In December 2021, she opened Tosca Italian Gourmet with the help of her store manager Romina Marchisio to do just that.
Sretenovic Schiavo said her restaurant brings together a variety of traditional regional Italian meals while adding a twist on local classics for breakfast, lunch and dinner services.
“In Italy, everything is about food,” she said.
Keeping it traditional
Marchisio said the recipes at Tosca Italian Gourmet respect the traditions of Italy, including by using an Italian supplier to obtain ingredients.
Sretenovic Schiavo said the way she prepares food for guests is the same way that she cooks for her own family.
“We do the best we can with the best ingredients,” Sretenovic Schiavo said. “We put all of our hearts into it and take the time we need.”
Tosca Italian Gourmet offers a variety of Italian breads, pastries, sandwiches and pastas, which Sretenovic Schiavo and Marchisio said are representative of the different regions of Italy the staff originates from.
Marchisio said when preparing the focaccia bread, which is either sold by itself or used to make sandwiches, it takes a full 24 hours to be made properly.
“We like to have a meeting point of everyone’s [experiences] here,” Sretenovic Schiavo said.
The focaccia sandwiches at Tosca Italian Gourmet are one of the restaurant’s focuses, which Sretenovic Schiavo said is a traditional offering in Italy.
Sretenovic Schiavo and Marchisio added they have made some tweaks to their offerings since opening, including adding breakfast items such as cinnamon rolls. The rolls are made with the owner’s own twist by using the same dough as the croissants.
Both Sretenovic Schiavo and Marchisio said they were surprised by the reception that The Woodlands has given them within their first year of operating.
“It was wonderful,” Sretenovic Schiavo said. “It was a surprise; we did not expect it.”
Expanding options
For guests wanting a traditional Italian dinner, Tosca Italian Gourmet hosts dinner night events, which offer four-course meals focusing on the differing regions of Italy. The August dinner featured meals from Tuscany, such as an appetizer of coccoli—made with fried pizza dough—prosciutto and stracchino cheese as well as the tomato bread soup chicken alla cacciatora and a vin santo cantucci dessert, which resembles lady fingers or biscotti.
Sretenovic Schiavo said for the first two years of operation, Tosca Italian Gourmet will be selling wine and beer for alcoholic beverages, but once the liquor license is approved, it will begin offering the traditional liquors that can be found across Italy.
Looking ahead to future possibilities, Sretenovic Schiavo and Marchisio said they would like to eventually expand the restaurant’s presence into a second location closer to the center of The Woodlands, such as Market Street, to be more accessible to people living in the area.
Tosca Italian Gourmet
25227 Borough Park Drive, Spring
346-331-2882
www.toscaitaliangourmet.com
Hours: Mon. 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Tue.-Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
