Having worked in the restaurant industry for a little over 15 years, having owned a cooking business for six and having served at Conrad’s Seafood Restaurant in Perry Hall for about three, Brittany Kent sees a ton of celebrities — some kind, others not.

But she got a pleasant surprise Wednesday afternoon when Sheryl Lee Ralph, the Emmy Award-winning actress currently starring as Barbara Howard in the hit sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” walked into the restaurant.

It isn’t normally busy during that time, Kent said, so only another server, a hostess and she were working. By chance, Ralph and her makeup artist were seated in Kent’s section.

The star was masked behind a Chanel fitted cap, but Kent instantly knew who she was when she began speaking.

“I recognized her voice first; then I stooped down,” Kent said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is Moesha’s mom.’”

Kent composed herself, though, maintaining professionalism while serving the two. She recommended a selection of raw oysters and the restaurant’s Santa Fe salad with grilled scallops. The pair requested a hard-boiled egg with the salad, Kent said, and a side of jumbo shrimp.

Ralph ordered a broiled jumbo lump crab cake with sides of sautéed spinach and cracked potatoes, Kent said. They took the kitchen’s seafood risotto to go.

“I tried to talk them into some dessert,” Kent said.

Their total came to about $150, and Ralph tipped well, Kent said. The star, whose career spans Broadway, television and film, also treated her with kindness. Kent said Ralph’s class and warmth were reminiscent of her late grandmother, who she believes sends her signs such as this to remind her she’s still with her.

“They just kept giving me so many compliments. It was overwhelming,” Kent said, noting Ralph’s makeup artist was particularly fond of the Northeast Baltimore native’s accent.

Although she maintained her composure while serving Ralph and her companion, Kent said, she couldn’t help but gush over the superstar the 37-year-old said she’s been watching most of her life.

“I was like, ‘I’m just out here singing my shoulda woulda couldas trying to make ends meet,’ and she started cracking up,” Kent said.

The joke was a reference to Ralph’s role as Florence Watson in the 1993 film “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” in which she portrayed the mother of choir girl Rita Watson, played by a young Lauryn Hill.

Kent did her gushing, she said, and snagged a photo in the end.

Ralph’s career has spanned decades after she made her film debut in Sidney Poitier’s “A Piece of the Action” in 1977. Many consider her breakout role to be originating Deena Jones in the Tony-Award winning musical “Dreamgirls” in 1981.

Her other notable performances include Linda in “To Sleep with Anger”; Beverly Dumont in “Mistress”; Dee Mitchell, the titular character’s stepmother, in “Moesha”; and Madame Morrible in the 2016-17 Broadway production of “Wicked,” the first Black woman to play the role.

In 2022, Ralph’s work on “Abbott Elementary” earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, the second Black woman to receive the honor after Jackée Harry in 1987.

Ralph’s manager and publicist did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kent said Ralph told her she had visited the restaurant before, though, and enjoyed it.

Conrad’s Crabs and Seafood Market opened in 2007 and expanded to include a sit-down restaurant in 2014. The business has restaurants in Abingdon and Perry Hall, seafood markets in Bel Air and Parkville and a food truck.

Ralph isn’t the only celebrity to visit a popular eatery in the Baltimore region in recent weeks. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, visited Charleston, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant, at the end of March.

“Wow wow wow,” owner Cindy Wolf wrote in a post on Instagram. “Hope to see you again.”