MAGPIE MARKET

Do you ever get that feeling in your body that you need to get up, get out and find something to create? Well, let your fingers do the walking down to Frederick’s main drag, North Market Street, where you’ll find a special boutique filled with so many creative options your heart will burst.

Dami Hunter, founder of Magpie Fibers, recently opened Magpie Market with business partner Kayla Fernandez, at 141 N. Market St., in Downtown Frederick, as a place to find everything from beautifully crafted stationery, fountain pens and pencils, to thoughtfully chosen German and Japanese paper goods, to hilarious cards and gift bags. But there’s so much more in store!

The boutique caters to “the creative maker in all of us” and offers supplies and kits for knitters, crocheters, stitchers, needle-felters, macramemakers and more.

Hunter learned to knit years ago via a class at Frederick’s The Knot House on West Patrick Street. She immediately became obsessed with the craft and was hired as an employee soon after. Hunter loves the challenge of a difficult pattern and also the ability to “zone out” when creating an easy design. Regardless of what she’s knitting, using high-quality yarns is a priority.

She launched Magpie Fibers in December 2014 with the goal of producing hand-dyed yarns “that were very, very evenly colored and very deeply saturated.” She has sold her yarns online for years, and now they are available inside Magpie Market as well. Customers could spend hours exploring the market and all of the lovely little items for sale that you can’t find anywhere else in the Frederick area.

But one of the best parts of the boutique is that most things are not just boxed up and waiting for you to buy them, fingers crossed that you can figure out how they work. Nope! Most of the items for sale are pulled out of their packaging and waiting for you to experiment. You’re encouraged to pick up one of the variety of Blackwing pencils (known for their soft, dark graphite and unique flat/square replaceable erasers) and give it a whirl. Not sure how needle-felting works? There’s a kit on display, welcoming you to pick it up, feel all the materials, and actually try your hand at creating before you buy.

And if all that isn’t exciting enough, shopping at Magpie Market, you know you’ll be supporting a business that does its best to support the diverse community of Frederick. Magpie is a multi-racial woman-owned business that focuses on inclusivity and strives to welcome everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, size, gender or ability.

Magpie Market 141 N. Market St., Frederick magpiefibers.com 301.360.5798 F facebook.com/MagpieFibers d @magpiefibers

16

IT’S A FOOD TRUCK

FRENZY

By Gina Gallucci-White

When Karina Goytia opened her food truck, Traditional Authentic Mexican Food, in 2016, she could count the number of food trucks in Frederick County on one hand.

These kitchens on wheels have been popular around the country for decades. But it’s only been in the past few years that the Frederick foodie scene has enjoyed a bevy of food truck options popping up at local breweries, wineries, distilleries and events.

“Food trucking is a lot of work,” Goytia says. “It is hard but it is fun. It is rewarding.”

With Frederick County now home to dozens of food trucks featuring a variety of cuisines to satisfy any craving, we reached out to several different trucks to discover their stories and find out what’s on the menu this summer.

TRADITIONAL AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD

traditionalauthenticmexicanfood.com F facebook.com traditionalauthenticmexicanfood d @traditionalauthenticmexfood

After finding success selling Mexican food advertising on Facebook and selling at area businesses, the Goytias were offered a spot to sell their tacos, burritos, nachos, fried quesadillas and street corn at the Great Frederick Fair in 2016. They bought a trailer to be able to fill orders and have been growing ever since.

Today, they have three food trucks and recently acquired a small brick-and-mortar location in Frederick for carryout orders. They’re currently in the process of renovating the spot on Buckeystown Pike, and hope to open by late summer. From this location they’ll sell a few items that cannot be sold on the trucks, such as desserts.

Goytia says the success of other food trucks feeds the success of her own. In that spirit, she created a Facebook group dedicated Frederick County food trucks to help get the word out to the public about truck locations during the COVID-19 pandemic. When new trucks come on the scene, she will send them tips and venue contact information, too. “I do believe that having a variety (of food trucks) helps everybody because people get tired of the same thing every day,” she says. “They are not going to eat tacos daily, but if there is a mixture of trucks everybody is getting business at the same time and you are helping the newer trucks come up.”

GRILLED CHEESE PLEASE

grilledcheeseplease.online F facebook.com/grilledcheeseplease1 d @grilledcheesepleasemd

After spending more than 25 years in the brickand-mortar restaurant industry, Hillarie Hough was ready for a change. She had always wanted to open a food truck, and when the pandemic caused her restaurant to move to a carry out format, she saw an opportunity. With her husband’s contract work dried up, the couple had some down time, and they used it planning and building a food truck business.

They launched their truck in September 2020, and haven’t looked back.

Menu favorites include their signature sandwich, the Passarelli, a single layer of lasagna with provolone and mozzarella cheese served on garlic bread, and the B.A.T.: bacon, avocado and tomato topped with spicy ranch sauce and cheddar cheese and served on brioche.

Hough said she believes that the circumstances surrounding the pandemic brought new customers seeking out the food truck scene.

“I think the fact that people couldn’t leave their houses and leave their neighborhoods and we were able to bring the food directly to them changed everybody’s point of view,” she says.

SNO-BELLES

sno-belles.com F facebook.com/SnoBelles d @sno_belles

One of the first food trucks in Frederick, Sno-Belles opened about eight years ago when Jenn German’s husband was craving an egg-custard-withmarshmallow shaved ice. The Baltimore favorite sweet treat was nowhere to be found in Frederick, so German started a food truck that offers more than 30 flavors of shaved ice (including egg custard, of course!), as well as vanilla, chocolate or twist soft-serve ice cream, ice cream floats and hot fudge, caramel, butterscotch or pineapple sundaes topped with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry. The “double down” includes alternating layers of both shaved ice and soft serve. And furry friends are never left out – doggie sundaes and puppy shaved ice cups are on the menu.

Best-sellers depend on the time of year, German said. During the early days of summer, twist ice cream is a popular favorite, but during the hot temps of August, shaved ice is a refreshing, fastselling, low-melting treat.

“I make people smile and they are excited to see me,” she says. “...I spread joy with my truck no matter what.”

THE SAUCED SAVAGE BBQ

thesaucedsavage.com F facebook.com/TheSaucedSavage d @thesaucedsavage

As patrons can tell by walking up to the Sauced Savage and spotting its famous decal, this food truck was “Built by Savages.” When the Savage family bought the food trailer, it consisted of nothing but a concession window and plywood. Construction of the mobile eatery was a family affair. “We really take pride in that that we were able to do this all ourselves,” Jason Savage said. On the road since August 2020, the Sauced Savage serves up popular barbecue fare such as pit beef and turkey, brisket, pulled chicken and pork ribs, plus sides like cole slaw, dill potato salad, mac-n-cheese, and smashed taters. For something a little different, order the Spud Daddy, a smoked/baked potato topped with pulled pork and barbecue sauce, or Spud Mama, topped with pulled chicken and buttermilk ranch. Savage said he loves watching the food truck scene grow in Frederick, and being a part of the community. “There are some really nice, appealing food that is coming out of these trucks and trailers,” he said. “I love it. I’m a big foodie myself. If I am driving down the road and I am not working and I see another food truck, I automatically want to stop and try it out.” The Savages offer catering, and also plan to add a second truck to their business next spring. He wouldn’t reveal what cuisine the new truck would focus on, but noted it would not be barbecue.

GLAMOURVIEW CREAMERY

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As Glamourview Farm in Walkersville is in the process of building an on-site creamery for bottling their own milk and ice cream, they launched a food truck in June to help promote their products.

“The food truck was a way to take that product to other areas and events,” says Craig Walton.

Vanilla, chocolate or twist soft-serve custard is available in cones and cups, or try the custard with fudge, Oreo, Snickers and other add-ins in a milkshake. Cinnamon rolls and slushes round out the menu, served alongside a list of creative grilled cheese sandwiches, too.

Once the creamery is fully operational, hopefully by the end of the summer, Walton says the farm will be able to sell a full line of homegrown products on the truck.