The former site of JBGB’s will be opening its doors and heating its ovens once again — this time as a Sicilian bakery.
Doppio Pasticceria, which rented a stall at Remington’s R. House food stall, is moving to North Howard Street to take over the beloved pizzeria’s space until construction on a more permanent location wraps up across the block. The couple-owned spot, which is known for its eastern Mediterranean-inspired pastries with eclectic takes on marzipan and cannoli, plans to open for service Thursday.
Co-owner Luke Ilardo said he and his partner Megan Cowman will spend the next 72 hours “living over here” at the expansive JBGB kitchen — now the largest space to be tackled by the baker. More ovens and counters means an expanded menu, including pizzas, ice cream and grocery items, many of which were off limits at R. House due to competition with neighboring stalls. The new additions at the pop-up will be mainstays at the brick and mortar in the Cahoots building, at 300 W. 29th St., where the business plans to move in by the end of the summer, Ilardo said.
“These things we’ve been working on with intangible results are suddenly becoming really tangible,” he said.
Service at R. House ended on Sunday.
Katie Marshall, a spokeswoman for the Seawall real estate development company, said the Doppio owners are slated to finish their build-out of the Cahoots building in the next 2 1/2 months and the utility Baltimore Gas and Electric Company is performing site work this week. Renovations on the building paused last year as Doppio worked to secure the necessary financing, Marshall said, but going forward the developers are thrilled to have a “local, small business in such a prominent location.”
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Seawall also manages R. House and the former JBGB’s site.
In a previous Banner interview, Ilardo’s business and life partner Cowman described the bakery as an ode to the duality of Sicilian cuisine. The name Doppio Pasticceria, which translates to “double bakery,” speaks to the dimensions of Cowman and Ilardo’s cooking, as well as their companionship. Sicilian cuisine is a sort of “crossroads” for West Asian and Eastern European food, Cowman said, creating a culinary tradition that is both historic and innovative.
“They have been conquered by everybody. … Everybody has left their mark. And it’s in the cuisine so clearly,” she said last year.
The business began at farmers markets — origins that customers of Doppio still appreciate, Ilardo said, leading to the bakery’s expansion into grocery products like flour mixes. “We plan on continuing to scale up,” he said, adding that the bakery’s staff has grown from a team of three to 12. “We’re super excited.”
JBGB’s owner Robert Voss said in a January interview that the pizzeria, which shut down shortly after New Year’s, closed for its lack of financial viability. The Internal Revenue Service placed two federal liens on the business in recent months. The claims against the eatery total more than $137,000, according to court records.
Previously, the building was home to Parts & Labor, a restaurant operated by Baltimore’s only James-Beard-winning chef, Spike Gjerde. It closed in 2018.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Luke Ilardo’s surname.
