A seven-layer caramel cake from Caroline's Cakes in Annapolis makes an appearance in "The Help" movie. The cake is a signature confection at the mail-order/retail business owned by Caroline Ragsdale Reutter.

The Post and Courier, a newspaper in Charleston, S.C., reported on the cake on Wednesday. The bakery's owner Caroline is a South Carolina native who moved to Annapolis in the mid-1970s, according to the story written by Teresa Taylor, a fellow Association of Food Journalists member. (A Smalltimore connection: The paper's publisher Bill Hawkins is a former Evening Sun reporter and editor.)

Now, Caroline's Cakes is asking Facebook fans to comment on "The Help's" Facebook wall. "Let them know what you thought of our silver-screen appearance," it asks.

Also, check out Max's movie review on our website. She gave it 3 ½ stars!

Photo courtesy of Caroline's website

Update: Gino's will open Aug. 17 with a grand opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting from 10-11 a.m.

I stopped by the Gino's Burgers and Chicken in Towson this morning, and a manager Patricia Rhine told me that Aug. 20 would be the opening date.

If the date changes, I'll let you know.

I wasn't allowed into the store, but I did get a peek at the big banner over the order counter using the nostalgic '60s advertising slogan, "Everybody goes to Gino's."

Gino's, named after NFL Colts great Gino Marchetti, was a popular Baltimore eatery for decades until it closed in the early '90s. This first franchise in the Baltimore area will feature burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, onion rings, real ice-cream shakes, and salads.

I can't wait to have a Gino Giant. The new store is located near the corner of E. Joppa and La Salle roads, next to Applebee's. Gino's is currently hiring workers.

Photo by me 

Joe Squared owner Joe Edwardsen does more than bake great pizzas. He gives back to the community, too. Baltimore magazine intern Autumn Rose, a Towson University student, tells the story of Joe and one of his workers. Here are her words:

Joe Squared and Baltimore nonprofit Hand in Hand are teaming up on Monday to throw a 20th birthday party for Corey Terry—the first one he has celebrated as a free man in a while. For the past two years, Terry has been in jail on his birthday.

Terry was able to turn his life around with the help of Hand in Hand, founded by Jessica Turral after she graduated from Johns Hopkins with a goal to change the lives of incarcerated juveniles. "Our mission is to create self-awareness in young men, so they begin to see that jail is no longer an option, because they're better than that," she says.

Joe Edwardsen is proud to be a part of that community effort as a mentor to Corey Terry. When Hand in Hand came to Edwardsen asking if he had any jobs available at his pizzeria, he said yes and put Terry to work.

Terry has been at Joe Squared since June, doing just about everything. He cleans, he paints, he landscapes, whatever Edwardsen asks him to do.

"Corey is a hard worker and a good kid," Edwardsen says. "They keep thanking me for hiring Corey, but it has nothing to do with me. If Corey wasn't a solid worker, I would have fired him."

Terry has nothing but respect and admiration for Edwardsen, the man who looked past his record and gave him a chance. "He's the best boss I've ever had. He teaches me everything, and he picks my head up when I'm looking down," Terry said. "He knows I can do it, and he believes in me."

Edwardsen says Terry even comes in on his days off to take care of the tomato plants that Edwardsen gave him in the rooftop herb garden. "He checks his plants meticulously," Edwardsen said. "He's a good little farmer. I don't think we've had a single caterpillar eat a single tomato so far."

Terry is now enrolled in classes to get his GED. Turral hopes the birthday party for Terry at Joe Squared will be an inspiration to Terry's family and friends.

The next Hand in Hand event will be a fundraiser at Noodles & Company in Towson on Sept. 14 from 6-9 p.m.

So far, the nonprofit has helped over 50 young men in its program inside the Baltimore City Detention Center and in its community program. 

Photo courtesy of Joe Squared

Today's Baltimore Restaurant Week kickoff will be held on the second floor of the Light Street Pavilion at the Inner Harbor because of the weather.

The cook-off features local chefs and includes food samples for the public. The event is from noon-2 p.m.

A list of restaurants participating in Restaurant Week (Friday-Aug. 14) can be found online. 

Baltimore native Tim Riley is joining executive chefs Chris Becker and Mark Davis at the planned Bagby Restaurant Group restaurants TEN TEN and Fleet Street Kitchen in Harbor East. Riley, a Culinary Institute of America grad and certified sommelier, will be the beverage director.

TEN TEN, an American bistro located adjacent to Bagby Pizza Co. in the Bagby Building, is scheduled to open in September. An opening date for Fleet Street Kitchen, featuring farm-fresh artisanal food, hasn't been announced yet. 

Brother-and-sister team Josh and Stephanie Hershkovitz are transforming Rub, the barbecue place, into Hersh's Pizza and Drinks. Or "de-Texasfying" it, as Stephanie says. They settled on the property, recently vacated by Rub, on Friday.

Chef Josh, who has cooked at Charleston and Petit Louis, will be preparing 12-inch Neopolitan-style pizzas in a wood-burning oven imported from Italy when the restaurant opens in October. Stephanie, a former New York attorney and lover of all things food, will handle the front of the house.

Their menu will also offer homemade pastas and rustic Italian food featuring cured pork products, other items, and lots of vegetables. "What's local, what's fresh," says Josh. "It's the way we like to cook with the best ingredients.

Josh and Stephanie, who grew up in Owings Mills, have wanted to open a restaurant together for a while. They focused on Neopolitan pizza because "we think this type of pizza is underrepresented in the city," Josh says.

They also were drawn to the location at 1843 Light St. since there aren't many restaurants nearby, Josh says. "People are already knocking on the door asking when we'll be open." 

Chef/owner Tony Chemmanoor is planning for a midweek soft opening, but the exact date hasn't been set, he said on the phone yesterday. He sounded ecstatic that he is finally able to re-open his popular Indian restaurant that was gutted by a five-alarm fire last December.

"It's been a roller-coaster ride," he said of the efforts to deal with the damages.

The new Indigma will be located across the street from the old building in Mt. Vernon. Tony said that people have already been knocking on the door to see if he's open. "It's a good thing that I have a big door," he quipped.

Of course, Facebook has been abuzz about the anticipated opening. Updates are also available on the restaurant's website.

Tony said he'd be able to give me a firm opening date on Monday.

Welcome back, Indigma. We've missed your excellent modern Indian cuisine.