
Brazilian Bonbons

When we first wrote about June Drummond in 2010, the lawyer-turned-confectioner was just starting a business called June B Sweet featuring brigadeiros, beautifully decorated bite-size treats from her native country, Brazil. Made from sweetened condensed milk, butter and flavorings, the bonbons resemble truffles but are much softer and delicate, seemingly held together by sheer force of will. Drummond’s are individual works of art, with embellishments such as crunchy mini-ball sprinkles, fanciful chocolate curls and brightly colored crystallized sugars. Many are topped with small, handmade gum paste flowers.
Until last year, Drummond, who lives in Chevy Chase Village, sold brigadeiros mostly to individuals and businesses hosting private events and fundraisers. The brigadeiros, along with other products—small honey cakes called pão de mel, jars of brigadeiro spread, and chocolate-covered brigadeiros—are made in a commercial kitchen in Silver Spring.
In April 2018, Drummond decided to take her business to another level, having bought Write for You stationery store in Chevy Chase, D.C., and marrying it with June B Sweet. With a storefront, she is able to bring her delicacies to a much wider audience.
Brigadeiros scream Valentine’s Day. Gift boxes (nine pieces for $24; 16 for $32; 25 for $49) have clear tops, so you can easily see the made-to-impress sweets. For her Valentine’s Day boxes, Drummond is replacing a row of brigadeiros with fresh red rosebuds and she has created a special new flavor, hot chili pepper, to spice things up. You can put together your own selection. We recommend: milk chocolate brigadeiro covered with rose-flavored sugar; coconut; crunchy strawberry; and vanilla with crunchy gold sprinkles.
A new creation for Valentine’s Day is a chocolate cake, about 4½ inches in diameter, filled with Nutella and painted with edible gold ($28). It comes in a red box trimmed with gold foil and tied with a lavish red ribbon.
You can order June B Sweet online; they deliver locally and ship. (Order by 11 a.m. for same-day delivery.)
Write for You, 3807 McKinley St. NW, Washington, D.C.; 202-686-7060; junebsweet.com
Comings & Goings
Hen Quarter in Silver Spring closed in October. Its restaurant group, Northern Virginia-based Thompson Hospitality Corp., bought out D.C.-based chain Matchbox Food Group and, in early 2019, will install Matchbox Vintage Pizza Bistro in the former Hen Quarter spot.
Pandora Seafood House and Bar in Rockville Town Square closed in October. Mellow Mushroom, a pizza chain, closed its Rockville Town Square location in September.
Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza in Silver Spring closed in late-September.
Mexican restaurant Mi Rancho closed on Rockville Pike in September after a 10-year run when lease negotiations fell through.
A fast-casual taco restaurant (its name is not yet announced) will replace Bold Bite, which closed in August on the corner of Cordell and Norfolk avenues in Bethesda.
Rockville-based chain Silver Diner projects an early summer 2019 opening in Gaithersburg’s RIO Washingtonian Center.