Everyone’s favorite chocolate-themed restaurant is expanding and opening a commercial bakery in Sterling. The Conche Cake & Chocolate Studio is coming to Davis Drive where it will have a retail bakery as well as hold classes on making chocolates, cakes and other desserts.
The new endeavor is coming from Santosh Tiptur, the same restauranteur behind The Conche, an upscale restaurant at the Village at Leesburg that incorporates chocolate into many of its dishes.
Tiptur also owns La Prensa, a tacos and Spanish tapas restaurant off Nokes Boulevard in Sterling.
We’re told chocolates and cakes will continue to be made at The Conche, but they have outgrown the facilities there for their wholesale production. The Conche provides sweets to many clients — including retailers, wineries, breweries, and hotels.
Most of the cake and chocolate making classes that have been held at The Conche in Leesburg will be moving to the new studio as well.
The Conche Cake & Chocolate Studio is taking over a 3,500 s.f. space located at 22446 Davis Drive that used to be Sweet Signatures, another gourmet chocolates and sweets retailer. Today is the last day in business for Sweet Signatures.
Tiptur’s businesses have a lot going on besides the new bakery. His La Prensa restaurant is expanding its hours on Fridays and Saturdays, with the addition of late night cocktails and salsa dancing.
Meanwhile, The Conche’s executive pastry chef, Kathleen Faliskie, is currently a contestant on the Spring Baking Championship, a baking competition program on the Food Network cable channel.