DINING FEATURE
THREE DISHES TO TRY
The Tosca Salad ($14) consists of spring mix, burrata cheese, olives and prosciutto with other ingredients.
Owner Maya Sretenovic Schiavo (left) and store manager Romina Marchisio (right) operate Tosca Italian Gourmet on Borough Park Drive. (Photos by Andrew Christman/Community Impact Newspaper)
Tosca Italian Gourmet Recently opened location brings taste of Italy to The Woodlands area A fter moving to The Woodlands from Italy over The focaccia sandwiches at Tosca Italian Gourmet are one of the restaurant’s focuses, which Sretenovic Schiavo said is a traditional o ering in Italy. BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN
The arezzo focaccia sandwich ($15) is made with focaccia bread, prosciutto san daniele, tru e cream and arugula.
two years ago, Tosca Italian Gourmet owner Maya Sretenovic Schiavo said she wanted a way to enjoy the tastes she was familiar with and had trouble nding at the time. 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 o ers a variety of Italian breads, pastries, sandwiches and pastas, which Sretenovic Schiavo and Marchisio said are repre- sentative of the di erent regions of Italy the sta originates from. Marchisio said when preparing the focaccia bread, which is either sold by itself or used to make sand- wiches, 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.
Sretenovic Schiavo and Marchisio added they have made some tweaks to their o erings 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 rst 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 o er four-course meals focusing on the di er- ing 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 ngers or biscotti. Sretenovic Schiavo said for the rst 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 o ering the tradi- tional liquors that can be found across Italy. Looking ahead to future possibilities, Sretenovic Schiavo and Marchisio said they would like to even- tually 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.
Pastry items (prices vary) include lled croissants, stu ed morning buns and cannoli siciliani.
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.
BOROUGH PARK DR.
45
SAWDUST RD.
N
43
THE WOODLANDS EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022
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