Toffee to Go founders Lisa and Jim Schalk have some good news for locals with a sweet tooth: The confectionary’s South Tampa retail location — where custom toffee samples and gift boxes remain on hand — now features The Dessert Spot, a dessert café launched in October and led by their daughter and general manager Courtney Schalk.
According to a statement from Courtney, who remembers waking up to the smell of fresh toffee as a kid, she and her parents are excited to further expand the 15-year-old family business.
“We’re thrilled to give Tampa a distinctive dessert café that brings people together over delicious local creations,” Courtney said. “We hope to create a popular meeting spot, fun date-night destination and after-school treat — a place where everyone feels welcome.”
Homegrown brands like Kahwa Coffee and Mike’s Pies are offered at the new café, as is a rotating lineup of specialty sweets from pastry chef Sharon Nasrallah (think cookies, cakes, pies and pastries). Some of the menu items even incorporate the Schalks’ small-batch products, including the milk chocolate almond toffee cheesecake with a brownie crust, toffee coffee cake, and Working Cow Ice Cream’s three signature Toffee to Go flavors.
The Dessert Spot plans to host a number of community events, too — among them a three-course dessert menu once a month and in-house tastings. Its hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
