Casey Jenkins, chef and owner of Darker Than Blue Cafe

Five Things I Have To Have Now

April 6, 2008

Casey Jenkins opened Darker Than Blue Cafe in September in Waverly. (Sun photo by Glenn Fawcett / October 30, 2007)

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Casey Jenkins knows good food. He also is betting that he knows a good location when he finds it. Although his friends in New York wonder why he stays in a city made famous by TV crime dramas, Jenkins says he loves Baltimore. After working nearly 10 years in the food service industry here - mostly with Sodexho - Jenkins opened his own restaurant in September in Waverly. He named it Darker Than Blue Cafe after an old Curtis Mayfield song. Jenkins plans to eventually offer live jazz in the space upstairs.

Jenkins lives in Parkville. He has an 18-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son.

1. Daughter to graduate from Tuskegee.

"Nowadays it's extremely tough for kids out there. ... I want my daughter to be the best she can be and eventually come and take over my company."

2. Son to graduate from high school.

"He has severe epilepsy, and I'd love to see him live independently."

3. Baltimore to become an economic powerhouse on the East Coast.

"It's got an incredible amount of potential and not enough people notice it. ... I love this place. It's a great city."

4. Barack Obama to win the presidency.

"I think he would be the best candidate to unite the parties and bring the United States back as a formidable country on the world stage."

5. Troops to come home from Iraq.

"I was in the Marines, and I don't believe in this war."

[LIZ ATWOOD]