Our Story
Located in the heart of Old Town, Leander, Casa Costa is in a beautiful, remodeled 1930 house, or “casa”. We offer original, homemade recipes from our multi-cultural family from the United States, Portugal, and Brazil.
We also offer a large variety of coffees, specialty drinks, cakes, and good eats, using only the freshest ingredients available. We want to welcome you, our extended family and friends, to our Casa!
The name “Costa” is our Portuguese family name. Since we are a family-owned and operated business, we chose our family name for our business name in honor of U.S. Army Major George M. Costa, Katie’s father, and Donna’s husband. George was born on the island of Terceira in the Azores, Portugal, and immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of 13. He has instilled in all our family a genuine pride and love for our Portuguese heritage and culture – especially the food!
We LOVE baking and cooking for you, and we hope you enjoy your dining experience in the Costa Family home! Bom Apetito!
Bios
Katie Costa Fujita has had a love for food since childhood – always eager to try new things. Her experience with baking began while baking holiday sweets with her mother. As she grew older, she began tweaking recipe after recipe and soon discovered she had a passion for baking. She attended Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Art in Austin, Texas, and received her degree in Pastry Arts in 2010. Shortly after, she and Donna (her mother) started a home-based business “Sweeten Up Bake Shop”. After seven years, the business (and Katie’s kitchen) were bursting at the seams! They bought this property, renovated it, and expanded their business from their little home kitchen to a dine-in, store-front bakeshop. Katie’s favorite menu dessert is their Oatmeal Crème Pie.
Donna Costa grew up in Southern Illinois on southern cooking – plenty of bacon grease and pork fat – with a spot of English on the side! She brings a love of family and a love of cooking to the bakery. She and her husband, George, traveled to the Azores, Portugal, and Brazil many times to visit family. After returning home each time, they worked together in the kitchen to recreate their favorite dishes. They eventually created a cookbook for their six children, “Tradiçao”, a compilation of gastronomic delights (family recipes) mixed with stories of George’s recollections and Portuguese family traditions. Studying under George's tias, Donna learned to make the traditional Portuguese dishes that he grew up enjoying. Donna loves chocolate and her favorite dessert is the Brigadeiro Torte, an indescribably decadent chocolate concoction from Brazil.