as if I were holding the heroine’s hand. I listened to a jazz ensemble and watched a museum-sponsored lantern parade for local children.

Lanterns once identified houses that were safe for escaping slaves.

The museum has endured even after the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center opened in 2017 in nearby Church Creek.

The 10,000-square-foot visitor center has all the staples of a modern-day museum, including a theater with films about Tubman, and glossy exhibits of her life, from childhood to her service

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IF YOU GO The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway self-guided tour map, driving guide and audio guide can be downloaded at harriettubmanbyway. org, or you can stop by the Dorchester County Visitor Center for a printed copy. I found the map hard to navigate, but the driving guide—with stopby-stop directions and a description of each site—is a good resource.

There are guided tours in some of the towns and at some museums and historical sites; they are separate from the official byway tour.

in the Civil War. An outdoor nature path is reminiscent of the woods and marshy areas Tubman once navigated in the dark of night to avoid capture.

The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge also reflected that terrain with its forests and marshes. I felt like an imposter as I followed Tubman’s path from the comfort of a car.

Throughout my tour, it stood out how the historic churches, cemeteries and other landmarks are immersed in the community—in some cases, businesses and houses are right next door.

I worried some about the preservation of these pieces of history, but also was impressed that people treated them as sacred ground.

Another memorable part of that first day was seeing the Bucktown Village Store, a restoration of the building where Tubman was knocked down by a 2-pound weight thrown at an escaping slave. It was closed due to the pandemic, but a peek through the windows revealed a mercantile setting that looks as it might have during Tubman’s era, with artifacts related to slavery. Her refusal to assist in that slave’s capture was said to be her first act of resistance.

THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, my husband and I started out in Delaware. We stopped at the Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park in Wilmington and saw 254

a beautiful sculpture of Tubman. The park overlooks the Christina River, near where she once was trapped while hiding from slave catchers.

Three stops were closed when we arrived: the Center for African American Heritage in Wilmington, the New Castle Court House Museum and the Old State House in Dover, where Samuel D. Burris, a free Black Underground Railroad conductor, was arrested, tried and convicted. I decided to return at a later date, making a mental note to check the hours of operation ahead of time.

Picking back up where we had left off in Maryland, we drove past Scott’s Chapel in Bucktown, which doesn’t offer public access but is worth a view from the outside. Brodess worshipped there, and Tubman might have as well.

At the Webb Cabin in Preston, once owned by a free African American farmer, I lifted up the floorboards to see the “potato hole,” a small space where slaves were hidden while trying to avoid capture. I got claustrophobic just thinking about being scrunched up in such a tight space for hours, if not days. We ended the day at the Tuckahoe Neck Meeting House in Denton, a Quaker site that was friendly to slaves.

THE NEXT SATURDAY, my mom tagged along as I finished the Maryland part of the tour and revisited the Delaware

sites that were closed the first time around. I could have stayed a couple of hours at the 440-acre Adkins Arboretum in Ridgely, Maryland, which offers a separate audio tour and educational programs on how fleeing slaves survived in similar conditions.

I also could have spent a day hiking the trails at Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna, Delaware. “Blackbird” was one of Tubman’s landmarks, according to the byway driving guide.

Back at the New Castle Court House Museum in Delaware, we learned the story of abolitionists Thomas Garrett and John Hunn, who were put on trial and found guilty of violating the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. As I sat on a court bench listening to a tour guide speaking from where judges once presided, I thought of the injustice of denying people freedom. New Castle was also one of the Underground Railroad locations where Tubman stopped.

One of the joys of the byway tour was seeing small communities and parts of the state I normally wouldn’t. Places where tractors drive on the main road and produce stands operate on the honor system. Many of the communities had taverns, antiques stores, mom-and-pop retailers and beautiful water views.

As the country grapples with the accuracy of its history and whether it glosses over slavery, the tour’s celebration of Tubman and other abolitionists was refreshing. With each mile, my appreciation grew for this monumental figure, her resilience and the way she changed history. n Andrea K. McDaniels is a Baltimorebased writer. She is planning to spend a few more days exploring the sites she didn’t get to on the byway.

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Montgomery College Congratulates Foundation Director Marianne Brackney 2021 DMV Heroes of Our Time Award Recipient professional and volunteer roles, including her most recent position in the Office of Communications for the Social Security Administration, and her current role as senior advisor to the Korean Society of Maryland.

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GP Sports Camps are led by Georgetown Preparatory School's athletic coaches and feature individualized instruction, games and competitions on first-rate athletic facilities. Featuring basketball, lacrosse, baseball, soccer, and golf.

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Summer Programs Camp Dates: June 20 - July 29 Registration Begins February 7

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Session 1 | June 27, 2022 – July 8, 2022 Session 2 | July 11, 2022 – July 22, 2022 Session 3 | July 25, 2022 – August 12, 2022

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Rising Prek-1st graders: Enjoy weekly programs full of wacky activities, water or pool play, science experiments, games, songs, and amazing arts and crafts Gator Grab Bag: Rising 2-8th graders choose from our extensive list of individual on-campus classes in the arts, sports, STEM, swimming, cooking, and more Venture off-campus: Join our famous Adventure Camps High school students: Take a summer class for enrichment or credit or try our Adventure Camps

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FLASHBACK

BY MARK WALSTON

GOING UP BETHESDA IN THE EARLY 20th century was built in part on restrictive covenants. Land deeds in some suburban neighborhoods barred property ownership by any Black family—no surprise to people who faced segregation in every corner of county life, from schools to restaurants to movie theaters. Jews were also barred from owning homes in some Bethesda-area communities, all in an effort to keep neighborhoods exclusively white and Christian.

Jewish exclusion clauses, appearing in land deeds in the early 20th century, were supposed to remain in force through successive property ownerships. As a result, fewer than 10 Jewish families were living in Montgomery County in 1920, according to Sam Eig, a wealthy 20th century county land developer, as quoted in the Montgomery County Sentinel.

Meanwhile, Washington, D.C.’s Jewish population was small but active, with synagogues and social organizations being established around the city, including the Town and Country Club, founded exclusively by Jews. (Jews were excluded from membership in the various white clubs in the Bethesda area.)

By 1921, the Town and Country Club had outgrown its cramped downtown locations and moved that year to 266

a large, undeveloped tract of land off of Rockville Pike, just north of Bethesda’s town center. In 1930, the club grounds, now sporting a golf course, were renamed Woodmont Country Club. The property was later acquired as part of the National Institutes of Health, and ground on the club’s old golf course was broken in 1959 for the National Library of Medicine.

Despite the restrictive covenants in some neighborhoods, Montgomery County’s Jewish community grew in the 1930s, spurred by the influx of thousands of new government employees who took federal posts in President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. Still, according to Eig, even though covenants had been stricken from the land deeds, there were only about 200 Jewish families living in the Silver Spring-Bethesda area by the end of World War II. Even with its small size, the county’s Jewish community during the 1940s became energized, organizing the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Jewish Community Group in 1941 to teach children about Jewish history, culture and customs—a reaction to the growing loss of heritage in a county that for decades had pushed for total assimilation into white Protestant culture. Around the same time, the Montgomery Lodge of

B’nai B’rith, the Jewish service organization, was formed in Silver Spring.

The Jewish population of the Bethesda-Silver Spring area grew rapidly in the years after World War II, largely due to the accelerated arrival of young Jewish professionals coming to work for the federal government.

Washington retained a lively Jewish population, but, according to a survey conducted by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington in 1956, half of the 81,000 Jews in the metropolitan area lived in the suburbs—and more than half of those lived in Montgomery County.

The growth of the county’s Jewish community prompted other organizations to leave D.C. for a home in the suburbs. In 1964, the Jewish Community Center began planning a move from its downtown location to a new campus in Rockville. And by the end of the 20th century, the more than 65,000 people in the county’s Jewish community supported 23 synagogues and dozens of social and cultural groups.

From restrictive beginnings to an expansive present, the Jewish community, now numbering more than 100,000, or about 10% of the county’s population, has been a vital part of county life for more than a century. n

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALICE KRESSE

The growth of Montgomery County’s Jewish population over the years

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BE KNOWN

Coed I Grades PK-8 admission@norwoodschool.org Norwood understands that in order to deliver the best possible education for our students, every student must be truly known in all their complexities. When students are known, teachers can design learning experiences that stretch without stress. When students are known, they feel safe asking big questions and becoming their true selves.

8821 River Road Bethesda, MD 20817 301-841-2130

We Give Them Wings to Soar!

PK–GRADE 2

www.norwoodschool.org

Pre-kindergarten - Grade 2 Building Strong Foundations for Learning and Friendship

The Primary Day School educates boys and girls during the four most important learning years of their lives, helping children flourish academically, socially and emotionally. We look forward to meeting you!

For information on tours and open house events, contact the Admission Office at 301-365-4355 or consult our website.

The Maddux School Pre-K through Second Grade

• Small Classes in Nurturing Environment

• Flexible, Differentiated Instruction

• Innovative Curriculum and Teaching Methods - Targets academic success, social skills, and self-esteem

• Integrated Support for Different Learning Styles

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11614 Seven Locks Road Rockville, MD

301-469-0223 www.madduxschool.org

DISCOVER PRIMARY DAY www.ThePrimaryDaySchool.org

Bethesda, MD

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PRIVATE SCHOOLS

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

A small school with a big heart.

Discover the difference, discover St. Bart’s! St. Bartholomew School is a Catholic, co-educational, Pre-K 3 to 8 school, located in Bethesda, MD. We prepare our students to be active global citizens who live the Word of God and who are ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Come see the big impact our small class sizes, inclusive values, and innovative teaching methods have each day.

www.school.stbartholomew.org admissions@stbartholomew.org

6900 River Road • Bethesda, MD 20816 • 301-229-5586

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Girls from 22 Countries. Teachers from 17.

Being here opens your mind to possibilities.

All Girls. Grades 9-12. Boarding and Day. Offering the Renowned IB Program.

One Hour from Washington, DC.

VISIT STT.ORG

Admission Open House Saturday, January 8 Lower School | 9:00 – 10:15am Middle & Upper School | 10:30 – 11:45am

CONSIDER CATHOLIC SCHOOLS Catholic schools instill a life-long love of learning in a safe and faith-filled environment.

Join us virtually to learn more about our Montessori and Project-Based Learning programs.

Learn more and RSVP to get Zoom link: barrie.org/admission

NOW ENROLLING FOR FALL 2022

Take the first step by visiting an open house near you.

For more information, visit us at www.adwcatholicschools.org

admission@barrie.org 301.576.2800

12 months to Grade 12

barrie.org

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OUTTAKES

PHOTO BY EDGAR ARTIGA

When photographer Edgar Artiga and Bethesda Magazine Art Director Jenny Fischer went to the Rockville Skate Park—our pick for “Best Place to Catch Air” (page 96 in Best of Bethesda)—on a Saturday afternoon in November, they spent a few hours working on getting action shots. After Artiga captured close-ups of skaters midair, Fischer thought it would be fun to ask some of the kids to show off their kickflips. “It was way harder than you would think to choreograph and get everyone in the right spot at the right time,” Artiga says. n

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The all-new MDX Type S Integra 2023 Acura

For more info and to receive updates as we receive them, email us at MDXtypeS@chevychasecars.com and put “Stay Updated” in the subject line.

Maryland’s #1 Acura Dealer Chevy Chase Acura Located conveniently on-line at www.ChevyChaseAcura.com or visit us in person at 7725 Wisconsin Avenue in Downtown Bethesda Number one Acura dealer in Maryland based on AHM new Acura volume sales for 2018, 2019 and 2020.

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YOU ALWAYS KNOW A STUART KITCHEN. SINCE 1955, WE’VE BEEN FIRST CHOICE FOR THE BEST KITCHEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. COME VISIT OUR SHOWROOMS. EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR THE ROOM YOU’LL LOVE THE MOST IS HERE IN ONE PLACE. AND, YOU’LL UNDERSTAND WHY SO MANY PEOPLE SAY, “NOTHING ADDS MORE VALUE TO YOUR HOME.”

BETHESDA SHOWROOM 8203 WISCONSIN AVE. 240-223-0875 MCLEAN SHOWROOM 1401 CHAIN BRIDGE RD. 703-734-6102 ANNAPOLIS SHOWROOM 2335B FOREST DR. 410-761-5700 STUARTKITCHENS.COM

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