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Working with industry leaders, hospitality and restaurant management students at Seneca Valley and Sherwood high schools served a four-course meal at a pop-up restaurant in Potomac on Feb. 3. The school was above to raise over $5,200 from the event (photos available below).
The dinner was an opportunity for the students to experience the variety of activities necessary to stage a sophisticated experience—from social media and ticket sales to front-of-house management and heart-of-house hustle. With a team of chefs from CAVA, the students designed, prepared and served the dinner at the Falls Road Golf Course Café on Friday.
The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) will be hosting a ribbon cutting for Rio Grande Bar & Grill in Germantown to celebrate the family-owned restaurant’s new ownership and grand reopening. Rio Grande was sold to new owners in 2022 and has been operating under new ownership since October.
Rio Grande will be offering Tex-Mex appetizers for attendees, and anyone is welcome to stay for lunch and support the local business and new member of the Chamber of Commerce. Additional information below:
Katie Mendelson, school counselor at Kingsview Middle School, has been named Maryland State Middle School Counselor of the Year. She was surprised with the news during an announcement at the school on Feb. 6. Middle school requires a delicate blend of skills to carefully use “push and pull;” two opposing forces to ensure the success of all students,” Kingsview Principal Dyan Harrison wrote in her recommendation letter. “Katie Mendelson masterfully exemplifies these skills in her role as school counselor (video of the surprise announcement available below).
“As you enter Ms. Mendelson’s office it is clear to see how much she values students and recognizes the importance of her impact as a school counselor. Deemed “a safe space” by students, the office is intentionally filled with positive messages, soft lighting and a comfortable couch. There is no doubt that you have entered a safe-haven free of judgment and full of love,” Harrison wrote.
Back in April we let you know of the impending arrival of Laperaux, the Journeymanchef’s Bistro, the new restaurant coming to 18056 Mateny Rd in Germantown- the former home of Gumbo Ya Ya, Dickie’s BBQ Pit, and Cafe Mileto (located in the Cloppers Mill shopping center, in the same strip as Shoppers). The French bistro is now open and taking reservations. For now, the restaurant is open for dinner service starting at 5pm (Tuesday-Saturday) with brunch to follow shortly.
Chef and owner Gregory Webb, who has earned such accolades and awards as “Chef of the Year 1998” in Houston, Texas, “Winner all Categories” at the Texas Open Wild Game Cookoff, “Top Chefs of Mexico City” and many others, will be bringing a French bistro to the location (menu available below). The restaurant will offer high casual cuisine created by Webb, who has competed against Bobby Flay on The Food Network, and won numerous ‘chopped style’ competitions put on for various local charity and fund raising events, including DC Central Kitchen’s Chefs Cook Off.
Exterior construction nears completion at the Fairchild Property on Century Blvd in Germantown in the area surrounded by what is mainly comprised of one-story pad-site restaurant uses (IHOP, Red Robin, Señor Tequilas), and surface parking lots. Our featured image, taken on Monday night, shows the progress made at the upcoming apartment building.
The Fairchild Apartments will feature 6 stories of multifamily residential when completed. The 209,185 sf building will consist of 212 units and 3 levels of parking. The building will also feature amenities such as a Club Room with kitchen, a fitness and yoga room, a business center, a card room, and a courtyard with a pool. The new building will share the block with the Fairfield Marriot Hotel, and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurant. The entire block is developed as one interconnected network of pedestrian and vehicle circulation and parking, including shared use and access agreements, per planning documents. There is currently one direct point of access to Century Boulevard centered on the block, and there is a second shared access location on the Top Golf site located east of the hotel. Other than trees and grass in parking lot islands, there was little existing vegetation and no identifiable environmental resources on the Fairchild Property.
Lidl is coming to Bethesda. The grocery store will open at the 41,300 SF location that was formerly home to Safeway on Old Georgetown Road for over 25 years, according to a report by Robert Dyer. Safeway closed at 7625 Old Georgetown Road in in March 2018 after opening in 1991. An opening date for the upcoming Lidl is not yet available.
Lidl opened its first grocery store in Takoma Park in December 2020. That was followed by a store in Glenmont in 2021, and the grocery store then opened a location in Montgomery Village about a year ago. Locations in Germantown and Rockville are also planned.
A representative from the Germantown Bed Bath & Beyond location at 12940 Middlebrook in the Germantown Commons shopping center has confirmed that the store will be closing permanently. “Store Closing” signage was recently placed on the store windows, though the store wasn’t initially included on the list of 87 upcoming closures across the country for the company.
Bed Bath & Beyond last week announced that it will be closing Maryland locations in Annapolis, Ocean City, and Westminster, but the two existing Montgomery County locations were not on the list. Today, the company announced that an additional 150 stores will be closing. A list of the impending closures is not yet available, but the representative from the Germantown location told us that the nearby Rockville and Frederick stores would remain open.
Back in April we let you know of the impending arrival of Laperaux, the Journeymanchef’s Bistro, the new restaurant coming to 18056 Mateny Rd in Germantown- the former home of Gumbo Ya Ya, Dickie’s BBQ Pit, and Cafe Mileto (located in the Cloppers Mill shopping center, in the same strip as Shoppers). The French bistro has recently completed “front of house” training and plans to officially open on Tuesday, February 7th, according to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Chef and owner Gregory Webb, who has earned such accolades and awards as “Chef of the Year 1998” in Houston, Texas, “Winner all Categories” at the Texas Open Wild Game Cookoff, “Top Chefs of Mexico City” and many others, will be bringing a French bistro to the location (menu available below). The restaurant will offer high casual cuisine created by Webb, who has competed against Bobby Flay on The Food Network, and won numerous ‘chopped style’ competitions put on for various local charity and fund raising events, including DC Central Kitchen’s Chefs Cook Off.
Arts on the Green in presents the 10th Annual Juried Membership Exhibition of the Art League of Germantown (ALOG). The exhibit is on display through April 16, 2023 At the Kentlands Mansion in Gaithersburg.
As part of this special exhibition, a multidiscipline workshop, Blooms & Beyond: Beginner’s Guide to Paper Flowers, will be held on Saturday, February 4 from 10:30 am to noon. Bill Mapes, ALOG’s Special Show Coordinator & Jaree Donnelly, the City’s Gallery Program Coordinator & a long-time art instructor, will share their insights about some of their favorite floral pieces from the exhibition. Jaree will share basic techniques on how to bring art to life with an introductory paper flowers craft class. All materials to create a card featuring paper flowers is included.
Hope Grows Child Development Center has selected Fox Chapel Shopping Center as the children’s daycare and educational facility’s third location in the Montgomery County, Maryland region. Founded and owned by Salema Horn, the group signed a lease with Fox Chapel, LLC for 10,803 square feet of space within the 115,000 square foot neighborhood shopping center positioned at 19721 North Frederick Road in Germantown. Craig Kates, Director of Tenant Advisory Services for Edge, represented the tenant and Susan Bourgeois of The Rappaport Companies was involved in negotiations on behalf of the landlord.
Hope Grows Child Development Center offers a range of programming for children ranging from infant to school age including before and after school daycare. The center focuses on providing a nurturing and educational environment with an emphasis on intellect and social development and maintaining an atmosphere that promotes respect for diversity, mutual trust and personal and social responsibility. The educational philosophy is guided by the standards set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and parents are recognized as an integral component of their child’s ongoing education.