Iconic Eastern Shore Restaurant Closing After 20 Years

Hemingway’s Restaurant and Lola’s Sunset Grill, at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, announce their last week with mixed emotions and years of fond memories. Hemingway’s remains open until October 23rd and will be celebrating ONE LAST SUNSET this Saturday. Owners Biana and Steve Arentz are busy finalizing the details of the landmark restaurant’s closing party.

“We’d like to invite the community to come out and celebrate with us. Over the last twenty years we’ve truly enjoyed serving and supporting the local community and would feel honored to have ‘One Last Sunset’ together”. The couple is happily donating a generous portion of the proceeds from the closing event to the Hospice of Queens Anne’s County. The party will take place at Hemingway’s and Lola’s on Saturday October 23rd starting at 5:30 PM. Hors d’oeuvres, beverages, live music, silent auction and raffles will be part of the celebration. Tickets are $25 and are available for sale at Hemingway’s.
Why did they choose the Hospice? Steve has stated before “If you want to meet an Angel, meet someone at Hospice. We have had the privilege of the experience of Hospice and we support Hospice of Queen Anne’s, but we celebrate the work of Hospice everywhere. They help make the toughest times a little easier. Please join us to celebrate and help us make our last day at Hemingway’s a memorable one, as Hospice has helped make so many Last Sunsets for our loved ones and us a memorable and less painful experience.”

The Arentz’s have been featuring Thankful Thursdays at their restaurant as a way of giving back to the community that has given them so much. Every month a different local charity is featured and 20 percent of the restaurant sales for lunch and dinner are donated. Hospice of Queen Anne’s, Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (CBEC), Character Counts, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Animal Resource Foundation (ARF), Partnering for Youth After School Program and The Chesterwye Center are some of the recipients of Thankful Thursdays in 2010. The last Thursday’s in October, prior to their closing, will be dedicated to Grasonville Elementary School’s new playground fund (where their son Steven attends 3rd grade and where Elizabeth, now attending Stevensville Middle School, went to school).

The downstairs restaurant, Lola’s, officially closed Saturday, October 2nd with a great farewell party featuring D’Vibe and Conga, a regular band at Lola’s this last decade…they even played at the Arentz’s wedding fourteen years ago.

Besides operating Hemingway’s Restaurant, Steve and Biana are realtors with Long and Foster in Kent Island and are active in the community. Steve is currently running for Commissioner at Large for Queen Anne’s County, is a member of the Economic Development Commission, past president of the QAC Chamber and past director of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. Biana is currently a Director for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, vice-president of the Board of Trustees of Anne Arundel Medical Center, founding board member of Bosom Buddies Charities and is involved with a number of other local organizations. They are most of all, proud parents of Elizabeth, 12 and Steven 9.

It is fitting that in their final year the Arentz’s were awarded the Bay Area Association of Realtor’s Community Service Award, What’s Up? Magazine’s “Best View 2010” and Best Crabcake and Best Realtor from the Update Magazine.

The Arentz’s leave Hemingway’s after twenty years with a mixture of sadness and excitement. In 2005 Hemingway’s closed for a short time due to a legal battle with their Landlord. The Arentz’s fought back and were named by the Capital Newspaper One of the Most Interesting Business People of 2005 for “doing what few would: took a multi-billion-dollar public company to court, claiming it wasn’t honoring the their lease with the previous landlord and brought hope to other small businesses that face incredible odds in just making it. Not to mention in fighting an 800-pound gorilla”. After settling on an extension and negotiating an end they are now, sadly, at the end.

Their future plans include opening another smaller restaurant on the lower level of the Chester River Inn (Castle River Inn) just below Café Sado. They will open it as Lola’s and bring to the Chester River the fun atmosphere of Lola’s we have all known for the last 20 years.

Twenty years is a long time and the Arentz’s thank you for all the special memories. Please come back for Hemingway’s closing party, “One Last Sunset” or simply come and visit us before we close our doors. For tickets or information please call Hemingway’s at 410-643-2722.