St. Mary's County board approves catering privilege for Blue Wind Gourmet

The Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary's County on Thursday approved a catering privilege for Blue Wind Gourmet, owned and represented at the meeting by Dana Rybarczyk. The board voted to grant the requested catering addition after brief questions about operations and parking.

The request, which the applicant described as "that simple," drew questions from board members about how the business handles food service and whether nearby renovations could affect parking, Rybarczyk said. "Everything seems to be running smoothly there," a board member noted during the exchange. Rybarczyk told the board customers frequently ask the business to provide wine or bartending service along with food, and that adding a catering privilege would allow staff to legally provide that service when the business also supplies the food.

The board also discussed how caterers handle events at nearby facilities and military contractor sites, with members noting one option is for an outside caterer or nonprofit to assume responsibility for beverage service at some events. Board staff and members emphasized that, as a caterer, Blue Wind would have to provide both food and beverage service to qualify for the catering privilege. Rybarczyk confirmed she understood the requirement and said she and her staff plan to continue following local rules.

After the discussion, a board member moved to approve the catering privilege for Blue Wind Gourmet; another member seconded the motion. The board took a voice vote and approved the application.

Blue Wind Gourmet was sworn in at the start of the agenda item and provided its business address for the record. The board signed the approval and closed the item without additional conditions.

The board proceeded to the next items on the agenda after approving the catering request.