“In Italy, our bars are like cafes and are the heart of the community and the daily place where people gather to get coffee and a croissant or pastry,” Schiavo said.
What’s special about it?
With 70% of their ingredients imported from Italy, Schiavo said she would like the bakery to be a casual place that people can enjoy on a daily basis like residents do in Italy.
Though Tosca Italian Gourmet was established in The Woodlands in 2021, Schiavo said she believes Cypress can be the new The Woodlands and expects the area to flourish with new businesses and locally owned restaurants.
“I had a restaurant in Italy many years ago and wanted to bring part of our culture to the Cypress area,” Schiavo said. “We would like to eventually get to know all of our customers by name and build relationships with our neighbors.”
Barbara Coglianese, the cafe's manager, said their chefs start baking at 3 a.m. every morning, and any leftovers are donated to local businesses, hospitals and employees at the end of the day.
Coglianese said the Tosca Italian Gourmet chefs bake about 1,200 croissants a week in addition to other pastries such as cakes, cannolis and danishes. For lunch, the eatery offers pizza, meatballs, lasagna and sandwiches.
Sandwiches are made with fresh focaccia made in-house daily. The pastry shop also offers coffee from Italian brand Lavazza as well as gelato.
Along with catering services and cakes made to order, Tosca Italian Gourmet offers crowd favorite Napoleon cake, a layered flaky puff pastry made with berries and cream.
- 17823 Longenbaugh Road, Cypress
- www.toscaitaliangourmet.com
