We are excited to announce an opportunity to expand Carroll & Son Fine Foods to the taproom of UNION Craft Brewing. UNION is a place where we already work, in a community that we know and love. Beginning December of 2022, we want to bring our incredible hospitality, efficient service and delicious comfort food to Baltimore, the regional craft beer community, and beyond.

Carroll & Son Fine Foods was founded in March of 2021 by me, Jon Carroll, after decades of work at various Baltimore restaurants including Gertrude’s at the BMA, Of Love and Regret and UNION Craft Brewing. I have sold thousands of frozen “JC’s Burritos”, over a thousand bowls of ramen at my “Smoking Bowls” events, and popped up with cheeseburgers, nachos and pit beef all over town. The popularity and success of the pop-ups lead to the development of a catering business. Carroll & Son Fine Foods is currently selling barbeque to private events ranging from twenty to two hundred people and has served over fifty events in the first year. I prepared, delivered, and served the food, marketed the business, and held a management position at UNION Craft Brewing with enough tenure to become an employee owner.

Just as Carroll & Son Fine Foods catering began to be more than just a side hustle, I was notified about the upcoming opportunity to take over and relaunch the kitchen in the UNION Hall taproom. Knowing I couldn’t do it alone, I looked to fellow UNION coworker Eric Bainbridge as a possible partner. Eric has worked at Nepenthe Brewing Co, Phillip’s Seafood, and most substantially, a thirteen year stint at The Brewer’s Art. I consider Eric’s work ethic and attention to detail unparalleled in the Baltimore hospitality scene and was delighted when he agreed to join.

Now it is time to expand this business for our own personal growth, for the people of Baltimore and most importantly, for our families. Together we hope that this business opportunity will lead us into more managerial, behind-the-scenes roles so our family time can become more flexible and not hindered by shift work. This is crucial to us as we don’t want to miss out on any significant moments in our children’s lives. We love our children more than anything and want to be there for them while building a company that will benefit them in the future.

Our biggest obstacle is funding. We are asking friends, family, neighbors and colleagues from Baltimore and beyond to help us bring our dream to reality. To establish initial stability we seek to raise at least $100k to cover the upfront costs, including; payroll, food inventory, operating expenses, equipment and rent.

With your support through this GoFundMe campaign, Carroll & Son Fine Foods will be able to open in the UNION Collective as the dedicated food vendor for the biggest and best brewery in Baltimore.

We will pay it forward to our community by offering no fuss delicious food five days a week, community fundraising opportunities, and a positive environment for our employees to work and grow their skills. Having the ability to pursue our first brick and mortar operation also allows us to expand our catering and prepared foods divisions, therefore setting us on a trajectory for longterm, sustainable growth.

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe

One love,

Jon Carroll & Eric Bainbridge