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Matti Gellman

Matti

Matti Gellman is a food reporter for The Baltimore Banner. Originally from New York, she was raised by parents who expressed love through food. She joined The Banner in October 2023, intent on being a watchdog for residents looking to access safe, quality food across Baltimore. She has a special interest in reporting on the area’s food deserts and barriers to food security. Her work can be read in ProPublica, The Kansas City Star and Crain Communications’ Modern Healthcare. In 2023 she was awarded with the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2022 New America Award for her coverage of refugee communities in Missouri.

The latest from Matti Gellman

The authentic Thai food truck in Catonsville worth waiting an hour for
At Grace's Thai Kitchen food truck, one restaurateur is creating the authentic cuisine she says is missing in Baltimore County.
Nattikan Namsoong, right, and her sister are behind Grace's Thai Kitchen at The Commissary in Catonsville, where they share a kitchen with multiple other popular food trucks.
Slutty Vegan is leaving Baltimore Peninsula
A press release by Pinky Cole called Slutty Vegan’s closure in Baltimore Peninsula as a “relocation,” with a new spot planned near the campus of Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Slutty Vegan, located at 2424 Distillery St., is leaving the Baltimore Peninsula.
Jimmy’s Breakfast Bar & Grill diner, Fat Tuesday to open in Fells Point
Diner-style breakfasts and New Orleans-inspired food and drinks are coming to spaces near the Fells Point waterfront this summer.
Jimmy's Breakfast Bar and Grill quietly reopened in Fells Point at 801 South Broadway.
The Dish: This chef wants a Michelin star. First, he has to fill seats.
Chef Loic Sany has big plans for Nest, his first solo project. But can he overcome the obstacles of the industry he loves?
Chef and owner Loic Sany opens the blinds inside Nest, a fine-dining speakeasy located above his other restaurant, Jerk at Nite, in downtown Baltimore.
The Dish: As Greektown changes, Karellas Cafe holds the line
Karellas Cafe, a beloved Greektown family tavern in Baltimore, is keeping old traditions alive as the neighborhood changes.
One of Karellas Cafe’s signature dishes is their grilled octopus drizzled in vinegar and olive oil. They’re also known for their tzatziki, hummus and tyrokafteri, which can be eaten with pita.
Taco killer: David Byrne makes pit stop at Clavel
Musician David Byrne treated his tour crew to Clavel after a show at the Hippodrome — “a huge deal for both my husband and I and all of the managers,” said restaurateur Lane Harlan.
Clavel's General Manager Siska Scherzer, and owner Lane Harlan pose for a photo with David Byrne after the artist treated his crew to a family-style dinner at the Remington eatery.
The Dish: The Fishmonger’s Daughter isn’t your grandmother’s Faidley’s
The Fishmonger’s Daughter in Catonsville is a love letter to the Faidley family’s seafaring history as well as a cautiously optimistic pitch for its future.
Owner Damye Hahn in her restaurant, The Fishmonger’s Daughter, in Catonsville.
Heritage Smokehouse to close North Baltimore shop in August
Heritage Smokehouse owners announced Monday that they will not renew their lease in August and will close their Govans storefront.
"I don't think any chef wants to be giving an ultimatum for getting people in the door," said George Marsh, the owner of Heritage Smokehouse.
Maryland lawmakers push for financial aid for wineries devastated by frost
Lawmakers are pushing for emergency funds to help Maryland wineries bounce back after a devastating late-season frost destroyed buds and vines.
Three weeks later Black Ankle Vineyards is still grappling with the damage of a late season frost that decimated their buds for grapes.
DMV Empanadas pleads for return to Baltimore Farmers’ Market after rejection
DMV Empanadas, a seven-year veteran of the Baltimore Farmers’ Market, was denied a stall ahead of a restaurant opening.
Empanadas from DMV Empanadas.
The Dish: What happened to Baltimore’s diners?
Once seen as a beacon of affordability, diners are becoming less commonplace and financially viable, with the few Baltimore spots needing to evolve to survive.
Customers sit at the counter at Kay’s Place in Baltimore.
Goodbye, Greyhound Tavern, the strangest, homiest dive bar in my neighborhood
What is there to say about a Fells Point corner bar that’s given you everything and nothing at the same time?
The now-closed Greyhound Tavern at 1822 Fleet Street in Baltimore.
Dulceology Bakery to close after 6 years in Federal Hill
Dulceology Bakery in Federal Hill, known for its Latin-inspired desserts, announced on Instagram that it will close next weekend with a celebration.
Dulceology Bakery at 1138 S. Charles Street.
These 3 new Baltimore restaurants are one step closer to opening
Thai Restaurant, Nest and a new breakfast spot in Greektown are one step closer to opening after a liquor license hearing Thursday.
MAY 7, 2026 - Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore County office in Towson.
Wico Street Beer Co. closing Pigtown taproom amid industry downturn
Wico Street Beer Co. is serving craft beers until “we run dry” ahead of a closure at the end of May due to a downturn in sales and customer interest.
Wico Street Beer Co. is closing by the end of May after more than three years in business.
The Dish: This Baltimore family’s chain is expanding as others shrink
As other restaurant groups shrink, Nick Liberatore and his relatives — the family behind Lib’s Grill and Liberatore’s Ristorante — plan on opening three new restaurants around Maryland in 2026.
The Liberatore's tested various dishes and drinks to add to the menu of Lib's Grill, a spinoff of the family's first Italian restaurant Liberatore's, which opened in 1988.
Hampden community, local restaurants raise money for fellow restaurateur with cancer
Avenue Kitchen & Bar owner Patrick Dahlgren is now the subject of an industry fundraiser as he fights Stage 4 cancer.
Avenue Kitchen & Bar owner Patrick Dahlgren.
16-year-old Maryland chain Shareef’s Grill returns to food trucks amid rising costs
Baltimore halal chain Shareef’s Grill is closing its Franklin Street location and shifting back to food trucks and prepackaged meals as rising utility, food and labor costs strain the business.
Whole grilled Bronzino, crème brûlée yams, house made sweet rolls/w honeycomb butter, seafood paella, and marinated brussels sprouts from Shareef's Grill.
The Dish: As national whiskey makers struggle, Maryland distilleries forge their own path
A group of small, independent distillers in Maryland believe their whiskeys can defy a depressing industrywide outlook by doing business differently.
David Harris, who opened Song Dog Farm Distillery with his wife in Boyds, stands with barrels used for aging bourbon and rye whiskey.
No, outdoor dining isn’t under threat in Mount Vernon
The tables and chairs now stuffed onto the sidewalk in front of Dooby’s, The Helmand and My Thai Go are not the result of new restrictions on dining space.
The Mount Vernon Eatery, Dooby's, now shares sidewalk space for outdoor dining with The Helmand and My Thai Go.
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