Ovenbird Bakery is coming to The Rotunda.
Baker Keiller Kyle joined with MCB Real Estate to announce that he has selected The Rotunda at 711 W. 40th Street to be the location for his third Baltimore-area bake shop and café. A soft opening is set for this weekend, and the official opening will be on July 23. Other locations are in Little Italy and Highlandtown.
The Ovenbird concept specializes in artisan bread and pastries including European-style sourdough breads and items infused with spices from Turkey and other ingredients that can’t be replicated locally.
Its baked goods include rye and whole wheat sourdough breads, Italian Baton, focaccia, croissants, bagels scones and cookies. For lunchtime customers, Ovenbird Bakery serves turkey and Havarti and three-cheese grilled sandwiches; ham, brie, and fig jam on a baguette; caprese on ciabatta; as well as traditional breakfast sandwich items and Turkish-style beverages.
Kyle, a conservation biologist-turned baker, opened his first Ovenbird Bakery location at 300 S. Exeter St. in Little Italy in 2020 and followed that with a 9,000-square-foot production facility and commissary at 3925 Gough St. in Highlandtown. He said in this week’s announcement that “I had my eyes on the Hampden area for quite some time,” noting that the Rotunda location provides access to a cross-section of residents and employees from Hampden, Homewood, Roland Park and Ruxton while attracting college students, young couples and senior citizens. The bakery is leasing a 1,204-square-foot space.
Kyle said he learned during the COVID-19 pandemic the importance of making multiple connections in the bakery business and meeting fellow home bakers who were experimenting with the process. He said he “is more than happy to distribute free sourdough starter to anyone who asks, because that is the most difficult thing to master. Fueling interest in breadmaking locally is always a good thing.”
Owned and operated by an affiliate of MCB Real Estate, The Rotunda features more than 150,000 square feet of retail space and nearly 140,000 square feet of commercial office space; nearly 380 apartments; a parking garage and surface parking spaces. Anchor tenants include Mom’s Organic Market, Brick Bodies and Warehouse Cinema. Within a five-mile radius, the daytime population is nearly 672,000 people and the residential population approaches 300,000.
“Fresh baked goods put smiles on people’s faces, and who can resist the perfect pastry or piece of bread?” said Erik Ylitalo, Senior Managing Director, Leasing, MCB Real Estate, in a statement.
“We love Kyle’s backstory and passion, but more importantly, he has demonstrated the ability to build a successful business from scratch and mold it into a community treasure with a loyal following,” he said. “Locally owned and operated retailers and restaurants bring differentiation to mixed-use venues, and this helps fulfill our mission of creating unique shopping and dining experiences for our target audiences.”
