Alizabeth Solomon for The Retriever

At Rooster + Hen, every vegetable comes from a farm, and every farmer has a name, and Allison Smith and Joe McRedmond will tell you every single one. Their vegetables hail from Zahradka Farm in Essex, Tuscarora Farms in Tuscarora, Beechwood Orchards in Pennsylvania… If he can’t remember the name of a farmer, McRedmond pulls out his phone to look it up.

Smith and McRedmond are the owners of Rooster + Hen, a small organic general store tucked away off of Frederick Road in Oella, the wooded western end of Catonsville. The owners hung their sign, cut the ribbon and opened their white french doors on Oct. 1.

Pumpkins and squash greet customers at the door, bursting from their baskets under a cream-colored awning. Just inside, a plate offers free apples. Kelly green zucchini sells for a dollar, lime green tomatoes for 50 cents. Fairy lights line the beams and Elvis croons softly in the background. Shoppers can browse sipping home-roasted cold-brewed coffee or iced chai green tea. On Sunday afternoons, Wieland’s BBQ food truck sets up outside and customers can come inside and savor their slow-roasted brisket at the mismatched tables.

A plate of little organic carrots makes the huge grocery store variety seem alien. Everything is small, colorful, natural. The only alien product in this store is the HEX Ferments “Butterfly Lime” kombucha, a potion that glows a mystical neon purple from its glass bottle.

Every product they sell seems to be made by a “good friend of ours.” Bill’s Dills provides local pickles. Max from Max’s Degrees, who sells a spice mix called “Cliffdiver,” just left for Europe and currently has a blue mohawk. The woman from Cliff’s Salsa has to drive out from Baltimore twice a day to restock because her salsa sells out so quickly. Even the artist behind their lacy red and white folk-art sign is credited: the original paper cut was created by Baltimore artist Annie Howe, in collaboration with graphic designer (“What was his name? I can’t leave him out!”) Toddfather Art.

Smith and McRedmond have been working 12-hour days since they opened – but they’re not complaining. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” said McRedmond. “With other jobs, on the way there my legs would start shaking in the car. But I was home the other day and I just wanted to be here.”

The long hours are a choice, an intentional gift to the community. In opening all day, seven days a week, the owners’ goal is to be convenient, a place “where you can pick up an onion for dinner on your way home from work.” Smith’s eyes light up behind her tortoiseshell glasses as she lays out her plan to save Catonsville from the drudgery of long lines and big carts at the grocery store. “We recognize the hurdles that people go through,” she insisted.

And those hurdles, Smith said, are especially acute for parents. A mother of two children, Smith explains that parents have two problems with shopping: First, kids fall asleep in the car and second, they follow their parents around the store and beg them for everything.

Rooster + Hen sets out to solve these problems. They offer to watch sleeping babies in the car while their parents shop and will even watch kids in the store — if a mother walks in with a baby, McRedmond will say, “Put the baby in Allison’s arms!”

And for the kids shopping with their parents, “We’re never gonna put candy at a child’s eye level,” Smith said. “That’s just cruel.”

As for the other logistics of opening a small produce market, Smith and McRedmond are learning as they go. They knew vendors from working together at the Catonsville farmer’s market — he sold coffee, she sold popsicles — and relied on that network when building their business. “Everyone has an answer, we feel really lifted up,” said Smith. “It’s a magical experience.”

That network was the starting point for most of Rooster + Hen’s products. As said by their slogan, the store sells “Very Good Goods” by small-scale producers. “We’ve just stocked the place with all of our favorite stuff,” said Smith, praising Zerbe’s Potato Chips, WOOT! lavender granola and JD Honeybee’s gluten free muffins (“gluten or non-gluten, best muffins I’ve ever had!”). The hardest part, she said, is not eating it all.

Smith and McRedmond met a year ago, when Smith went to see McRedmond’s band. The two both have a musical background. McRedmond, a tall man with a fluffy two-toned gray beard and tattoos peeking out of the sleeves of his flannel shirt, moved from Pennsylvania to Washington DC in the 1990’s and played guitar in a “post-hardcore punk band” — in other words, what he calls “weird rock.” Smith, originally from Oklahoma, started out playing the fiddle in an “alt-country honky tonk” band called the Pistol Arrows. These days, he plays bass, she plays drums.

For them, there is nothing surprising about their move from music to the food business. “There’s a food revolution in Baltimore,” said Smith and artists and musicians are on the forefront. “They both need creativity and a kind of do-it-yourself spirit,” explained McRedmond. “Food is the new rock ’n’ roll.”

The post Rooster + Hen: “Food is the new rock ‘n’ roll” appeared first on The Retriever.

Winston Zhou for The Retriever

Remember how you promised yourself you’d build that highly coveted six pack when you first entered college or how you’d shed some of that excess weight as part of your new year’s resolution?

Whether or not those dreams came true, the Retriever Activity Center serves as a one stop shop for many of your fitness needs. With treadmills for cardio as well as a variety of weights and machines, the RAC can help you mold that perfect beach body you yearn for.

However, for some students it seems like the most convenient times to go the RAC are also convenient for everyone else. During the week, it can take ages to land a bench and finally get in different exercises. Additionally, for those who prefer sports, the courts are often crowded during the week and it becomes a challenge to find an open spot.

Going to the RAC during the weekend alleviates the crowding issue, but with it brings other logistical problems. On Fridays, the RAC closes at 9:00 p.m., an hour earlier than Monday through Thursday. On Saturdays and Sundays, the RAC is only open six hours, from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., and these times aren’t always the most convenient, especially for those who have day plans.

Two options exist to fix these problems. One involves building another facility. The new Events Center may actually be that solution, although it may not solve the overcrowding of the gym on weekdays. The other option involves extending the hours of the RAC, either beyond 10:00 p.m. on the weekdays and Friday or beyond 6:00 p.m. on the weekends.

But how popular would this be? After all, UMBC would have to pay RAC staff to serve these extended hours. To find out, The Retriever surveyed a few students about whether or not they would appreciate an elongation of RAC services.

Josh Youn, a sophomore mathematics and economics double major, said that he would really appreciate extra RAC hours.

“I have frisbee activities on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and I’m ultra busy with homework on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which means I only get to hit the gym for about one or two hours during the week,” said Youn.

“Even when I do go to the gym,” said Youn. “You have got a ton of people already there and I can’t always do my bench work outs because I’m strapped for time.”

Luke Richards, a sophomore computer science major, expressed a desire for longer hours. He believes that the RAC should open earlier on the weekends.

“I think it would be much better if the RAC had morning weekend hours so that students would have more time to go and hit the gym,” said Richards. “People have a lot of work to get done during the week, whether it be due to homework or other obligations and for many, the only time they’re free is during the weekend.”

An extension of weekend hours at the RAC appears to be the preferred option among students, as it would allow them to fit in time to work out. Although monetary issues must also be considered, perhaps the university could solve this problem by shortening hours during the week.

RAC staff were not available for a response.

The post Students still want longer weekend hours at the RAC appeared first on The Retriever.

You… yes, YOU are invited to attend Fall Visitation weekend at CMU’s Heinz College! 

We want you to participate in our “Advisor Track” during the weekend of November 11-12, 2016. And we can provide a travel subsidy for you if you are able to attend this event!

The Advisor Track has been designed to provide our colleagues with a deeper understanding of the master’s programs offered by our school and what types of careers our alumni pursue. The Advisor Track welcomes a variety of people including:

·         Undergraduate faculty and advisors

·         Staff/ administrators at colleges and universities  

·         Employees at non-profit orgs and government agencies   

·         Mentors

In essence, those who are working with young people and serve as role models and trusted sources of information for individuals who may be considering the next step in their education and professional journey. We want to help you understand what we do as an educational institution and how our graduate programs can benefit your students in their careers.

You may review the Tentative Agenda (pdf) on our website:

http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/visit-heinz-college/fall-visitation/download.aspx?id=9953

Please note- an “Advisor session” will take place from 9:00am – 10:00am on Saturday, November 12 (it is not listed on the tentative agenda). 

To help reduce the expense for you (and/or a colleague) to travel to our campus in Pittsburgh, PA for the weekend, we are happy to extend a $250.00 travel reimbursement. When you RSVP to attend, we will email specific details about the reimbursement process.

RSVP to attend the event as an Advisor: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2VHWBM9

Visit the Event Page for hotel suggestions, maps and other helpful details: http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/visit-heinz-college/fall-visitation/index.aspx 

Regards,

David

Local cyber startup gears up for commercialization, hiring

Student Life is now accepting applications for two great leadership opportunities listed below. The deadline is Tuesday, November 6th at midnight. You don't want to miss out on this opportunity!

Alternative Spring Break

A week long service-learning trip that challenges students to combat civic issues underlying larger societal concerns. ASB will leave participants with a sense of comrade, compassion, and empathy for the people of the world.

This year’s trips: Homelessness, Public Health, “Seeing Baltimore,” and Gesundheit.  

STRiVE Leadership Retreat

STRiVE participants hone leadership skills, develop campus and social change projects, build community and have a lot fun. STRiVE's many activities will keep you engaged, and you'll emerge feeling confident, inspired and connected. Participants' ratings of the retreat have been off the charts. 100% of former participants say they'd recommend STRiVE to a friend.

See the attached flyer for more details and apply through the provided link!