Little Red Fox has gained a reputation for its housemade pies and other baked goods. But with a tiny 400-square-foot kitchen, the baking team constantly struggled to find space in the ovens or room for ingredients in the single walk-in fridge.
Now, with the debut of Sugar Fox, they have a lot more room to ease production and expand their offerings. The sweets shop, which is a couple doors down on Connecticut Avenue, comes from couple Jena and Matt Carr (a former Washingtonian intern). It opens Saturday, March 16, with an array of ice creams, cakes, and other goodies. The new kitchen will also help supply Little Red Fox with items that weren’t previously made in-house, such as jams, quiches, and, eventually, breads (including ciabatta for sandwiches).
Head baker Lauren Parlato, who was pastry chef at Tosca before joining at Little Red Fox five years ago, will offer daily options such as cupcakes, mini sheet cakes, and sheet cake slices (in flavors like vanilla with strawberry buttercream or chocolate with brown-butter frosting). Beginning next week, custom cakes can be ordered online or in-store with 72 hours notice.
Some of the baked goods will make their way into Sugar Fox’s rotating lineup of ice creams, including peach pie and milk-and-brownies. (All the ice creams are made with dairy from Maryland’s South Mountain Creamery.) Beyond chocolate and vanilla staples, other flavors include mint chip packed with fresh mint leaves and lemon sorbet with candied hibiscus. Any of the ice creams can be transformed into a milkshake or malt. Vegans or dairy-free customers can try a blend of chocolate sorbet with oat milk.
The new spot also means that Little Red Fox’s kitchen will be freed up to expand its plated dinner menu as well as the hours that sandwiches are sold. Of course, if you want pies and pastries, you can still get those too.
Sugar Fox. 5027 Connecticut Ave., NW. Open Thursday through Sunday from noon through 9 PM.
Correction: The initial version of this story misspelled Jena Carr’s name.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
