Dining with Art
- "Dining with Art" originally appeared in the April 2025 "Art & Culture" issue of COMO Magazine.
Columbia is host to a vibrant dining scene, and the flavors are found on more than just diners’ plates — they are on the walls as well. A diverse array of artists and their unique styles bring movement, color, and conversation to the table.
Charlie Bittle, Cafe Berlin
It’s hardly surprising that as an anchor of the North Village Arts District, Cafe Berlin uses art to accentuate its boho vibe. Adrienne Luther, the restaurant’s manager, features a rotating selection of eclectic art on its walls, some pieces from her personal collection and others by artists interested in selling their art from the restaurant. However, there is one work that’s on permanent display at Cafe Berlin, and it’s by local artist Charlie Bittle — who is all of 10 years old.
Charlie has been drawing since he could pick up a pencil. Holding one of the pieces he keeps at home, he talks about how he makes his drawings.
“I like to start with big stuff, like a square, and then fill it in,” he explains. “I never do color. I add a lot of details, so with color it’s kind of hard to tell what the object is.”
After completing a couple of drawings he didn’t want to keep, Bittle asked his mom if he might be able to sell them. She posted them on Facebook on his behalf, and so far he’s made five sales. Luther was one of those who saw the post, and she immediately jumped on it.
Charlie’s creative streak is more active at night.
“Sometimes I’ll have a sudden idea at school, and I’ll write it down on a piece of paper and take it out at home,” he said, displaying a new drawing. “It took me about eight hours to finish that one.”
Jacky Adelstein, Broadway Brewery
The next time you’re sipping an 11 Point IPA at Broadway Brewery, you may spy some pensive, even somber-looking, faces. But they won’t be seated at neighboring tables — they’ll be hanging on the wall, one of the many works by artist Jacky Adelstein that have been featured at the restaurant since 2017.
“I would say that I definitely tailor the art that’s up there for that wall, which has been sort of an interesting struggle for me,” she said. “My inclination is to put my personality into the art, but there has been a negotiation sometimes where I will make a painting or a drawing and know that I’m not going to show it there because a restaurant has to remain neutral,” Jacky explains.
When she moved back to Columbia in 2016 to be close to her parents, a friend was hanging her art at Broadway Brewery and helped Jacky get in contact with one of the owners. He agreed to let her hang artwork on one of the walls. Adelstein maintains the wall herself, making a new piece for the display anytime one sells.
Randy McDermit, Tellers
Randy McDermit’s artwork has been displayed at Tellers since 1999. He came into the restaurant late at night with some friends, and when one of them suggested that he should hang his art there, he contacted the owner. In the past, Tellers rotated the art and artists every month, and Randy exhibited his art for a month at a time. Now his art is the only art hanging on the walls since Tellers recent reopening.
“I like faces and figures, bright colors, and dramatic gestures,” McDermit said. “I’m just interested in human expression. They’re pretty intuitive, rather than thought out.”
Much of his artwork is sold intermittently throughout the year, with more sales around the holidays.
“I’ve never painted something specifically for Tellers, but I’ve got enough work that I can kind of look at it and say, ‘Oh, this would hang well.’ I can pick and choose,” he said.
Martin Pope, Sycamore
Martin Pope loves the edgy vibe at Sycamore, where he has also been a server. He has sold five paintings from the restaurant so far this year, and he curates the collection based on his connection to the space.
“There’s a punk rock element to this place here, so I wanted to bring some of that energy for my work into this place,” Pope said. “I felt like it would be at home here.”
He currently has more than 150 pieces at his apartment and selects the pieces he hangs at Sycamore starting with the size of the paintings that will fit.
“I do see people talk about it all the time, and sometimes I’m their server, and I tell them I’m the painter, and they laugh,” he said. “They think I’m joking. Then later, they realize that I really did paint it.”
Cindy Scott, Casa Maria’s
It was on Cindy Scott’s professional bucket list to paint for a restaurant, so when the owner of Casa Maria’s asked her to do the mural for the restaurant, Scott didn’t think twice about signing herself up for a month and a half of work.
“I never thought it would be the entire restaurant, the bathroom, and the kitchen,” Scott said. “It was just one of those things I thought would be cool, just to do art on a huge scale in a public setting. It would be a little feather in my hat, professionally.”
The mural is meant to immerse the customers into Mexican culture, while also modernizing the restaurant. While scaling the walls, Scott was also able to sample food on the menu, which she credits for some of her artistic inspiration.
“I didn’t even call myself an artist until like two or three years into doing what I’m doing,” she said. “I always kept it as it’s something I do. I felt like it was arrogant to call myself an artist. When I just started calling myself an artist, that began to open doors for me. When you step into it and own it, then opportunities come, and people believe in you.”
Columbia residents and visitors alike will find art just about anywhere in the city, whether a bank, city or county government building, office waiting rooms, street corners, and building walls — and blending in with the vibe and colors of many restaurants.
If you’re curious about where to look next, just look for a menu and follow your senses.
