The Pasticceria Tommasini Caffetteria is tucked away in the Emilia-Romagna area of northern Italy, in the little seaside town of Riccione. In the family’s hometown, the bakery was established more than 30 years ago. The parents own two of its three locations in the same area, while their son Francesco owns the third. The F-7 Markaz in Islamabad is home to their first franchise.
It took a long time for Omer Chaudhry, the barista-chef-entrepreneur, to persuade the family to let him open a franchise in Pakistan because they are quite picky about the caliber and reputation of Pasticceria Tommasini. “I had to persuade the Tommasinis, starting with their grandmother and working my way up to the father and mother, over the course of six months and five trips to Riccione, Italy.”
