MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Two restaurants with locations in Montgomery County were honored Sunday night with the Washington, D.C., region’s top food industry award, the RAMMY.

The 42nd annual RAMMY awards held by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington celebrates excellence in the DC region’s restaurant industry. Members of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington were eligible to be nominated for the awards. An anonymous panel of judges decided awards, except the five publicly-voted categories — Favorite Gathering Place, Best Brunch, Best Bar, Favorite Fast Bites and Hottest Sandwich Shop. For the Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year category, finalists were decided by peers, and Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s executive committee selected the winner.

Here are the two Montgomery County award winners:

Hottest Sandwich Shop: Colada Shop, Potomac. A Cuban cafe started in D.C. with other locations in Potomac, Maryland, Arlington’s Clarendon, and Fairfax’s Mosiac District. The award was decided by a public vote.

The Potomac restaurant is located at 7993 Tuckerman Lane and is open Sunday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Here’s how the venue describes its vibe: “Colada Shop was born from a love of the Cuban coffee tradition. We opened our first storefront in 2016 with the goal of spreading the Cuban coffee and social tradition to the DC community. Colada has since expanded to multiple stores in the DMV area, serving as a gathering space for good, food, coffee, cocktails and conversation.”

Beer Program of the Year: Zinnia, Silver Spring: Located at 9201 Colesville Road, Silver Spring.

Here’s the description of its offerings: Our goal for Zinnia is to bring an all-day concept to the Historic Mrs. K’s grounds. In The Gardens, you will find elevated pub and picnic fare, accompanied by an extensive beer, wine, and cocktails list.

In The Tavern, you will find an intimate setting surrounded by stone and brick walls, in the well-known barrel room.

The dining rooms upstairs have been newly renovated and feature ingredients source from our organic raised beds right here at Zinnia.

The Cafe is now open and serving freshly roasted Counter Culture Coffee.

GARDENS

Reservations available
Weds-Fri: 4pm-8pm
Sat & Sun: Garden Brunch 10am-2pm & Dinner 4pm-8pm

TAVERN

Mon & Tues: Closed
Weds & Thurs: 4pm-10pm
Fri, Sat, & Sun: 2pm-10pm

RESTAURANT

Mon & Tues: Closed
Weds – Sun: 4pm – 10pm
CAFE

Mon-Fri: 8am-2pm

BRUNCH

Sat & Sun: 10am-2:30pm

Other RAMMY winners in 2024 include:

• Favorite Fast Bites: Fava Pot, which has locations in Falls Church, Virginia and D.C.
• Cocktail Program of the Year: Silver Lyan, northwest D.C.
• Rising Culinary Star of the Year presented by LINK Strategic Partners: Masako Morishita, Perry’s, northwest D.C.
• Wine Program of the Year presented by Père Wine Bar: Apero, northwest D.C.
• Favorite Gathering Place presented by BN Commercial Hood Cleaning and Fire Protection: Mi Vida, northwest and southwest D.C.
• Best Brunch: Duke’s Counter, northwest D.C.
• Best Bar: Bar Chinois, northwest D.C.
• Employee of the Year: Michael Wyatt, Annabelle Restaurant, northwest D.C.
• Manager of the Year: Victoria Gradia, KNEAD Hospitality + Design, various locations in D.C.
• Service Program of the Year presented by Ecolab: Reveler’s Hour, northwest D.C.
• Casual Restaurant of the Year: La Famosa, southeast D.C.
• Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Lutèce
• Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year: Rochelle Cooper, The Duck & The Peach, southeast D.C.
• Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Causa/Amazonia, northwest D.C.
• Chef of the Year presented by Pepco, an Exelon Company: Angel Barreto, Anju, northwest D.C.
• Restaurateur of the Year presented by Pepco, an Exelon Company: Kyle Bailey, Jon Ball, Jeremy Carman, Gavin Coleman, and Paul Holder, Long Shot Hospitality, restaurants in D.C., Virginia and Maryland
• Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year: Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, northwest and northeast D.C.

BALTIMORE — Faced with a $3.3 billion transportation budget shortfall, the Maryland Department of Transportation had to make tough funding choices. State leaders scrambled to balance the deficit by pausing certain improvement projects and raising registration fees. They’re also considering a new way of collecting revenue from drivers.

Earlier this year, MDOT, in partnership with The Eastern Transportation Coalition, launched a pilot program testing the mileage-based user fee (MBUF).

“So, it’s pretty simple in concept. If you use the roads, you pay for the roads. You use the roads more, you pay for the roads more, so it’s really creating that link between use and payment and getting away from the fuel tax as being the way we fund transportation,” said Trish Hendren, executive director for The Eastern Transportation Coalition (TETC).

As cars become more fuel efficient and drivers switch to electric vehicles, less gallons of fuel are being sold. In addition, the fuel tax rate in Maryland declined from 47 cents per gallon to 46.1 cents per gallon, due to an inflation adjustment. MDOT expects this to further impact the amount of fuel tax revenue generated adding that the fuel tax revenue is the “largest source of funding for transportation in Maryland, comprising nearly one-third of annual revenues to the Transportation Trust Fund. The Transportation Trust Fund funds the operation and maintenance of transit, road and bridge, port, and airport facilities across Maryland,” a MDOT spokesperson wrote in an email to WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii.

“This is not a Maryland issue, this is a transportation issue that every state needs to really think about how we’re going to close that gap,” said Hendren.

Hendren’s coalition of 19 states plus D.C. was awarded federal grant money to explore the feasibility of the mileage-based user fee. In Maryland, around 150 drivers participated in the pilot program that ended on May 31. Drivers had their mileage tracked through odometer readings, a plug-in device, vehicle reporting data, or a phone app.

Hendren said the cost to drivers is comparable to the state’s fuel tax, which she said averages around $27 per month.

One concern they’ve received is how the fee might impact rural commuters.

“Right now, rural communities are actually paying more than some of their urban counterparts in fuel tax. And you’re thinking, why is that? It’s because a lot of those vehicles in rural communities, on average, are larger and a bit older. So right now, it’s not necessarily a fair situation. So, if we moved to a distance-based approach, what the data is showing us is that rural communities may pay less,” Hendren said.

The results of the pilot program are expected to be released in August.

Currently, four states have enacted legislation authorizing the collection of per-mile fees: Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Hawaii. These are voluntary programs for drivers with fuel-efficient and/or alternative fuel vehicles. In exchange for paying by the mile, they’re exempt from paying an annual registration surcharge on their vehicles.

Meanwhile, Maryland has increased its registration fees by 64 percent from $135 to $221 for two years and a 73 percent increase for heavier vehicles upping the two-year rate from $187 to $323.

Maryland car owners will soon be forced to pay significantly higher registration fees

EV drivers will eventually have to pay an annual surcharge between $100 to $125, most likely starting July 1, 2025.

“The challenge with a flat fee is really about fairness, and we need to have that discussion in the transportation field with the general public, with elected officials. So, somebody only drives, I don’t know, a thousand miles a year, versus someone who’s driving 12,000 miles a year, but they’re paying the same annual flat fee. Is that how we want to fund transportation?” asked Hendren.

She understands it’s a challenging road ahead trying to navigate from a 100-year-old system, but she said her organization is focused on finding a fair and sustainable solution.

To see how much you’d pay under the mileage-based user fee model, TETC created an online calculator. Drivers input details about their car and how far they drive per month. It’ll then show the estimated difference between the fuel tax and MBUF.

And for answers to frequently asked questions on the MBUF, click here.

GLEN BURNIE, MD — Great teachers matter. In Glen Burnie, we’re fortunate to have teachers like Carly Kriewald.

Patch has partnered with T-Mobile to recognize teachers and show them how much they’re valued and appreciated.

This submission comes from Marshall Kaputsos, who nominated Carly Kriewald of Glen Burnie.

How do you know the teacher?

She is my friend

What does this person teach?

Art

Why do you believe the teacher should be recognized or honored?

She loves her craft and puts so much effort into teaching her students important skills. She loves to have fun and make the kids laugh while imparting valuable knowledge about art techniques and art history.

What’s one thing you want everyone to know about the teacher?

She loves her cat, Beaux.

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