Meet Kate Ledyard Beck
Kate Beck is a fighter for fairytales. She has designed her life from behind a powerful pair of rose-colored glasses, steadfast on finding, creating, and sharing beauty in all parts of life.
Originally from Princeton, New Jersey, Kate has lived all over the country, moves fed by her insatiable appetite for exploration, culture, and community. She received a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina—a part of the country that will always feel like home to her—before settling in Maryland where she’s resided for 17 years. Constantly drawn to warmth, whimsy, and good stories, with her teenage daughter often along for the ride, she loves exploring Baltimore’s beloved, best, and brightest in addition to hunting its hidden gems…always on the prowl for magic.
By nature, she is an artist and a romantic. By trade, she’s been a chef, creative, event planner, stylist, television host, and most recently, a real estate agent. In the dynamic world of real estate, Kate saw the opportunity to marry her professional experiences with many of her passions, weaving together design, business, family, and home. However, it wasn’t until she began to explore ownership of The Scout Guide Baltimore & Annapolis that she realized how intricately connected and intentional her journey has been. Her exposure to so many corners of the local community has deepened her love for her city as a whole and as a collection of neighborhoods. Additionally, she found a heightened appreciation for the makers and small businesses that preserve the character of cities like Baltimore and Annapolis, and their innate ability to instill a sense of place in residents and visitors alike.
Walking shoulders back and gracefully into uncharted territory has been a recurring theme in Kate’s personal and professional worlds. She’s always preferred a professional joy ride to a conventional career path, and has been led by courage and curiosity. Feeling well positioned to take the leap, as the new owner and editor of The Scout Guide Baltimore & Annapolis, Kate will seize the opportunity to champion the businesses that make these cities thrive, support and preserve the local artists and dreamers, and dig deeper to discover the powerful stories behind them.
In this spirit, Kate has decided to honor the Baltimore and Annapolis business communities and audiences by separating the two markets and launching two guides. Volume 7 of The Scout Guide Baltimore will launch in September 2023, and an inaugural The Scout Guide Annapolis & Eastern Shore guide is due to launch in 2024.
Kate’s Favorite Reasons to Visit
The art. “I’ve had a paint brush in my hand since I was four on the preschool playground—the photo of proof is still in the back of my high school yearbook! The art studio, in all of its iterations, has always been my happy place. To me, creating art is one of the most powerful mediums of storytelling. It’s a special language that is shared between the artist and her piece, as well as the finished piece and the viewer. It’s a genuine invitation into a person’s passion and perspective. I’m fortunate to be a bit spoiled by the art scene here in Baltimore. This is a relatively small city and it often surprises visitors to learn about the wealth of important art and institutions we have here. Museums include Baltimore Museum of Art, Walters Art Museum, Maryland Art Place (MAP), and American Visionary Arts Museum (AVAM), and schools like Baltimore School for The Arts and MICA. And of course, Artscape, the largest art festival in the country, is just ten minutes from my home! I’ve had the privilege to plan and/or style events at each of these spots as well! Hosting a celebration surrounded by a curated collection of art is by definition magical.”
The music. “I’ve always loved live music, and Baltimore boasts a wide range of genres and experiences. We have plenty of larger and mid-sized venues and get our share of major shows, but there are also lots of alternative and eclectic live music experiences all over the city. It could be Rams Head Live featuring one of our local hero’s Cris Jacobs, or a tiny hole in the wall like the 8×10 and a Grateful Dead cover band. In the summer we have WTMD’s First Thursdays on the waterfront in Canton, which can be enjoyed on a grassy hill or by boat in the harbor! We also love seeing music at our local breweries and wineries. In fact, Charm City Bluegrass, now a two-day festival in Druid Hill Park, was started in the parking lot of Union Craft Brewing! However, some of my favorite music moments in our city are purely accidental—finding myself in the right restaurant or pub on the right night with the right people.”
The food and drink. “I often joke that my very whimsical decision to attend culinary school in New York City was simply to find a new way to make things with my hands, swapping the brush for a chef’s knife. Although I was only a private chef for a few years, that classical training sharpened my palate, encouraged my lifelong love of food, and gave me skills I use every day— in the kitchen and out! I might not produce the best small dice anymore, but I make mean enchiladas. For me the pleasure is finding the talented chefs and restaurateurs (and staff) around me, and in Baltimore we’re lucky—we’re surrounded by such good food and drink. But what I love about the culinary scene here (aside from the range in cuisines) is the people, and the thought, romance, and pride they pour into their work. I have been going to Petit Louis Bistro since I moved here in 2005, and it never disappoints. The faces are friendly and the plates consistently delicious. Now it’s my go-to during my daughter Charlotte’s lacrosse practice for a quick catch-up with a friend, or salade verte and rose at the bar! Tapas Teatro is another example of a favorite simple pleasure: the restaurant is brilliant on its own, however being connected to The Charles, a historic theater, makes it one-of-a-kind in town. Sunday afternoons are my favorite; if I make it there by 4:00 p.m, I can order a glass of wine to take with me to the 4:10 showing, and after the movie enjoy a beautiful meal in great company. As Ina Garten would say: ‘How easy is that?’”