For Tara Vittoria, opening Cousin’s Kolaches wasn’t simply about introducing a delicious new food to Lake County.

Bringing kolaches (pronounced kuh-LAH-chee) to Tavares was about sharing a piece of her childhood, creating a place where people feel welcome and building a business that gives back to the community she loves.

Cousin’s Kolaches specializes in kolaches, a Czech pastry made with soft, slightly sweet yeast dough that can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients. While kolaches are common throughout Texas, where Tara was born, many Floridians are now discovering them for the first time.

That’s exactly what Tara hoped would happen.

The restaurant business has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. At just 11 years old, she began working at her father Vincent ‘Vinnie’ Vittoria’s restaurant, Cousin Vinnie’s Family Sports Restaurant, which he sold in 2021. 

She learned nearly every aspect of the business: bussing tables, answering phones, serving customers and managing operations.

Watching her father build a successful family business inspired her.

“I want to follow in your footsteps, dad,” Tara says she told her father after years of working at Cousin Vinnie’s.

Years later, while pregnant with her second son, Tara found herself craving kolaches constantly. After one of her favorite local sources stopped carrying them, a search for authentic kolaches eventually led her family to a shop in Merritt Island. The owners welcomed them, trained them and helped turn Tara’s dream of opening her own place into reality.

Finding the right location took time, but once they secured a spot in Tavares, Tara and her father transformed the space from the ground up, designing a kitchen and purchasing equipment built specifically for making fresh kolaches, donuts and breakfast items each day.

Today, customers can choose from fruit-filled or Texas-style savory kolaches and a growing list of creative specialties.

During a recent visit, Chief Photographer Nicole Hamel and I sampled our way through a generous portion of the menu.

The sausage and gravy kolache delivered all the comfort of a southern breakfast item wrapped inside soft, buttery dough and the sausage jalapeño & cheese kolache featured what may be one of the best sausages we’ve ever tasted paired with just enough spice.

My favorite, however, was the chicken enchilada kolache.
The saucy mixture inside was rich and flavorful, but not spicy. I also enjoyed a bacon, egg, cheese and potato burrito but could only eat half because it was so stuffed with goodness.  

Nicole, who’s allergic to eggs, tried a ham and cheese croissant, and though simple and to the point, it offered another satisfying breakfast option.

For dessert, we sampled a lemon and cream cheese kolache, a Boston cream special kolache drizzled with chocolate and an apple fritter that was Nicole’s favorite bite of the day.

The menu also included other breakfast burritos and sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, donuts and specialty coffee drinks. Additionally, new kolache flavors are introduced regularly, giving customers something to look forward to every few weeks.

But what stands out most about Cousin’s Kolaches isn’t what’s inside the dough.

It’s Tara’s desire to serve people.

At the end of each day, leftover donuts are donated to schools, hospitals, first responders and community organizations. Tara welcomes opportunities to help wherever she can. The shop regularly supports fundraisers and local causes.

So while the kolaches may bring customers through the door, it’s the heart behind them that keeps people coming back.

“We’ve created a niche in the community and once people come and try what we have to offer, they’re hooked,” Tara says. “We see some customers multiple times a week because they just want more and we love getting to know them.” 

Photos: Nicole Hamel