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Record of Proceedings

Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board Meeting - June 23, 2026

County Council & Boards — Tuesday, June 23, 2026
BodyHoward County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateTuesday, June 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

This webinar is being recorded and summarized.

0:03

We are now recording.

0:06

Good evening.

0:07

And welcome to the June 23rd to the 2026 meeting of the Howard County Alcoholic Feverage Hearing Board.

0:15

This is a hybrid public hearing.

0:18

We have four matters before this board this evening.

0:21

But before that, we do have a preliminary matter of approval of the meetings of the previous uh hearing, uh, which was on June 9th, 2026.

0:30

Uh board members, have you had the opportunity to review the meeting minutes of June 9th, 2026?

0:37

And if so, does anybody have any questions, comments, or items that need to be changed um with respect to the meeting minutes?

0:45

I have reviewed it.

0:47

I don't have any questions, and I want to move to approve the June 9th uh meeting minutes.

0:53

I second a second.

0:55

I second.

0:56

Thank you, Mr.

0:56

Coleman.

0:57

Thank you.

0:59

Uh Chair Um Chair Hans.

1:04

Yeah, let's do the um Mr.

1:09

Chen.

1:11

Yes, Mr.

1:12

Coleman.

1:12

Yes, Ms.

1:13

Kim.

1:15

Yes.

1:17

Thank you very much, Ms.

1:18

Burke.

1:18

Um, if there are no other preliminary matters, uh, we will move on to the first matter before this board.

1:25

And this would be a continuation from February 24th, 2026.

1:30

And this is an application for a Class B beer wine and liquor seven-day on-sale license to Golden Hub LLC, trading as Royal Cuisine of India in the names of Severine D'Souza and Aaron Sousa for a 1249 square foot restaurant located at 7500 Pullier Road, uh suite 104, Laurel, Maryland, 20724.

1:58

And I believe they are being represented by Mr.

2:00

Hurdle.

2:01

Uh I believe that's you I'm seeing on the now, Mr.

2:05

Hurdle, is he called in the A team this time.

2:08

Uh this is Mel Kodensky.

2:10

He's doing uh wicker board readings in Rundle County.

2:12

So he's brought in the top guy to come in.

2:16

Okay, well, you know, we are honored to have said top god present.

2:20

Good evening, sir.

2:21

Good evening to you.

2:23

Uh and uh Mr.

2:24

Shin, is this a continuation?

2:26

Uh do we need to uh review documents and all that?

2:30

Um I'll just say it for the record, all of the documents so far incorporated by reference.

2:38

Okay, thank you, Mr.

2:39

Shen.

2:39

Uh Mr.

2:40

Kodinski, I will uh turn this over to you uh if you have an opening statement.

2:44

Yes, briefly.

2:46

This is um basically uh it was called a read you originally was in as a transfer, and then the license uh they had to hear the license expired and wasn't renewed, so then they put this application in for a new class B.

2:59

It's essentially all the same.

3:00

Uh the applicants in this case um have many years of experience, also have a license in uh Howard County Vandalic in Montgomery County uh are not any um new to any liquor board experience in order to the restaurant fitness and familiar with the rules and regulations of the liquor board and uh they uh have been through this process several times.

3:22

I understand there was at least a partial hearing before.

3:24

So if the the board has anything that they want to ask of either um the miss uh Souza or uh her son, um uh you can go forward.

3:36

Okay, thank you, Ms.

3:37

Kaditsky.

3:38

Um, if nothing else, are you going to have um either applicant uh testify this evening?

3:46

If we're now looking at a new license, yeah.

3:50

If the the board would accept the the um um testimony had before, but uh I think um miss the Susa would probably be the person that I'm call at this point.

4:02

Okay, well, in that case, let's have Ms.

4:03

D'Souza uh swear in.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Cannabis Regulation█████████████████████████████████████████████53%
Procedural███████████████18%
Miscellaneous█████████11%
Economic Development██████7%
Personnel Matters███4%
Disability Rights███3%
Public Safety██2%
Zoning And Land Use█1%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board Meeting - June 23, 2026

The Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board held a hybrid public hearing on June 23, 2026, beginning at 6:30 PM, to consider four applications for alcoholic beverage licenses. The board approved the minutes from the June 9, 2026 meeting on a unanimous vote. The meeting included one continuation from February 2026 and three new applications.

Consent Calendar

  • The board unanimously approved the meeting minutes from the June 9, 2026 hearing.

Discussion Items

1. Continuation – New Class B Beer, Wine & Liquor 7-Day On-Sale License (Golden Hub LLC t/a Royal Cuisine of India)

  • Applicant: Severine D'Souza and Aaron Souza for a 1,249 sq. ft. restaurant at 7500 Montpelier Road, #104, Laurel, MD.
  • Representative: Mel Kodensky.
  • Testimony: Ms. D'Souza testified about 25 years hospitality experience, previous licenses without violations, and the need for a liquor license to retain customers. She stated food-to-beverage ratio at 51% food / 49% beverage. The board noted 49% alcohol sales is allowable under Class B license.
  • Board Questions: Clarified experience, violations (none), hours, and manager certification.
  • Outcome: Approved unanimously. Applicants waived right to appeal.

2. New Class B Beer, Wine & Liquor 7-Day On/Off Sale License (Centre Park View, Inc. t/a Luna del Sea Steak & Seafood Restaurant)

  • Applicants: Kamran Sarlak and Kamran Assadi for a 5,735 sq. ft. restaurant with 624 sq. ft. exterior at 8808 Centre Park Drive, Columbia, MD.
  • Representative: Mel Kodensky.
  • Testimony: Mr. Assadi testified about 45 years in the business, plans for a steak and seafood menu with vegetarian/gluten-free options, 25-35% alcohol-to-food ratio, and 16-20 front-of-house and 8-10 back-of-house employees.
  • Issues Raised: Background check revealed a PBJ for DUI in 2009 and a 2018 violation for sale to a minor at a prior restaurant (Luna del C Bistro in Baltimore). The application had answered "no" to both questions (7 and 8). Mr. Assadi acknowledged the omissions, attributing them to advice from a previous lawyer.
  • Board Deliberation: Members expressed concern about the omissions but noted the violations were years old. The board decided to approve contingent on the applicants submitting an amended application correcting the responses to questions 7 and 8.
  • Outcome: Approved with condition (amended application required). Unanimous vote. Applicants waived appeal.

3. New Class B Beer, Wine & Liquor 7-Day On/Off Sale License (Hot Garbage Pizza, LLC t/a Hot Garbage Pizza)

  • Applicant: Geoff Gill for a 1,300 sq. ft. restaurant at 8069 Tiber Alley, Units Retail 1 and Retail 2, Ellicott City, MD.
  • Self-represented: Geoff Gill.
  • Testimony: Mr. Gill presented the concept, inspired by family tradition ("garbage pizza" made from leftovers). Menu includes four standard pizzas with a rotating seasonal pizza using local farm ingredients. Expected carry-out 65%, alcohol-to-food ratio 30/70. He will be onsite 95-99% of operating hours initially. General Manager Dave Williams has 25+ years experience, will oversee beverage program. Staff training includes alcohol awareness certification for all employees. The restaurant will be closed Monday and Tuesday; open Wed/Thu 4-8 PM, Fri/Sat 11 AM-9 PM, Sun 11 AM-8 PM. No outdoor seating; alcohol served only to seated guests and with carry-out food purchases.
  • Community Involvement: Plans partnerships with local farms, schools (Northfield Elementary, Dunlogan Middle), and ADA accessibility efforts.
  • Board Questions: Clarified operations, alcohol monitoring via cameras, carry-out policy, and employee certification.
  • Outcome: Approved unanimously. Applicants waived appeal.

4. Transfer of Class B Beer, Wine & Liquor 7-Day On-Sale License (WIBS, LLC t/a Shin Chon Garden)

  • From: WIBS, LLC (Clara Heejin Kim and So Yeong Chun) to WIBS, LLC (Youn Sock Kim and Gina Kim) for a 3,000 sq. ft. restaurant at 8801 Baltimore National Pike, #27, Ellicott City, MD.
  • Representative: Martin Johnson.
  • Testimony: Gina Kim testified about purchasing the established Korean BBQ restaurant, which has operated for over 20 years. She previously held a license for Chosun War (2020-2022) without violations. Expected alcohol sales 8-10% of revenue. She will manage front-of-house; her husband Yun Kim will handle daily operations (payroll, ordering, inventory). All 20 employees (including 7 involved in alcohol service) are staying on – a point commended by the board. Alcohol awareness certified. Policy on age verification (under 40 requires ID; no vertical licenses accepted). The restaurant will continue closed on Tuesdays.
  • Board Questions: Mr. Kim is proposed resident agent; he acknowledged responsibility. Board noted continuity of staff as positive.
  • Outcome: Approved unanimously. Applicants waived appeal.

Key Outcomes

  • Application 1 (Royal Cuisine of India): New Class B 7-day on-sale license granted. Unanimous.
  • Application 2 (Luna del Sea Steak & Seafood): New Class B 7-day on/off sale license granted contingent on submitting amended application correcting omissions in questions 7 and 8. Unanimous.
  • Application 3 (Hot Garbage Pizza): New Class B 7-day on/off sale license granted. Unanimous.
  • Application 4 (Shin Chon Garden transfer): Transfer of Class B 7-day on-sale license granted. Unanimous.
  • Next Meeting: Scheduled for July 21, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

This webinar is being recorded and summarized. We are now recording. Good evening. And welcome to the June 23rd to the 2026 meeting of the Howard County Alcoholic Feverage Hearing Board. This is a hybrid public hearing. We have four matters before this board this evening. But before that, we do have a preliminary matter of approval of the meetings of the previous uh hearing, uh, which was on June 9th, 2026. Uh board members, have you had the opportunity to review the meeting minutes of June 9th, 2026? And if so, does anybody have any questions, comments, or items that need to be changed um with respect to the meeting minutes? I have reviewed it. I don't have any questions, and I want to move to approve the June 9th uh meeting minutes. I second a second. I second. Thank you, Mr. Coleman. Thank you. Uh Chair Um Chair Hans. Yeah, let's do the um Mr. Chen. Yes, Mr. Coleman. Yes, Ms. Kim. Yes. Thank you very much, Ms. Burke. Um, if there are no other preliminary matters, uh, we will move on to the first matter before this board. And this would be a continuation from February 24th, 2026. And this is an application for a Class B beer wine and liquor seven-day on-sale license to Golden Hub LLC, trading as Royal Cuisine of India in the names of Severine D'Souza and Aaron Sousa for a 1249 square foot restaurant located at 7500 Pullier Road, uh suite 104, Laurel, Maryland, 20724. And I believe they are being represented by Mr. Hurdle. Uh I believe that's you I'm seeing on the now, Mr. Hurdle, is he called in the A team this time. Uh this is Mel Kodensky. He's doing uh wicker board readings in Rundle County. So he's brought in the top guy to come in. Okay, well, you know, we are honored to have said top god present. Good evening, sir. Good evening to you. Uh and uh Mr. Shin, is this a continuation? Uh do we need to uh review documents and all that? Um I'll just say it for the record, all of the documents so far incorporated by reference. Okay, thank you, Mr. Shen. Uh Mr. Kodinski, I will uh turn this over to you uh if you have an opening statement. Yes, briefly. This is um basically uh it was called a read you originally was in as a transfer, and then the license uh they had to hear the license expired and wasn't renewed, so then they put this application in for a new class B. It's essentially all the same.

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