New pizzeria planned for Boonsboro, Real Deal to reopen next month in downtown Hagerstown
A new restaurant is coming to Boonsboro, and a downtown Hagerstown eatery now closed for renovations will reopen next month — with a new menu item.
The Washington County Board of License Commissioners, also known as the liquor board, gave conditional approval to transferring a Class B restaurant license to Paula D. Guzman Sanchez, who with her husband Jeovani will open Jeovani's Pizzeria at the site of the former Vesta Pizzeria on South Main Street in Boonsboro.
Vesta, owned by the family of author Nora Roberts, was heavily damaged by a fire in 2021. Her husband, Bruce Wilder, held the Class B license for that establishment. The license will be transferred to Sanchez once paperwork is complete.
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In addition to pizza, Jeovani's will offer other Italian dishes including pasta, subs and salads, the Sanchezes told Herald-Mail Media. It will be family-owned and family-friendly, Paula Sanchez said.
Jeovani Sanchez said the restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
He hopes to employ 12 to 15 people, he said.
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And if you're missing your Jamaican food fix while The Real Deal in downtown Hagerstown is closed for renovation, never fear — owner Karen Simon anticipates reopening in March. And this time, you can order a drink.
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The liquor board conditionally approved a Class B license for The Real Deal, contingent on inspections once the renovation is complete. Simon said she expects renovation to be finished next month.
She's been operating the restaurant at 71 W. Franklin St. for nearly six years. And it's been attracting people from all over, she said.
"I have people come from West Virginia, Virginia and Cumberland (Md.), Frederick (Md.)" she said. And she sought the liquor license because customers frequently ask for beer or wine.
"So after people telling me this for like five years, I'm like, 'Let's do this.'"
She learned to cook as a child in Jamaica, she said.
"In the Carribean, we learned to cook at an early age," she said, and for Simon, that was age 8.
Jerk chicken is her favorite item on the menu, she added, but "oxtail is like my No. 1 seller," she told the board.
"What is it?" queried board Chairman Jeff Buczkowski.
"It's actually the tail of the cow," she replied.
Board members considered that for a few minutes.
"Listen, don't knock it until you try it," she said, cautioning them not to dwell on "where it comes from or what it is. Once you taste it, I'm tellin' you, it's awesome."
Commissioner Richard Newman still wasn't sure.
"It's all about the geography there," he quipped.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Liquor board backs licenses for Boonsboro pizzeria, Hagerstown eatery
