Rosetta x Best Buddies, an Italian bakery that plans to employ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is set to open in downtown Bethesda later this year, according to a press release from the business.
Rosetta x Best Buddies will open in the former space of Pitango Gelato & Coffee at 4901 Fairmont Ave. in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. Pitango closed in September after four years at the location. The release did not provide an opening date for the bakery.
The Bethesda bakery is a collaboration between two Miami-based entities, Rosetta Bakery, which operates 13 other Italian bakeries in Florida, New York and New Jersey, and Best Buddies International, an organization focused on enhancing the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to the release.
Rosetta x Best Buddies is the second business in downtown Bethesda with plans to open an eatery in collaboration with Best Buddies International. In March, Max’s Best Ice Cream, which is co-owned by Bethesda resident Cory Alexander and Best Buddies International, announced it would open in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood in early summer. Alexander is also a co-owner of the upcoming bakery.
As planned at Max’s Best Ice Cream, Best Buddies International – founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver who grew up in Potomac – will host its Best Buddies Jobs program at the bakery. The program’s mission focuses on providing employment opportunities to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“This partnership goes beyond delicious Italian baked goods—it’s about opening doors to meaningful employment for our Best Buddies Jobs participants in Bethesda,” Shriver said in the release. “It’s an opportunity for them to shine, contribute, and be celebrated by an incredible community that I know will embrace their talents with open arms.”
Alexander said in the release that he was “excited to bring Rosetta Bakery’s distinguished Italian traditions” to the Bethesda area.
“Together with Best Buddies, we are also able to make a difference and serve as a champion for inclusion in our local community,” he said.
Rosetta bakery serves a wide array of Italian baked goods such as focaccia, crostatina (a small baked tart or pie), bombolones (an Italian filled donut), saccottino (a chocolate-filled pastry) and various breads, according to their menu.
In addition to baked goods, the bakery will offer other items such as pizza, focaccia sandwiches, fruit tarts, cakes and tiramisu. During the holidays, Rosetta will also offer traditional Italian desserts, including panettone.
According to Alexander, the 1,600-square-foot bakery will offer indoor and outdoor seating and a lounge area. He noted that employees who participate in the Best Buddies program will make up a portion of the bakery’s workforce.
The Bethesda shop will be the second Rosetta x Best Buddies location to open. Another shop is in Miami.
