Robin Godwin: Cielo Verde Opens for Catering Events at American Visionary Art Museum

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Cielo Verde Opens for Catering Events at American Visionary Art Museum

Cielo Verde, a cafe and event space at American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM), has opened for catering events. Cielo Verde was first announced in February, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its café has not yet opened. The third-story space was previously occupied by Encantada which closed in January 2019.

Cielo Verde is a concept from Alma Cocina Latina and Alkimiah owner Irena Stein. Cielo Verde will eventually be a cafe serving lunch and brunch Tuesday to Sunday and become an event space on evenings and Mondays. Stein is waiting for activity to pick up at AVAM to open the cafe, but the space is now hosting events at 25 percent capacity, according to Baltimore City guidelines, and following CDC rules for safety.

The space has a capacity of 100 people, but events are now being limited to 25 to 30 people inside or up to 45 if the outdoor terrace can be used. Stein said they are doing a lot of Latin and Mediterranean small plates combined with cocktails. The food and drinks at Cielo Verde are locally-sourced.

The space has been redesigned with warm colors and lots of plants, taking after its name of Cielo Verde which means green sky in Spanish.

At normal capacity, Cielo Verde will host many rehearsal dinners for bigger weddings at AVAM, as well as smaller weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, happy hours, and corporate events.

When the cafe opens it will offer casual order-at-the-counter service. The menu will feature coffee from Philadelphia’s Elixr Coffee Roasters and quick counter items including quiches, empanadas, pastries and muffins from Hawthorne, macarons and sweets from Sacre Sucre, Middle Eastern sweets from Mera Kitchen, and sweets from Bramble Bakes Co.

Cielo Verde will have a salad menu offering a variety of greens and toppings, and hot sandwiches that include grilled chicken, prosciutto, avocado toast, grilled cheeses, and a vegan banh mi.

Menu items will be marked if they are vegan or gluten free.

The weekend brunch will offer empanadas; tequenos, which are a crispy pastry dough; cachapas, which are a Venezuelan corn pancake; eggs benedict; breakfast platters; quinoa bowls; granola; a chicken sandwich; and more.

Cielo Verde will offer local beers, wine from small wineries, and artisan spirits.

Stein has been busy in recent months as Alma Cocina Latina is relocating from Canton to Station North. Alkimiah, which is a partnership between Mera Kitchen Collective & Alma Cocina Latina, has also produced 85,000 meals for the community since March by partnering with World Central Kitchen. It offers healthy free meals to the community, which are funded through donations and grants, as well as catering and meal subscriptions.

Photos courtesy of Cielo Verde