Local dining industry rallies around Hampden restaurateur with cancer

Avenue Kitchen & Bar owner Patrick Dahlgren is so used to throwing fundraisers for cancer patients that he never expected to be the recipient of one.

The restaurateur, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 rectal cancer two years ago, is at the center of an event being held by Hampden community members and colleagues across the Baltimore restaurant industry. The fundraiser, which will be held from 3-7 p.m. Thursday at Dahlgren’s eatery, will serve attendees a range of appetizers, wine, beer and cocktails for a $40 donation.

The money raised will go toward paying off Dahlgren’s medical expenses, with a portion donated to the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Research Foundation.

“I’ve always been the person to help and give, and now having the role reversed is humbling,” Dahlgren said.

In 2014, Dahlgren raised $30,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and in 2018, he donated at least $13,000 to the charity after throwing a “Parking Lot Party” in honor of a local bartender. Cancer was a farfetched concept in his life at the time. Now, his “whole life is a lot different,” he said.

Dahlgren hasn’t worked on-site at his Avenue Kitchen & Bar restaurant in about 16 months because of his declining health. Long hours and the stress of operating an eatery are hard to balance with chemotherapy, he said. He deals with persistent nausea and a permanent ostomy bag strapped to his stomach. But Dahlgren has worked hard to keep his illness from impacting his business, putting together a management team that continues to operate the eatery in his absence.

“That fact that it’s still rolling is a testament to our product and our vibe,” he said.

Dahlgren opened the Hampden restaurant — which serves Maryland staples like crab cake as well as grilled octopus on quinoa salad, lamb chops and brunch all day — in 2017. The 911 W. 36th St. establishment was Dahlgren’s second restaurant venture: Rowhouse in Federal Hill opened in 2009 and is now closed.

Since graduating from New York’s Hofstra University, Dahlgren has made the Baltimore restaurant industry his life: “That’s what I know and love,” he said. “I just can’t do it right now, and that’s a little frustrating.”

Fellow veterans of the city’s dining scene, from the Capital Grille to the Atlas Restaurant Group, have donated gift cards and more for a raffle at Thursday’s fundraiser. Dahlgren said he’s grateful for their support and how tight-knit the industry has become.

“We try to stick together as much as we can,” he said.