OCEAN CITY – Culture, a West Ocean City eatery known for its Peruvian rotisserie chicken and ever-changing cultural cuisine, is bringing American street food to its patrons.
The new supporting menu will be the third installment in a series of culturally inspired dishes that accompany the eatery’s reoccurring food items.
Each year on Earth Day, Culture owners Travis and Jody Wright introduce a new cultural cuisine to compliment the restaurant’s Peruvian rotisserie chicken.
“We are trying hard to genuinely celebrate the world we live in through a culinary experience,” Jody said.
This year’s inspiration takes its cue from American street food and the dishes the couple encountered during their travels to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C.
“It’s inspired by food trucks, fairs, festivals, street stalls, music festivals, carnivals and anything with that nostalgic feeling of grabbing food while you are out and about,” Jody said.
The Wrights, as a commitment to provide their patrons with authentic foods, said they will not serve dishes from a culture they haven’t experienced for themselves. For example, in years past the couple has traveled to central and South American countries to research cuisine and introduce it on Peruvian and Mayan supporting menus in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Along with the changing menu each year, the interior of the restaurant also gets a makeover, including new artwork, such as above creatively hung on wooden pallets, to reflect the new culture. Photos by Bethany Hooper
Until Earth Day 2018, Culture’s menu will offer a unique twist to a wide variety of classic street food, from Peruvian chicken cheesesteak and walking taco bowls to jambalaya and funnel cake bites.
“One of the things we consciously tried to do for this (menu) that we haven’t done as much in the past is really embrace the fact that this is a chicken place and feature it in a few different ways,” Travis said. “We’ve done a better job spotlighting the chicken in this culture.”
Jody Wright added that the couple also makes an effort to reflect the cultural inspiration with decorative items and furnishings and often return from trips with ideas and artwork for the restaurant.
“It usually tells you so much about a community.”
Travis Wright equates the restaurant’s yearly transformation to an annual grand opening event.
“It’s cool because the community sort of gets a new restaurant every year,” he said, “and it’s cool for us because we get a re-grand opening once a year, every year.”
The Wrights explained that Culture’s concept and menu are a departure from the couple’s full-service restaurant, The Shark on the Harbor, and offers patrons a fast casual dining experience. The fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch dishes, however, remain the same.
“We created a fast casual operation where you can get food quickly that you can feel good about eating,” Jody said.
In addition to its menu, Culture also offers a variety of protein and dietary options, as well as an assortment of beers, wines and craft cocktails that are offered to-go.
“We’ve really dialed in on who our customers are and what they are looking for,” Travis said.
In the future, the couple said they hope to engage the community through voting opportunities that will introduce or revisit cultural inspirations, and are already preparing for next year’s supporting menu. Yet, they expressed their excitement for this year’s American Street cuisine.
“It may not be as rich and it may not go back as many years, but there are a lot of places in our country that have a lot of interesting history,” Jody said. “That’s part of American Street, to celebrate the diversity of our own country and culinary world.”
Culture is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information on Culture, its menu or Restaurant Week promotional deals, visit culturerestaurant.com, the eatery’s Facebook page or call 410-213-1006.
