Food

Dolcezza Will Close Five Gelato Shops Around DC

The gelato maker will continue to sell pints at Whole Foods and other retail locations.

Dolcezza’s pomegranate and mascarpone gelatos. Photograph by Andrew Propp.

Dolcezza’s gelato shops are the latest victims of the coronavirus pandemic. The DC-based maker will close five locations throughout the month of October, including Logan Circle, CityCenterDC, the Wharf, Dupont Circle, and Bethesda. Its shop in Fairfax’s Mosaic District—as well as Mom & Pop, the adjoining cafe—will remain open. So will the company’s coffee bar at the Hirshhorn Museum. The  business will also continue to sell pints at Whole Foods and other grocery stores.

“We have grown so tremendously over these past 16 years with Dolcezza,” wrote owners Violeta and Robb Duncan, in a letter posted on their website. “We learned the importance of local farming and being guided by the seasons. We became parents of three beautiful little girls. We had family members married from chance encounters in our shops. We hosted dinners at our factory with our chef friends. We officiated weddings and threw concerts.  Our little girl’s first job was selling pints with her grandmother at the Dupont Circle farmer’s market.”

The Duncans first started making gelato from a small kitchen in Georgetown in 2004. In the years since, they’ve become well known for highlighting seasonal ingredients and sophisticated flavors like mascarpone-and-berries or orange-honey-and-cardamom. They’ve also expanded their sales far beyond DC to Whole Foods nationwide plus an additional 1,500 grocery stores. You can also still get their pints delivered via Goldbelly or locally through Number 1 Sons.

Robb Duncan did not immediately respond to a request for further comment, but we’ll update this story when we hear back.

Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

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.