(BALTIMORE – May 23, 2026) – In the world of Baltimore County hospitality, few names carry the kind of weight that Ania Pettiford has earned — not overnight, but over more than a decade of showing up, leveling up, and never settling for anything less than exceptional.
It started in 2012, when a young Ania walked through the doors of the Windsor Inn as a server. She was observant, hungry to learn, and already developing the instincts that would define her career. She worked her way up — earning her bartending license from the Maryland Bartending Academy in Glen Burnie — and never stopped climbing.
Leading at 748: Bartender, Manager, and Head Chef
In 2020, Ania took on her most expansive role yet — lead bartender and manager at 748, a Black-owned bar right here in Woodlawn. But she didn’t stop there. She also stepped into the kitchen, serving as head chef and expanding the definition of leadership in this industry. Behind the bar and behind the stove, Ania was building something bigger than a job. She was building a legacy.
That kind of range — the ability to command a bar, manage a team, and run a kitchen — speaks to a professional who has mastered her craft from multiple angles. Ania Pettiford doesn’t fit neatly into one box, because excellence rarely does.
“She didn’t just tend bar — she tended community.
— The Ania Pettiford standard
Return to the Windsor Inn — and a Brunch Born to Win
In 2023, Ania returned to the Windsor Inn — this time as bartender and bar manager, her experience transformed and her reputation well established. And in 2024, she launched a brunch experience that quickly became a community staple. It’s the kind of event people plan their weekends around: creative, vibrant, and unmistakably Ania.
She also bartends at Hertsch’s, further cementing a reputation that now spans multiple venues, multiple roles, and more than a decade of consistent, creative, community-centered service. Wherever Ania is behind the bar, the standard is the same: exceptional.
Why the Black Wall Street Awards
The Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards were created to recognize the builders — the people who show up in their communities, lead with excellence, and inspire others to do the same. Ania Pettiford is exactly that person.
From a server learning the ropes at the Windsor Inn in 2012 to a lead bartender, bar manager, head chef, brunch architect, and scene-maker across Baltimore County — Ania’s journey is a masterclass in what happens when talent meets tenacity. Now in its 15th year and back in Woodlawn, the Black Wall Street Awards are honored to celebrate one of this community’s own.
Ania, Baltimore County has watched you grow — and Woodlawn claims you with pride. This one is well-deserved.
JOIN US AT WOODLAWN
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 6665 Security Blvd, Baltimore, MD | SHURA, Inc.
RSVP NOW → blackwallstreetwoodlawn.eventbrite.com.
Doni Glover is the founder and publisher of BMORENews.com, now in its 24th year of covering Black Baltimore, and the founder of the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, now in its 15th year. He is also the host of the Emmy-nominated Doni Glover podcast and The Doni Glover Show on WMAR-TV 2.
