University of Maryland Baltimore is known for its schools of law, business, medicine and nursing. Sometimes, though, it’s all about the food.

In celebration of the school’s bicentennial, “UMB Cooks,” a 327-page collection of recipes celebrating the culinary talents of famous Marylanders and the schools faculty, alumni and students, was released Tuesday during an event filled with cooking and eating.

“No one’s recipe was turned away, as long as they looked like legitimate recipes,” said Nancy Gordon, director of university events.

UMB President David J. Ramsay offered his marinated grilled flank steak, and U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md, presented her bite-sized crab cakes during Tuesday’s cookbook kickoff.

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“We started the barbecue sauce 15 years ago,” Ramsay said as he prepared to turn his steaks, which were searing over coals in a grill set up on the front steps of Westminster Hall. “I love the idea of cooking outside.”

Money raised from the sale of “UMB Cooks” will fund scholarships for the campus.

“The book cost $18.07,” said the president’s wife, Anne Ramsay. “The price is the same year (the medical school at) UMB started.”

Not to be outdone by her grilling husband, Anne Ramsay served her Sarah Ramsay Sutton’s sausage rolls during the tasting event.

The Ramsay offerings were just two of 20 different recipes featured at the cookbook sampling on Tuesday. Chefs from Maggie Moore’s Irish Pub and Restaurant and the Intercontinental Harbor Court, along with chef John Shields also brought sample of their creative delights.

David Ramsay offered those in attendance Tuesday a bit of a surprise when he divulged a secret ingredient that gives his marinate its unique flavor.

“We recently added a bit of peanut sauce to the mix,” he said.

That tidbit isn’t in the book.

gsmith@baltimoreexaminer.com