Perched near the edge of downtown St. Joseph’s bluff with its creamy yellow façade and striped awnings, Caffe Tosi is an iconic spot with a Bit O’ Something for everyone.
Since its opening in 1993, the rustic Italian eatery at 516 Pleasant Street has evolved from a coffee shop with food into a hybrid café, bake shop, deli and full-blown restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Perhaps that is why, as Caffe Tosi approaches its 30-year anniversary this summer, longtime owner Anne Reitz says the store is still growing.
“We’ve never had a down year,” said Reitz, who took over as owner in March 1998. “We’re continuing on the incline. … There’s been a lot of changes, both controllable and uncontrollable, but we made it.”
On any given summer day, the line at Caffe Tosi is out the door – but Reitz said it hasn’t all been sunshine. Some of the biggest hurdles were the COVID-19 pandemic and 9/11.
“Tourism was down and people weren’t coming to St. Joe or traveling at all,” Reitz said. “But you adapt. We’ve stuck to it and kept our nose to the grindstone. … When COVID hit, we remodeled, we ramped up our marketing and social media, we implemented delivery. We did whatever we had to do and we grew.”
Reitz also credits St. Joseph Today for continuously supporting local businesses and bringing people into town year-round.
“St. Joe Today has seen some directors change, and I think right now we’re settled into the best we’ve ever had,” she said. “We get the support, the funding and the outreach. St. Joseph today members aren’t just from St. Joe. They come from neighboring cities – Stevensville, Benton Harbor – so that influx of interest has really boosted our tourism.”
When events like Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff bring in artists from all over the country, Caffe Tosi is uniquely positioned to thrive.
“Our type of food establishment lends itself to the arts because we take pride in creating the dishes, plating the dishes and using awesome ingredients,” Reitz said. “The art fans, and almost every artist on the bluff comes in and dines during the weekend.”
Caffe Tosi scratch-makes most of their menu, but they also bring in some tried-and-true southwest Michigan staples, including fresh-baked breads, pastries and desserts daily from Bit O’ Swiss, minestrone soup from Tosi’s Restaurant and coffee from Infusco Coffee Roasters.
“My philosophy is it’s good to keep quality products in distribution,” Reitz said. “And we like to keep it local.”
Reitz, who also owns the Wally & Gertz at Silver Beach, has lived in southwest Michigan since she was four years old, and has a deep love of southwest Michigan.
“This is my stomping grounds,” she said. “I like the change of seasons. I like the ease of life. We have the beach you can unwind and relax, and I love this community. … I mean, somebody last year came in and said, ‘oh my gosh, you’re so lucky to live here. This is like The Hamptons.’ I never thought of it that way. Here’s your little community, here’s the beach steps away, and there’s a lot of things to do.”
Between Caffe Tosi and the Silver Beach concession stand, Reitz said she stays busy, but that’s the way she likes it. As for the future of Caffe Tosi, she said she once thought the business would be passed off to her children, but they have since moved away.
“I’ve often thought about what my long-term plans are,” Reitz said. “I think I’m just going to ride it until the wheels fall off. I don’t see myself stopping.”
Photos and story by Ryan Yuenger
ryany@wsjm.com
