Cafe Hon | |
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![]() Cafe Hon, with the flamingo |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | 1992 |
Current owner(s) | Denise Whiting |
Street address | 1002 West 36th Street |
City | Baltimore |
State | Maryland |
Postal code/ZIP | 21211-2415 |
Country | United States |
Website | www.cafehon.com |
Cafe Hon is a restaurant in the Hampden area of Baltimore, Maryland and site of the annual HonFest every June.
Contents |
Opened by University of Baltimore graduate and gourmandizer [1] Denise Whiting in 1992, Cafe Hon takes its name from a common term of endearment ("hon" - an abbreviated version of the word "honey")[2] used by Baltimore residents for years. In 2007 she was quoted as saying she hoped to generate more than $2 million between her restaurant and merchandise.[3]
In 2010, Whiting announced the opening of HONtown, a gift shop across the street from the restaurant.[4]
In 2002, the iconic flamingo sculpture was introduced above the restaurant.[5] The original flamingo was made of wire and cloth.[6]
In October 2009, the city of Baltimore announced the Cafe Hon had to either get a permit for the flamingo at a cost of $1300 for the first year and $800 each year thereafter or to take it down.[7] The issue was that the flamingo protruded into the public right-of-way.[8] The bird was temporarily removed while this case was being disputed.
Whiting stated that the flamingo was "hibernating" during its time of absence, and was determined to fight the city.[9] During this time, many citizens of Baltimore protested the city's decision to order the flamingo removed. Whiting and the city finally reached an agreement, in which the permit fee would be at least $400 a year,[10] and the flamingo returned.[11]
The new flamingo that was introduced is made of fiberglass.[12]
Then-Mayor Sheila Dixon, who was later tried for corruption, was present at the unveiling of the new flamingo.[13] Following the trial of Dixon, Elaine Pollack, known as "Juror no. 11" during the trial, came under fire as it was later learned that she was present during the unveiling of the flamingo along with Dixon.[14][15] This was one of Dixon's last public appearances before her resignation.[16]
In November 2010, Whiting trademarked the term "hon" for use on napkins, buttons, hats and other promotional material to promote Cafe Hon. The trademark, as stated by Whiting, doesn't prevent anyone from saying "hon"[17] or using it in general conversation.[17] The trademark issue was criticized by Dan Rodricks, columnist for The Baltimore Sun: "You can't own something that doesn't belong to you.... 'Hon' isn't unique to Denise Whiting, no matter how special she wants us to believe she is."[18] Because of Whiting's trademark many citizens of Baltimore were outraged and took to the streets in protest on December 19th to express their anger.[19]
On February 24, 2012 Cafe Hon was featured in an episode of the Fox network's Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay.[20] On November 7, 2011, during the taping for the show's episode, Whiting held a press conference that also featured Ramsay announcing that she would be relinquishing the "Hon" trademark; Ramsay stated that with Cafe Hon, "There was a level of hatred that was almost untouchable. I've never known a restaurant to have such a huge issue." The Cafe Hon episode of Kitchen Nightmares has been briefly described in a Baltimore Sun article, stating that while a typical episode features "slovenly kitchens and indolent staffs", the Cafe Hon episode dealt with a "unique" public relations issue, "one woman vs. a city." Ramsay helped improve the decor and the cuisine of Cafe Hon. Whiting stated that the controversy over trademarking the word "Hon" had a huge toll on her business and her own health, she estimated that since it was first revealed in December of 2010 that "Hon" was trademarked to her, she estimated a "20 to 25 percent drop off" in sales and that she needed to sell her IRAs just to meet payroll.[21]
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Hon, HoN or HON may refer to:
Hon
HoN or HON:
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable (abbreviated to The Hon., Hon. or formerly The Hon'ble—the latter term is still used in India) is a style that is used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered to be an honorific styling.
In international diplomatic relations, representatives of foreign states are often addressed as "The Honourable". Deputy chiefs of mission, chargés d'affaires, consuls-general and consuls are always given the style. All heads of consular posts, whether they are honorary or career postholders, are accorded the title according to the State Department of the United States. However, ambassadors and high commissioners are never given the style, with the title "Your Excellency" being used.
In Australia, the style is generally used for an administrator of a territory, government ministers and judges of superior courts.
Governors
In May 2013, the style was given approval by the Queen to be granted to the Governor-General of Australia, both retrospectively and for current and future holders of the office, to be used in the form "His/Her Excellency the Honourable" while holding office and as "the Honourable" in retirement.
The city of Baltimore, Maryland, has been a predominantly working-class town through much of its history with several surrounding affluent suburbs and, being found in a Mid-Atlantic state but south of the Mason-Dixon line, can lay claim to a blend of Northern and Southern American traditions. Baltimore's culture has a distinctive flavor with several facets.
The most prominent example of Baltimore's distinctive flavor is the city's close association with blue crabs. This is a trait which Baltimore shares with the rest of the state of Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay for years was the East Coast's main source of blue crabs. Baltimore became an important hub of the crab industry. In Baltimore's tourist district (located between Harborplace and Fells Point), numerous restaurants serve steamed hard shell crabs, soft shell crabs, and lump backfin crabcakes. Many district shops even sell crab-related merchandise.
Traditionally, crabs are steamed in rock salt and Old Bay Seasoning, a favored local all-spice manufactured in Baltimore for decades.
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment which primarily serves hot coffee, related coffee beverages (e.g., café latte, cappuccino, espresso), tea, and other hot beverages. Some coffeehouses also serve cold beverages such as iced coffee and iced tea. Many cafés also serve some type of food, such as light snacks, muffins, or pastries. Coffeehouses range from owner-operated small businesses to large multinational companies such as Starbucks.
In continental Europe, a café is a traditional type of coffeehouse, but elsewhere the term "café" may also refer to a tea room, "greasy spoon" (a small and inexpensive restaurant, colloquially called a "caff"), transport café, or other casual eating and drinking place. A coffeehouse may share some of the same characteristics of a bar or restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. Many coffee houses in the Middle East and in West Asian immigrant districts in the Western world offer shisha (nargile in Greek and Turkish), flavored tobacco smoked through a hookah. Espresso bars are a type of coffeehouse that specializes in serving espresso and espresso-based drinks.
Coffea is a genus of flowering plants whose seeds, called coffee beans, are used to make coffee. It is a member of the family Rubiaceae. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Coffee ranks as one of the world's most valuable and widely traded commodity crops and is an important export product of several countries, including those in Central and South America, the Caribbean and Africa.
Several species of Coffea may be grown for the seeds. Coffea arabica accounts for 75-80 percent of the world's coffee production, while Coffea canephora accounts for about 20 percent.
The trees produce edible red or purple fruits called "cherries" that are described either as epigynous berries or as indehiscent drupes. The cherries contain two seeds, the so-called "coffee beans", which—despite their name—are not true beans. In about 5-10% of any crop of coffee cherries, only a single bean, rather than the usual two, is found. This is called a peaberry, which is smaller and rounder than a normal coffee bean. It is often removed from the yield and either sold separately (as in New Guinea peaberry), or discarded.
Greasy spoon is a colloquial term for a small, cheap restaurant or diner typically specialising in fried foods. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term originated in the United States and is now used in various English-speaking countries.
The name "greasy spoon" is a reference to the typically high-fat, high-calorie menu items such as eggs and bacon. The term has been used to refer to a "small cheap restaurant" since at least the 1920s.
Many typical American greasy spoons focus on fried or grilled food, such as fried eggs, bacon, burgers, hash browns, waffles, pancakes, omelettes, deep fried chicken, and sausages. These are often accompanied by baked beans, french fries, coleslaw, or toast. Soups and chili con carne are generally available.
Since the 1970s, many Greek immigrants have entered the business. As a result, gyro and souvlaki meats are now a common part of the repertoire, often served as a side dish with breakfast and as a replacement for bacon or sausage.
It's time to tell the truth to anyone who cares to know what brought him to this point
Curled up into a ball, his thumbs the only things that could break his fall
Almost out of air, far beyond repair, doomed
The time is wearing thin, the technicolor's gone
See it all now in black and white
So now, please, it's your last drop of air
So now, breathe, and take your very first
Breath of water
Allow yourself this one
Breath of water
Allow yourself this one
Allow yourself this one last breath
He ran away from home, leaving a trace for friends to hunt and find him in the snow
But a scent is not enough, and we're barely sure he's strong enough to survive the cold
Almost out of air, far beyond repair, doomed
The time is wearing thin, the technicolor's gone
See it all now in black and white
So now, please, it's your last drop of air
So now, breathe, and take your very first
Breath of water
Allow yourself this one
Breath of water
Allow yourself this one
Allow yourself this one last breath
I'd rather spare the truth from anyone who cares to know exactly how we found him
But it's time to share the truth with anyone who cares, he goes out too deep alone
So now ...
...breath of water
Allow yourself this one
Breath of water
Allow yourself this one
Allow yourself this one
Allow yourself this one last breath