The owner of PieCycle and KarmaPop—Baltimore’s first food tricycle and dessert mobile—Krystal Mack, is trading in her wheels to team up with Philadelphia-based Little Baby’s Ice Cream to launch R. House’s sweetest concept yet. Mack’s BLK//SUGAR and Little Baby’s Ice Cream will be available from one of the 10 stalls in Remington’s highly anticipated food hall when it opens this October.
A micro-bakery, dessert and tea concept, BLK//SUGAR will be Mack’s first permanent space since her launch of mobile street sweets two years ago. Made fresh on site using locally-source ingredients, she says her baked creations are a way for her to express her creativity and connect with people in Baltimore.
A self-taught baker, Mack will feature desserts such as cookies, Salted Honey Cake, Lavender Honey Pie, Caramel Apple Cobbler topped with Snickerdoodle Cookies, and will add her artisanal KarmaPop Ice Pops to the menu in warmer seasons. Desserts will range from $3 to 10. Whole pies will be available as well.
But not everything on the menu will be sweet. “Because we’ll be operating all day, we will accommodate people who want to experience BLK//SUGAR but who may not want desserts early in the day,” Mack says. “We’ll serve menu items like Tea Eggs and Croissants for grab-and-go fare that satisfies those seeking a sweet or savory BLK//SUGAR offering. We will also sell WOOT! Granola, which is vegan, kosher and delicious, alongside locally made yogurt.
For tea-lovers, BLK//SUGAR will offer locally sourced teas by bespoke tea makers Wight Tea Co. in flavors such as Sage Rose White Tea, and Evening Tisane. “Happy Hour doesn’t have to be alcohol focused,” Mack adds. “We hope folks will unwind with us, kick back with friends and have some of the best pies, teas, and Ice Cream in town.”
Founded in Philadelphia five years ago, Little Baby’s serves small-batch, handmade, super premium frozen desserts—boasting an equally split menu of dairy and non-dairy, coconut cream-based ice cream and milkshakes.
Little Baby’s co-founders Pete Angevine and Martin Brown started the business from the ground-up, with no experience in food or Ice Cream at all. Now with two retail sites in Philadelphia and a weekly pop-up in Washington, D.C., Angevine says opening in R. House was a no brainer. “I met Krystal two years ago at the Emporiyum and sparks flew. We knew we had to collaborate at some point in time in some way. When we heard about R. House, we knew this was our chance,” he explains. “What goes better with pie than Ice Cream?”
Little Baby’s uses milk from Trickling Springs Creamery in Pennsylvania. With flavors like Everything Bagel, Earl Grey Sriracha, Vanilla Cardamom Cream, and Chocolate Salt Malt, the menu will have 8 to 10 regularly rotating flavors, and seasonal and holiday specials like Blueberry Ginger and Sweet Potato Marshmallow. Customers can order Ice Cream in a sugar cone or cup, or take hand-packed pints to go. Prices will range from $3 to $8.
“Ice Cream on the East Coast is a seasonal offering with limited ‘busy’ hours. Being a part of R. House mitigates normal operating challenges we would face if were opening a stand-alone place,” he adds.
The stall in R. House will have one point of sale but the option to order anything from the two brand’s menus.