Bakery Owned By Pharmacist Opens 1st Cafe In This County

TOWSON, MD — The idea for Towson's newest bakery started on a family vacation in New York City.

Howard County resident Raj Pingili and his family spontaneously stopped at a Paris Baguette and were impressed.

"My entire family loves the brand, it's our first choice of food and it's made fresh here everyday," Pingili told Patch in a statement. "Knowing the taste, quality and the presentation we wanted to make sure we are part of the Paris Baguette Family. Also I wanted to increase catering based on my existing contacts."

Pingili launched his own Paris Baguette franchise at 4 E. Towsontown Blvd., Suite 106 on June 14. This is the chain's third location in Maryland and its first in Baltimore County.

Pingili has spent more than a decade operating multiple pharmacies and previously served as a business market director in health and wellness for Walmart.

"I have lived and worked in this area for over 10 years," Pingili told Patch. "I wanted to continue to give back to community and there would not be anything better than bringing a Paris Baguette here."

The bakery employs 42 staffers and blends French and South Korean influences, The Baltimore Banner reported.

The Banner said Pingili, who also owns a specialty pharmacy in Howard County, will spend the summer preparing for Towson University students to return to campus. Though school is out for the summer, The Banner reported that employees still show up at 1 a.m. to bake fresh pastries daily.

"My daughter was saying, 'I think your hard work is paying off' ... That was nice to hear," Pingili, who plans to open another four or five Paris Baguette locations in Maryland, told The Banner.

Paris Baguette has more than 4,000 locations worldwide, including over 225 bakery cafés open in North America. The chain hopes to have 1,000 bakeries in North America by 2030.

Towson is just the beginning of Paris Baguette's expansion in the Old Line State.

"We currently have 18 additional cafés in development throughout Maryland," Chief Development Officer Nick Scaccio told Patch in a statement. "We're excited to continue expanding and introducing even more communities in Maryland to the Paris Baguette experience."

Paris Baguette's website lists forthcoming locations opening soon in Frederick and Bethesda. The bakery is also coming soon to the Metro Centre at Owings Mills, a real estate developer announced earlier this month.

Paris Baguette has locations already open in Germantown and Rockville.

"Maryland has been a strategic focus for Paris Baguette's growth," Scaccio said. "Demand for our neighborhood café experience continues to grow across the region."