East Frederick Rising had the opportunity to chat with Ben and Jasmin, owners of Gambrill Mt. Food. Co, who first began their business as a food truck operation in 2018 looking to feed hungry mountain bikers and hikers in the City of Frederick Watershed. I remember noticing a food truck right on Hamburg Rd. and thinking to myself, “What a genius idea!” There’s nothing like finishing up a hike and grabbing a bite to eat afterwards, especially if it’s conveniently in the mountains waiting for you right there.
Why did you choose east Frederick as your home?
The location truly chose us, but parking lot accessibility is also a plus since it’s convenient for our customers. It doesn’t hurt that we are in earshot from breweries and distilleries. Plus Shab Row is just a hop, skip and a jump from us.
What made you go from a food truck to deciding to open a restaurant?
For us, the food truck was a stepping stone to test out the waters. We had the chance to work with local farmers and see what our customers liked. We have a passion for cooking while also working in the food industry, so it was always in the plan to one day open a restaurant. From the food truck, to opening up a small restaurant on East Street, the future goal is to expand into a much larger space. We also have a passion for music so it would be great to see us one day be able to have live music while our customers can enjoy a beer and a meal in our restaurant.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected business, especially since you have been open for less than a month?
It has affected us in every way you could possibly imagine. We opened on March 13th and unfortunately had to close just a few days later on the 16th. We are currently coming up with the safest plan to reopen. The health of our community, friends, and family means everything to us!
What are you most proud of in your work?
We have a passion to cook and entertain for friends, family and whoever comes our way! Saying that, we aren’t carpenters, electricians, or interior designers, but we had to adjust our skill set for the restaurant. We are so proud of how the restaurant turned out…our vision came out exactly how we wanted it to.
What is your favorite part about working in east Frederick?
We love that it’s close to home and though we aren’t right on Market St, we can appreciate the accessibility to us still being in Downtown.
Do you have any dreams or visions for the future of east Frederick?
We have no doubt that east Frederick will flourish along with the rest of Downtown Frederick. We hope to see this accomplished by working side by side with our community to broaden east Frederick’s horizons and ever changing business palette.
Are you planning a grand opening and if so, when will it be?
We are planning our grand opening by ear, we will however be opening the first week of May for carryout and delivery.
There you have it, folks! You can support Gambrill Mt. Food Co. and their endeavors by purchasing gift cards for any future use!