Until we sat down together for this piece, Caroline Anderson was always someone I only really knew through social media. The first actual interaction we had was through her pandemic pizza delivery company, Grateful Pizza, which she ran from 2020-2023. I have a vague memory of doing a masked pizza handoff (bake-at-home focaccia style pies) in the hallway downstairs in my old apartment building, Whitehall Mill. I don’t even know if it was Caroline who did the handoff (or her pizza partner, Chloe) but boy, I loved that pizza pie. To be honest, I felt like I knew Caroline in that oddly familiar feeling that Instagram can create. She gives off such positive energy. As we chatted, I learned that she is from the Midwest, so that explains it. Here’s a little more about this very talented chef and entrepreneur.
I am always interested to learn about how people came to work in the hospitality field. Caroline’s culinary journey began with an entry-level position in the kitchen at The Pump Room, a restaurant inside the Public Hotel that was run by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Ian Schrager. She had a “stage” (a term for a “restaurant try out”) and they said they saw potential in her, but she just needed to hone her skills. After the stage Caroline said, “I called and called and called” and she was eventually hired, starting as a prep cook and then she moved to line cook. Soon, she needed to make the decision that a lot of young aspiring chefs make: to go to culinary school or simply continue learning on the job. In 2015, after consulting with her kitchen coworkers, she ultimately decided to go to the Culinary Institute of America – but she’d had her fill of cold winters and was ready for something different. So, the New York campus was not her choice. California was calling. Caroline laughs, “As I’m driving to Napa, I’m thinking I cannot believe I’m doing this. I thought it looked just like the movie Under the Tuscan Sun – it was wild. I was so young.” While at CIA, she worked at Thomas Keller’s iconic Bouchon, learning every aspect of both front and back of house of a restaurant as part of her studies. Then after finishing up at CIA at 24 years old, she was recruited for a three-month internship at The French Laundry (also owned by Chef Keller) and ended up working there for two years. I learned that one big plus of the CIA in California specifically is the wine education aspect and Caroline very much treasures the knowledge she gained there.
In 2019, when Caroline’s parents were planning a move to Baltimore for work, she decided to come, too. She moved into a place in Bolton Hill and waited tables at Comptoir du Vin. As we talked, we bonded over our shared love for a solo hang at the upstairs bar at Fadensonnen and of the wonderful Sophomore Coffee, which as a newcomer to Baltimore, Caroline said was her “third place” where she got to have the social interaction she was craving. Soon, she got Grateful Pizza off the ground and was cooking out of Bmore Kitchen in Govans, where she met (her now husband) Collin Morstein who was just starting the meal delivery business that Caroline and Collin now run together, Scratch Made. If you don’t know about Scratch Made, I highly recommend following them on Instagram, signing up for their emails and ordering meals for those weeks when you know you’re going to need a little help. I have several friends who absolutely swear by Scratch Made. Collin and Caroline cook very seasonally, working with local farms through Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op, as well as Liberty Delight Farms, King Mushroom and more. They do very little – if any – advertising. So, Scratch Made has grown very gradually and organically from word-of-mouth recommendations and that is the sign of a really good product, don’t you think?
During our conversation at Artifact Coffee, we also talked a little bit about Caroline and Collin’s relationship. They really are so yin and yang and have very complementary skill sets. They both cook and plan menus, of course, but Caroline is the one you usually see on social media and Collin is a little more behind the scenes, working with the farms on sourcing the ingredients. She added, “I’m a bit ADHD and cooking definitely makes me more focused.” I can relate, Caroline.
I hope you enjoyed learning about Caroline Anderson – she is a very special person – and I really hope you might order a meal or two from Scratch Made. As much as I love to cook, I need a night off soon!
Cake or pie? And, what kind?
Pie! Specifically pecan pie but there are few pies I don’t like.
Your most prized possession?
My Grandma’s engagement ring. I wear it almost every day.
What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?
Probably something that I don’t make at home as much. I love a good burger out. It just isn’t quite the same at home. A thin crispy fry is probably high on my list too.
What’s your favorite thing to cook at home?
Pasta. That’s my favorite thing to make when I’m having people over for dinner too. There’s something so satisfying about a big bowl of pasta on the table.
What is your morning beverage and how do you take it?
Right now it’s a half caff whole milk cappuccino with a little cinnamon on top.
What’s your personal motto?
“Love your family most of all” — I know it sounds corny and doesn’t much apply to food but that was the #1 rule in my house growing up and it has served me well. I think it’s helpful to have one straightforward guiding principle.
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Thanksgiving hands down. That’s a pretty big deal in my family. We go to my parents house in Chicago and do it up!
Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?
I can’t remember exactly how it was phrased but when I was doing Grateful Pizza and feeling like I was missing out on life stuff because I was working all the time—my dad gave me the advice that work/life balance is sort of a myth. I’m sure I’m butchering it but he said something like balance in life tends to be achieved in the big picture and not so much in your daily or weekly life. Some seasons are more work–oriented and some are more life–oriented and that’s ok. As a very work–oriented person, that’s alleviated some of the pressure to be doing everything all the time.
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
It’s probably what Collin and I are doing now with Scratch Made and what I’m doing with social media to share the process. What I’m doing now is sort of a combination of everything I wanted to do in my 20’s but couldn’t figure out how to get my foot in the door. The food is so good right now. I’m really proud of it.
The last text you sent?
“I’ll bring wine!” to my friend Lucy
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Probably being on the water somewhere. Either on the beach or on Lake Michigan. In my dream world I’m doing a lot more of that!
What do you love most about food?
The way it connects people. It’s a common thread for people and a way to comfort or show love. My favorite thing about working in food is the confidence it’s given me.
Your favorite place in Baltimore?
I love taking long walks, especially in the fall. So, probably Sherwood Gardens and the neighborhoods surrounding that or The Evergreen Museum. That’s where Collin and I got married and even though, at the time, we lived down the street we’d never been before. I think it’s sort of a hidden gem in the city.
Read more Baker’s Dozen pieces and other writing from Amy Langrehr on her Substack, Cream Cheese + Olives.
