Simply Bowie December 2022 1st Cover

HELPING YOU GET YOUR FINANCIAL HOUSE IN ORDER

“I have attended a few seminars on Estate Planning, and I was aware that I needed to start this process sooner than later. I was fortunate to attend an Estate Planning seminar presented by Suren Adams. I was very impressed with her professionalism, her impeccable knowledge of the subject matter, and the ability to present the information in an understandable language. Suren’s noteworthy credentials speak for themselves, and her service costs are comparable to others in the area. I would highly recommend her service to anyone who is interested in the Estate Planning process. I guarantee that once you attend Suren’s seminar, you will not delay in starting the process today!”

- C.H. (Upper Marlboro, MD)

“Mrs. Adams: We want to thank you very much for the diligent work your office has done in finalizing our Trust package, to include notifications to our investment organizations and trustees. We could not be happier for the great legal work you and your staff has done for us. Again, many thanks for bringing everything together in our Trust.”

- R.G. & D.G (District Heights)

Veronica Fountain Publisher & Owner

For Auld Lang Syne

AS THE SAYING GOES, TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN. And time sure has flown by this year as we can’t believe we’ve put together the final issue of Simply Bowie Publication in 2022! It seems like yesterday we were sitting down to write our first letter to all of you.

There’s a unique perspective that working in publishing brings. While we certainly don’t want to wish our lives away, we’re always looking toward the future, Whether it’s planning our next issue or developing story ideas for the next year, we’re often already fast forwarded to the future months before the current month has even begun.

The fast-paced lifestyle this industry calls for can often make it difficult to really settle down and absorb what’s going on around us and, before we know it, the year is over and it’s time to move forward again.

So this December, we hope you take the time to slow down a little bit. With the holiday season upon us, we hope you make the time to take it all in. Enjoy your time with family and friends, bask in the magic of the winter season, reflect on past memories you hold closely in your hearts and keep the new ones you create in the present for as long as you can.

We’ll take your lead, and can’t wait to see you next year!

Contributor ’s PAGE

Leelyn Ellis is a senior at Howard University, majo ring in journalism and minoring in English. She also serves as the executive secretary for the Howard University Association of Black Journalists. “I love telling stories, and writing has always been something that I’m passionate about. Outside of journalism, I’m working on other creative writing projects, including my own novel.”

Braxton C. Babb is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a Senior Broadcast Journalism major and English minor at Howard University. On her campus, she serves as Vice President of Black Girls House, Social Media Director of B.E.S.T. You Programming, and host for Howard Hotties. Due to her passion for uplifting and being a role model to young girls, her long-term goal is to pursue a career in entertainment media with a primary focus on Black Women.

Tiasia Saunders is a junior Media, Journalism & Film Major and English minor at Howard University. She is from Danville, Virginia, and enjoys writing and reading during her free time. Tiasia plans to get her master’s degree in Data Journalism when she completes her bachelor’s degree. She aspires to become an author and own a publishing company one day.

Askya Alexander is a graduating senior, journalism major at Howard University. When she’s not writing her next Simply Magazine article, you can find her immersing herself in all things pop culture, following the latest beauty trends on TikTok, or reading something from her never-ending TBR list!

“I’m excited to intern for Simply Magazines this fall because it gives me the opportunity to do something I love: writing! To be a student and be able to have this experience is something I’m eternally grateful for.”

Myía Borland is a senior journalism major at Howard University. She adapted a niche for writing from her mother who also studied journalism at Howard and Myía now writes about culture and climate news. Her future goals include writing for major magazines and media outlets that cover these topics. This semester interning with Simply Magazine helped Myía learn new ways to storytell and helped her learn about people and businesses beyond the DMV area.

10 FESTIVE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS MADE EASY

By Askya Alexander

Christmas has changed visually countless times since its origin. Over time, as Christmas gained popularity, it brought with it new traditions. Strings of twinkling lights, dangling orbs from tree branches, and red and gold accents are just a few of the decor elements that have withstood throughout the years. While some characteristics of the Christmas aesthetic have traditionally remained the same, in 2022 almost any conceivable color, material, and style of Christmas decoration can be had. For this holiday season, dress up your home for the holidays with these inspirational decorating ideas and take an affordable, nontraditional approach to this year’s festive interior design.

01. BABY, IT’S COLD OUT-CIDER!

Entertaining guests this holiday season? Bear season’s greetings with a festive bar cart that is fit for the holidays! Give your cart a seasonal makeover with decorated tabletop trees, cute tableware, and an assortment of warm and alcoholic beverages. By storing all of the celebratory goods in one spot and adding the festive touches in the mix, the bar cart will not only be a conversation starter, but also a welcoming spot for guests to come together during a gathering.

02. WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES TO TOWN

The Polar Express is one of my favorite Christmas movies. It is an inspiring tale about a doubtful boy learning the meaning of what it truly means to believe. For this year’s Christmas decor, what better than to have this timeless film come to life? Place an antique toy train under your Christmas tree and add an element to this year’s decor that will be an adorable and classic twist to your typical tree skirt. Quite literally ring in Christmas with an interactive train set that’ll be a joy for the entire family.

03. FROSTY THE FELTMAN

What’s Christmastime without a little greenery? This Christmas, turn your dining room table into a makeshift forest with felt cut-out Christmas trees at every place setting. Felt is affordable, lightweight, and easy to work with. You couldn’t ask for more out of a craft material. Place the flatware of your choice into the pre-cut slits, and everyone at the table will be impressed by your crafting skills.

04. DESK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY

Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean that the grind stops! Your home office deserves some holiday cheer, too! Decorate your desk with striped tape dispensers, Christmas-inspired office supplies, and other vintage decor to bring a look that’s positively merry to your at-home workspace. In doing so, you can liven up the area and the festive feel is sure to translate during your work hours.

05. IT’S THE MUGS WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Instead of stockings this year, consider this: mugs! Gather a set of matching Christmas mugs for the entire family and fill them with the usual tiny trinkets Santa normally leaves behind. It’ll take your usual tradition of hanging stockings on the mantle to the next level. After Christmas morning activities, use the ceramic cups to drink hot chocolate or other festive beverages. Come away from this holiday season with something physical and memorial to remember it bye.

07. CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON A VIRTUAL FIRE

It’s become commonplace for different platforms to have some sort of holiday livestream around this time of the year and Disney+ is no different. With Disney+’s Frozen-themed yule log fireplace stream, you and your family can chill out on the couch and sit by the “fire” with a magnificent hearth featuring Frozen’s Arendelle Castle. It’s a nice comforting touch, especially for those without a fireplace at home, who can now enjoy it.

06. GOD REST YE MERRY MASON JARS

This idea’s perfect for any mantle or entryway table. Turn any stray Mason jars into worthy decorations for this year’s holiday decor. Grab some paint or other materials from your local craft store and with it, alter the inexpensive jars into adorned pots for miniature Christmas trees. With a little Epsom salt, the unlikely household item turns the glass vessels into what can look like sparkling, snow-covered vases.

08. DREAMING OF DIY CHRISTMAS

Are you wishing for a winter wonderland but not getting any snow to make it a reality? Take the fickle weather into your own hands to make your wintry wishes come true! In only five minutes, create DIY “snow” that you can use to sprinkle across tabletop trees, wreaths, garlands, and more. This quick and easy craft activity will create ample amounts of fun for the entire family!

09. IT’S BEGINNING TO SMELL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

From fresh, crisp pine trees to warm sugar cookies, nothing compares to Christmas fragrances. We don’t all live in snowy log cabins, baking sweet treats heated by a roaring fire, so we take advantage of the next best thing.Get creative this holiday season by adding these various aromas in different parts of your home. Instantly transport yourself to the Christmas Village of your dreams.

10. ADVENT MARIA

Countdown the days until Christmas by creating a fun advent calendar. Turn a kitchen garland into a calendar by attaching a ribbon across it and hanging tin cans, filled with treats from it. Or get your furry companions in on the holiday fun by DIY-ing a pet-friendly version. Fill mini burlap bags with your pet’s favorite toys or treats for each corresponding day. Don’t forget that pets are family too!

HERE ARE THE 6 BEST PLACES TO PUT A CHRISTMAS TREE IN YOUR HOME

By Askya Alexander

Nutcrackers, stockings, and toppers, oh my! Christmas is right around the corner and you know what that means: decorating! And who doesn’t love decorating for Christmas? There’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than giving your home its annual festive touch. For this year’s holiday season, consider putting your Christmas tree in different part of your home. From the dining room to the front porch, Simply Magazine has 6 of the best places around the house to put your tree and enhance your Christmas traditions this year!

DINING ROOM

Family is what Christmas is all about. While we see Christmas decor around other parts of the house, we often overlook the most important area: the space around the dining room table. Having a Christmas tree in your dining room just makes sense. It’s where family and friends can be found enjoying their meals and other holiday festivities. If the room has enough space, I would even consider setting up your main Christmas tree in this area. Putting a tree in the dining room may seem unconventional, but a beautifully adorned tree in this room might just make your family dinners all the more magical.

BEDROOM

Why not have a Christmas tree in the one place you spend the most time in? Bedrooms are a great way to decorate for the holidays if you wish to go for a non-traditional route or simply want to spread holiday cheer to every corner of your household. A Christmas tree in your bedroom can bring warmth while adding dimension and texture to the space. With the sparkling glow of the string lights and the glittering ornaments, a tree can serve as a calming yet festive addition to the area. Turn the opportunity to put Christmas trees in your bedrooms into a bonding activity for your entire family. Host a contest and judge to see whose tree is decorated the best. Make the most of this time with your family and create some memories along the way.

FOYER

The foyer is the first place everyone sees when they enter your home, and the last place they see when they leave. If you wish to make an impact on your guests this holiday season, try setting up a Christmas tree in your foyer! The foyer is the first opportunity to have guests interact with your festive Christmas decor, so don’t forget this space when decorating for the holidays. Although the space is small, utilize it to your advantage, using garlands, ornaments, and small trinkets to further embellish the hall. With a bit of careful curation and interior decorating, you can be left with a Christmas entryway that dazzles your guests and has them saying they’ll be coming to your house again next year.

PATIO

Don’t let your festive decor be restricted to just the inside of your house! This holiday season, choose outdoor-safe Christmas trees to put on your patio and let the holiday cheer emulate from outside of your home too! Consider using artificial tree options to avoid the inevitable decay of a cut tree when left in extreme weather conditions. Invest in durable ornaments to decorate the tree with and hang oversized LED string lights for a bigger visual impact, more uses, and a smaller electricity bill. Anchor the tree with fishing lines or bags of sand and your patio just that quickly turned into a winter wonderland.

HOME OFFICE

Nowadays, working from home has become the new norm. A Christmas tree in your home office is a sure way to brighten up your work atmosphere. With a desktop Christmas tree, bring yuletide fun to your home office in a subtle fashion. Pair your Christmas tree decorations with matching office supplies for a more cohesive feel.

FRONT PORCH

Spellbind your neighbors and house guests by having Christmas decor right on your front porch! Use a combination of miniature Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands to line your doorway and other porch surface areas. If you happen to have a larger porch space, install a pre-lit Christmas tree and other decorations for an inviting display. Not only will these stylistic choices make for a stunning first impression, but they’re also a great way to brighten the entrance to your home. Transport your visitors instantly to a makeshift Christmas Village and they’ll be shocked they got the chance to do so for free.

Consider having a pot-grown Christmas tree for the additional health benefits such as purifying the air, reducing stress levels, and enhancing cognitive skills. Who would’ve thought Christmas cheer would make you Smarter?

“We use eight ounces of jumbo lump crab meat, that’s the key,” he says during an interview at The Food House, a commercial kitchen in Capitol Heights. “You don’t want to outshine the ingredients, so we don’t put too much into it.”

Those crab cakes are RŌM’s specialty; he made a name for himself juggling various food service jobs over the last decade, and then very recently as the chef at In A Minute Cafe, a Black-owned restaurant in Capitol Heights. But like so many restaurants, In A Minute fell victim to the pandemic, and RŌM is back with a new business: a ghost kitchen he’s calling House of RŌM

The chef, whose legal name is Reginald Mack, is a freckled man with an easy laugh who shares everything from basic spices to industry tips with the other vendors who cook out of The Food House. On that warm day in April, he’s stationed next to a longtime friend, Lakisha

Garden, the owner of Lula Mae’s Gardin. The people responsible for another business, The Chicken Man, go back and forth behind the pair, preparing their own togo meals.

While various cooks walk past, balancing groceries or sheet pans mere inches away, RŌM crowds over his crab meat to mix in Old Bay, mayonnaise, and mustard. He’s careful to keep the structural integrity of his signature dish, which he calls the “crack bomb.”

“You don’t want to break up those beautiful lumps,” he says of his no-filler crab cake. “That’s what creates the crack. You’ll see a whole bunch of cracks in that thing when it’s all set and done.”

The name of the dish is apt, coming from Chef RŌM — which is pronounced like Italy’s capital and not like CDROM — a man whose life has had its fair share of cracks. “People want to see the cracks,” he says.

Chef RŌM’s jumbo lump crab cakes are a lot like him: local to Maryland and generous.

With his new seafood ghost kitchen in Prince George’s, Chef RŌM treats everyone like a VIP

“I wasn’t always a chef. I wasn’t always in the kitchen,” he says. “I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. … But unfortunately, I sold some narcotics and crack cocaine was one of the narcotics that I sold.”

He grew up in Kentland but now lives in Bowie, which is just a few miles away from The Food House. Now known locally for soul-food seafood, he did not expect to land in the food business. After serving a short time in jail nearly two decades ago, he considered various options, including real estate, upon his release.

“I couldn’t sell narcotics for the rest of my life, but I [wanted to] sell something because I’m an entrepreneur at heart. My father had a moving company. I didn’t want to move furniture all day,” he says. “I said, ‘You know what? Imma sell some food. Let me go to culinary school. Follow granddad’s footsteps.’” His grandfather, who went by the nickname Big O, has been a cook in the army.

RŌM ended up enrolling in Lincoln Culinary Institute in Columbia, and while there, adopted his nickname in homage to his grandfather.

After graduating, he launched his first catering business out of his mother’s kitchen. He later worked at a hotel and then got his own food truck, also called House of RŌM. In 2020, he and Steven Wilson opened a new restaurant, In A Minute Cafe, in Capitol Heights. But the business venture was short-lived, and they recently closed because of a decline in business. He says he noticed business slowed down once pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, and he suspects his patrons were patronizing dining options closer to their homes.

Now, the ghost kitchen prepares various meals, like seafood fried rice and a cheesesteak topped with crab dip that in 2020 made Eater’s list of the D.C. area’s best cheesesteaks, for pickup and delivery. RŌM still caters events, including a recent 50th birthday brunch. He’s prepared food in all types of kitchens and for all types of people, which is why he fancies himself the “Clark Kent of the kitchen.”

“I may have a catering job today, and also I might have a private chef gig later on tonight. So I have to go into the phone booth and change up and come back out and go do another job,” he says.

While many returning citizens struggle to find employment, sometimes due to hiring practices that discriminate against people with criminal records, RŌM

says his past never got in the way of his professional successes.

“The kitchen is really the only place that will accept you … I don’t know why that is, but that’s just how it is,” he says. “They look at somebody that maybe went to jail and is like, ‘OK, well, he’s going to be a hard worker. Let’s put him to work.’ That’s just how I see it. A lot of people that’s been in the life, come out, and they live in the kitchen.”

RŌM’s experience mirrors plenty of others, because the food service industry tends to be less concerned than many other professions about a criminal record. D.C. Central Kitchen has built an entire ecosystem around training people coming out of incarceration to work in the industry, and helping them find jobs. Another wellknown chef around D.C., D’Angelo Mobley of La Jambe, recently talked to Washington City Paper about finding his home in kitchens after a short stint in jail.

Chef RŌM credits his grit and ability to make connections for his successes. One example? He met someone who now helps him market business by happenstance at an event he was catering. His story has also inspired at least one person: Garden of Lula Mae’s Gardin, his colleague in the ghost kitchen.

Garden met him roughly six years ago, when she was working a nine-to-five desk job and he would deliver his food to her office. She always enjoyed cooking, making dishes like smoked mac and cheese or lamb chops for herself and family, and began peppering him with questions whenever he visited.

Unsatisfied with her day job, she dreamed of starting a food business of her own, and “he told me to jump,” she says of RŌM. “He just said, ‘do it. How would you ever know whether you’ll fail unless you try to do it?’ So that’s what I did.”

She built up the courage to quit her job as dispatcher and started a soul-food business named after her grandmother. That was four years ago. In the beginning, she would rent RŌM’s food truck for a few days a week. They would trade labor; he worked for her on the truck on her days, and she helped him out when he ran the truck, Garden says.

When she needed a place to park her own truck she eventually purchased, she learned of The Food House. (Food service workers can park their trucks there in

there in addition to using the facility to prepare meals.) When Garden started working out of the commercial kitchen full-time in February, RŌM joined her.

“I like working right next to him. We teach each other a lot of different things and we laugh and joke all day. And, you know, that’s my homie. I love him, too, just a little bit,” she says, laughing. “Sometimes, he gets on my nerves, too. And I just kind of push him a little bit, push him like ‘Go over there, go over there.’ But it’s all jokes.”

RŌM eventually sees himself leaving The Food House and opening another sit-down restaurant. He loves to dress a white plate, he says, noting that “people eat with their eyes first.” There is only so much he could do with a to-go container, he says, although that doesn’t stop him from trying to use his sauces to make his dishes look their best for carryout.

It’s all part of his philosophy to “treat everybody like a VIP,” he says. “You never know who’s eating your food. Somebody ordering on DoorDash might be Barack Obama. You don’t know. So you treat everybody like that VIP.”

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Ghana Changed My Life” A Woman’s Triumph Healing Journey In Africa

Article By Tiasia Saunders * All Photos Courtesy of Tracey Connor-Buster

Group of local artists holding up their paintings.

Purpose of Trip:

Three days before Tracey Connor-Buster, a local photographer was set to head off for a 12-day tour of Ghana with Artists 2 Africa, a creative education company, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Ghana would transform the devasting news into her healing journey.

“Ghana changed my life. I took it to the river. I saw the power of my ancestral roots. I was adopted by the Akan, Asante Kingdom, Oyoko Clan, my name is Akua Pomaa,” Tracey recalled her Naming Ceremony namesake as she told of the strength she possessed following the trip.

The trip was hosted by two participating artists Larry Poncho Brown and Carren Clarke. It was the third annual tour and it featured a naming ceremony, a canopy walk, and an expedition to sacred places. The group included photographers, artists, and art collectors.

“It was a curiosity to understand what was Africa all about other than elephants and lions. I thought I was going there to make some kind of pilgrimage or to find some roots that had something to do with my history,” Connor-Buster said.

The purpose of the trip was to explore the west African country and share a creative space with locals amongst art in all forms. The trip hosts hired Elevation Tours, a Ghanabased tour company, to take care of all the accommodations.

“I love the fact that Ghana preserved history. Understanding why Ghana is so important, that I didn’t know,” ConnorBuster said.”

Cape Coast:

On day four of the trip, the group visited Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, infamous buildings that held enslaved people during the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Connor-Buster remarked on the conditions of the underground levels of the castles, “We were in the slave dungeons that the slaves were actually kept in. There was this room in the cave that was sealed off. They would put the slaves in there with no food or water and leave them there until the last one was dead.”

The group was able to explore both castles in detail. The dungeons offered a stark reminder of the gruesome history of the slave trade. It allowed the group to connect the thriving British Empire to the depleted African country.

“So much information was obliterated from anything we were taught. Before this trip, I thought the Crown is one of my favorite binge-watching shows, only to realize that the Queen was in that castle. She was upstairs,” Connor-Buster said.

Canopy Walk:

The group had the opportunity to walk the Kakum Canopy Walkway, which is 130 feet above the ground and 1,150 feet long. The walkway was built as a tourist attraction and mode of transportation for locals in 1995.

“It was an echo challenge for the group and a system that they made so they wouldn’t have to be on the ground with the animals. We went the wrong way and accidentally walked eight canopies,” Connor-Buster recalled the memory with laughter.

Naming Ceremony:

Additionally, the group had the opportunity to partake in the Naming Ceremony, a local tradition in which babies are given their names. The ceremony was filled with drumming and dancing to commemorate the names given. Tracey’s name was Akua Pomaa of the Jyokoj Clan.

“The whole idea was to give you your birthright. Every single thing in Ghana is intentional. Nothing is done without a reason or a purpose. The Naming Ceremony became more important than I ever imagined,” she remarked.

The ceremony is called the Outdooring and is a celebration of a newborn’s life in Ghana. The entire community takes part in the joyous event. Tracey recognized the importance of acquiring a name in Ghana and how meaningful it was.

“There were so many favorite things, I chose that because it is still in my heart how powerful Ghana is.”

The Dessert Junkie

Laurel Basket Treats

349 Main Street Laurel, MD 20707

Bowie

The Dessert Junkie Bakery, A Basket Treats Subsidiary 15480 Annapolis Rd. Suite 204, Bowie, MD 20715

The DessertJunkie.com Ph: 301-725-6198

The Dessert Junkie Basket Treats

The Dessert Junkie Basket Treats By Alexis Streets BasketTreatsAS

The exquisite, entrepreneurial and creative spirit behind Basket Treats by Alexis Streets™ , The Dessert Junkie™, in Bowie. Her original Basket Treats location in Laurel, Maryland will still serve as a dessert shop with novelty gifts, sweet chocolate-dipped treats, cupcakes, ice cream and milkshakes. We first featured Alexis in February 2021 to learn all about her dessert empire.

Alexis had expanded her business to include The Dessert Junkie™ in 2017. Alexis knew that she wanted to bring jobs to the community and continue putting a smile on people’s faces through her delicious desserts. The Dessert Junkie™ Mobile Dessert Truck currently brings treats to Prince George’s County and the surrounding areas. Alexis felt called to open another location The Dessert Junkie™ bakery so that they could begin doing all of their baking on-site and offering more gourmet desserts. She knew that she needed to find the perfect location.

The Dessert Junkie™ bakery location is off 450 in Bowie. It is a fullservice bakery with a state-of-the-art kitchen. There will be baked goods made fresh daily, new products including vegan, glutenfree, and sugar-free items. Also included in the menu are the famous monster milkshakes, funnel cakes, donuts, gourmet coffee, and gourmet ice cream. This is also a central location for birthday cakes, specialty cakes, and wedding cakes. Alexis tells us, “We are also doing gift packaging and cards. This is your one stop shop for the perfect gift. We also provide dessert catering corporations, private industries, government and for events. We also connect with Bougie Balloons, my subsidiary, to provide décor for events.”

Lead Cake Artist, Shavon Brown, will be in charge of creating cake masterpieces. “She is a vital piece to my puzzle,” Alexis says, “I

create Balloon Decor for our events and handle the majority of our outside events.”

In addition to their daily goods, The Dessert Junkie™ will also go all out for holidays and special events like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas to name a few. Every day will offer amazing treats for their customers. There will even be something for our four-legged family members.

The Dessert Junkie™ will be selling its exclusive line Primo’s Choice catering to your puppies and dogs for celebrations, birthday parties, and treats.

Alexis’ vision doesn’t just include catering, gourmet cupcakes, wedding cakes, monster milkshakes, dessert cups, chocolate covered strawberries, and other mouthwatering desserts. “I just want to be able to provide jobs for the community. I want to be able to keep moving. I am a self-motivator and I believe in creating your own way. A lot of people would sit there and wait for an opportunity to job out at them, but for me personally, I try to grab the bull by the horns and do everything imaginable to make it work. It is very important for me to get the bakery running and put the right people in place so that I can move onto my next project,” Alexis says

Alexis is extremely proud of the work that she and her team have put in over the last year. “While most people’s businesses have been failing and floundering over the last year we have been expanding. We are always helping one another genuinely. You have to pour into other people.”

Visit TheDessertJunkie.com to learn more or call 301-725-6198 to place your orders. For Laurel & Baltimore customers please visit the Laurel Location. The New Location Cake Batter is located at Bowie Town Center.

Cake Batter & Company, your Premier Gourmet Dessert Bar is OPEN!

Located at Bowie Town Center

Owners: Alexis Streets Ted Streets Shavon Brown

Located in Bowie Maryland, The Cake Batter is famous for its tempting takes on classic Americanstyle desserts.

Our reputation is built upon providing the highest quality desserts both locally and nationally. We pride ourselves by offering recipes made with the freshest ingredients. Our enormous variety of cupcakes, milkshakes and cookies , The Dessert Junkie is also the perfect location for custom-decorated birthday and wedding cakes.

Our selection is always changing, so please always contact us if you desire a special order.

The health and safety of our team and our customers is our highest priority.

Gabriel J. Christian, Esq.

LEAD COUNSEL

An attorney in Maryland and a Georgetown Law School graduate, attorney Gabriel J. Christian is a highly-skilled veteran trial lawyer. He is deeply involved in community service, offering his time to the citizens of Maryland, business organizations, religious organizations, the school system, and the Caribbean community.

Admissions: Admitted to the Maryland bar, 1991; U.S. District Court, District of Maryland, 1992; U.S. Supreme Court, 1997.

Education: University of the District of Columbia (BBA, 1986); Georgetown University (J.D., 1991).

Areas of Practice:  Personal Injury Litigation, Criminal Defense, Church and Religious Organizations, International Law, Commercial Law, Business Organizations, Family Law, Personal Injury, Environmental Law, and Sustainable Energy Law.

Published Works: In Search of Eden: Dominica, The Travails of a Caribbean Mini-State, 1992; Rain On A Tin Roof, 1999; Death by Fire - The Explosive Story of the 1963 Carnival Tragedy, 2007; For King & Country - The Service and Sacrifice of the Dominican Soldier, 2008; For King & Country-The Service and Sacrifice of the British West Indian Military, 2009; Mamo! The Life and Times of Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, 2010.

Appointments: Appointed a Judicial Commissioner on the Maryland Courts of Appeals Nomination Commission in 2007 by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley; Appointed a Commissioner on the Governor’s Commission on Caribbean Affairs in 2012 by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

Professional Associations and Memberships:

J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, Prince George’s County Bar Association, Maryland Bar Association, National Bar Association, Alan J. Goldstein Inns of Court, American Bar Association, Dominica Academy of Arts & Sciences, Tuskegee Airmen AssociationEast Coast Chapter, Board Member- Caribbean Research & Policy Center.

MISSION

The Law Offices of Gabriel J. Christian & Associates, LLC strives to provide the highest quality legal service, tailored to each client’s individual background, needs and goals. We are genuinely concerned about your well-being and aim to nurture a close working relationship with each one of our clients, giving them our fullest possible personal attention.

At The Law Offices of Gabriel J. Christian & Associates, LLC, we’re committed to serving the best interests of our clients. This means providing proactive legal representation, as well as compassionate guidance. We understand how stressful it can be to navigate the legal system in the D.C. area, but we also believe that empathetic legal service can make the ordeal far easier to handle. Our clients thrive, in part, due to our team-oriented approach. We emphasize collaboration and open communication, both of which allow us to provide exceptional service. We’re proud of our positive atmosphere and believe that it carries over into our legal efforts — and paves the path to an impressive track record.

With an office conveniently situated in Bowie and service offered to clients throughout Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, we are committed to serving our community. We begin by building strong

relationships during initial consultations. From there, we continue on to make our clients feel comfortable and cared for throughout the remainder of the legal process. Get in touch today to discover how you can benefit from our personalized approach to law.

OUR TEAM

Gabriel J. Christian & Associates, LLC is possessed of a highly collaborative culture. Our style is open, service focused, and friendly. We are deeply committed to civic engagement in the communities within which we work, and promote an equal opportunity environment.

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The Nutcracker premiere In December at the Kennedy Center

This Christmastime tradition returns to the stage for its 30th anniversary tour.

Center for the Arts at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m.

This two-act fairy-tale ballet tells the story of a family’s Christmas Eve celebration and how a girl named Clara saves the Nutcracker in a battle against the Mouse King and journeys through a dream world with a handsome prince. It’s set to the iconic music composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

This tour marks the first time the ballet company is returning to live “Nutcracker” performances since the start of the pandemic.

Address: 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566

Phone: (202) 467-4600