I just took a look and I have now written 30 of these Baker’s Dozen features for Baltimore Fishbowl. (Here is a link to all of them.) I can’t believe it, it seems like I just started. Thank you, everyone, for reading them, sharing them and supporting the hardworking folks featured in them.
Every once in a while, one of these articles is about someone I don’t know very well, maybe someone I know through food and I’ve met a handful of times and have quietly admired from afar. I roll the dice — ever hopeful — and ask them if they’ll let me feature them and I just hope to God they say yes. And then, when they do, I’m over the moon, like giddy. People are sometimes just so open and accommodating. That’s definitely the case with Baltimore sommelier Lindsay Willey.
Lindsay has worked with Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf for over 16 years and is now working exclusively with Chef Wolf at Charleston. That not only shows her work ethic and dedication to hospitality at its highest level but also her incredible loyalty. That kind of professional longevity is certainly not the norm in the food & beverage space and I give her a lot of credit for having what it takes to create the kind of career that she has. You may know this, but just this past June, Lindsay and the team at Charleston received the James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. So yes, sometimes quietly focused, hardworking, dedicated people actually do get public accolades and it’s so nice to see when that happens. I’m pretty sure that the entire city of Baltimore was proud of Lindsay, Chef Wolf and the entire team when they won. (I screamed!) I mean, most times, you don’t really do what you do for awards or limelight, I’m sure that it feels mighty sweet.
Lindsay’s answer to the question of “what is your motto” makes a lot of sense to me: Strong and steady. Lindsay really is one of those people who is completely dedicated to doing the work needed to become better and better at what she does. The field of hospitality can be quite overwhelming. There is the attention to detail, the long hours of physical and emotional effort (add in that it is sometimes quite thankless) and the biggest part: it’s all about making other people happy. That’s wild. And, if you pay attention, you can see the ones who are built for this work. Hospitality is not for everyone, but it’s clearly what Lindsay is meant to be doing.
Now, here are Lindsay’s 13 answers.
Cake or pie? And, what kind?
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie if my mom is making it. Otherwise I’d rather have ice cream.
Your most prized possession?
My house.
What’s your favorite thing to order out at restaurants?
Something I can’t make at home.
What’s your favorite thing to cook at home?
Fresh pasta.
What is your morning beverage and how do you take it?
Black coffee or cold brew when crazy hot.
What’s your personal motto?
Strong & Steady
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Christmas – I love winter, snow, lights, eggnog, sweaters … all of it!
Best advice you were ever given? And from whom?
You can’t control or change the way other people behave – you can only control the way you respond to their behavior. Tony Foreman
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
Mentally surviving a string of major personal losses.
The last text you sent?
Morning text to my mom.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Everyone close to me staying healthy and happy.
What do you love most about food?
Bringing people together to cook and or eat. It’s a necessity but so much more than that. I love to feed people.
Your favorite place in Baltimore?
Druid Hill Park
Read more from Amy Langrehr on her Substack, Cream Cheese + Olives.
