P HOTO G R A P H Y: left: s h u a n b u tc h e r ; r i g h t: c o u rtesy C h a r m C i ty C a k es
land of Weirdness,” as Goldman puts it, is located
in an old Lutheran Church originally built in 1890.
Anyone may visit to purchase a cake or merchandise
of various kinds, cake jars or cupcakes.
Goldman, a New England native, originally
came to Baltimore for college and “fell in love with
this town.” He finds the city to have a very creative
vibe. One of his favorite places in the city is the
American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM). Goldman
says AVAM is indicative of what Baltimore is: nonartists making vibrant, emotional art.
Goldman now splits his time between Baltimore and Los Angeles and has a team of artists in
both locations creating cakes. He still creates cakes
and particularly loves the engineering side of it. He
asks his team to always overdo it when creating
confections for customers. Goldman’s next big ven-
ture is Duff’s Cake Mix, a do-it-yourself cake and
cupcake decorating studio that he hopes to take
around the country; he also has a new book, “Duff
Bakes,” hitting shelves in mid-October.
With Goldman’s strong endorsement, our next
stop had to be the American Visionary Art Museum.
But first, lunch.
We ventured to Waterfront Kitchen, a seedto-plate, mission-driven restaurant located in Fell’s
Point. Ingredients are purchased locally and seasonally, with some grown with nonprofit partner Living
Classroom and its BUGS (Baltimore Urban Gardening
for Students) program, which teaches inner city children about gardening, nutrition and cooking skills.
This sense of purpose and the benefit to the
common good was enough reason to eat there,
but Waterfront Kitchen also offers sweeping harbor
views and enticing food. As an appetizer, the Deviled
Egg Trio, with local eggs prepared three ways served
with accoutrements, is