Doug’s Fish Fry helps Baltimore Woods share nature

Submitted by Baltimore Woods Staff

From sponsoring  the annual Run for The Woods each year to providing a coupon for a free fish sandwich for all new members, Doug’s Fish Fry has helped Baltimore Woods Nature Center put nature in your hands and in the hands of local children for many years.

Giving kids a chance to explore and be part of nature is a priority for Mark Teasdale-Edwards, owner of Doug’s Fish Fry, Skaneateles.

“A lot of kids don’t really know what nature is,” he said.

One of the reasons Teasdale-Edwards supports Baltimore Woods Nature Center is because he wants to help provide a place for children to get outside, discover nature, and spend time with family.

Teasdale-Edwards also connects to the mission of Baltimore Woods Nature Center because he believes it is essential to protect the environment for future generations.

“We are the caretakers, and this is where our kids are growing up,” he said.

This perspective helps guide his business decisions—he is always trying to be conscious of the environment and thinking about how to make his business more sustainable.

For instance, he recently decided to switch to a “strawless” cup lid to reduce the number of plastic straws used at Doug’s in addition to buying oil for his fryers in bulk to reduce packaging and providing paper bags for take-out instead of plastic.

He is currently researching alternatives for the styrofoam cups used for soups and coleslaw.

This ethic of appreciation and stewardship of the environment was instilled in Teasdale-Edwards at a young age.

Many of his fondest childhood memories are from tent camping trips with his parents and three siblings.

While these adventures were low budget and very basic, the important thing is that his parents made time for his family to spend together in nature.

With two teenagers of his own now, Teasdale-Edwards makes it a priority to spend time outside with his kids these days.

A few years ago, he chaperoned his daughter’s field trip to Baltimore Woods, and he still likes to watch the video that he took of her tapping a maple tree to learn how maple syrup is made.

He appreciates that Baltimore Woods is so close to home, and he supports The Woods because he thinks it is a valuable resource for local families to learn about nature and spend fun time together outside in all seasons.

Support of the local community and Baltimore Woods Nature Center was also important to Doug Clark, the “flounder” of Doug’s Fish Fry.

Clark started the business in 1982, and Teasdale-Edwards bought it from him about 20 years ago.

When Clark passed away last September, it was a huge personal loss for Teasdale-Edwards.

Clark was a mentor and friend, and he always served as the public face of Doug’s Fish Fry. Clark established the long-time partnership with Baltimore Woods, becoming the “o-fish-ial” membership sponsor for the past decade and attending events including blowing the horn to start the trail race at Baltimore Woods.

There is even a Doug Clark bench overlooking the field where he would spend time enjoying the view of the log cabin, gardens, and hikers exploring the trails.

Teasdale-Edwards strives each day to maintain the high bar of quality food and service that Clark set when he opened Doug’s thirty-eight years ago.

His commitment to the community and local organizations is yet another way that Teasdale-Edwards honors the memory of Doug Clark and helps keep our community connected to nature, and each other.

Submitted photos

Doug’s Fish Fry founder Doug Clark and current owner Mark Teasdale-Edwards have had a long history showing their support of Baltimore Woods.