Call it a baptism by fire.

Forced to put aside her ambitions and carry on her father’s legacy in a business that isn’t all that welcoming to young women, Laura Tozzo discovered something important: she’s stronger than she may have thought.
The manager of Bar Italia has upheld the hard-earned reputation of her late father and is putting her own stamp on the business.

“You really don’t know what you are capable of doing until everything is on the line,” Laura says of the insights she’s gained over the years. “I’ve learned that when push comes to shove I work hardest and best when the pressure is on and everything is riding on success or failure.”
It has not been an easy road for her.

The oldest child of ‘Naz’ Tozzo, Laura pitched in at her father’s iconic Court Street restaurant as a teenager. When she enrolled at Lakehead University, she was three semesters in before her father became ill and she had to step in to keep Bar Italia running.

“I was the only one he insisted working,” she says. “It didn’t dawn on me then but I later realized this was a compliment. I was 21 years old and I was the only one my dad trusted to operate the restaurant.”

Her father died in 2013 at the age of 56, having spent a quarter-century building a loyal clientele. Truth be told, Laura disliked the business, in part because of the demands it made on her father, and now on her.

“I wanted to get out of it so many times,” she reveals, “but I am an extremely stubborn person and have way too much pride to let something beat me.”

She arises at 6:30 a.m. and spends the morning gathering supplies to prepare for the lunch crowd. Along with overseeing a staff of 13, Laura also takes orders and prepares meals. Those long hours take a toll, so she copes by getting away every several months.

“I dedicate 70 hours a week and focus on the restaurant, which denies me extracurricular activities,” she says. “So when the opportunity presents itself, I go wherever I want, to regain peace of mind and recharge the batteries.”

She’s also keen to prove the doubters wrong. She was second-guessed when her father’s mantle fell to her, and has endured stresses common to the food service industry, including patronizing customers and unreliable help.

“It is ridiculously challenging,” she declares. “I am continuously challenged mentally, physically and emotionally to outperform the doubters.”

But she has risen to the occasion, forging a team that is “undivided and ready to go to battle with you.”

Along with offering a menu of authentic Italian meals, Laura wants to expand Bar Italia’s takeout options to include grab ’n go items. She herself aims to master other skills.

“I am a confident cook,” she confides, “but baking has never come easy to me.”

As well as keeping the business viable, Laura is pleased that younger siblings Salvatore and Gina are there with her.

“For the first time in almost 10 years, the family — my sister, brother and myself — are working together, putting all our differences aside and swallowing our pride to keep a legacy alive,” she says. “That’s the big picture.”

As for that education, she went back to school part-time and in 2012 she graduated with a degree in Business Administration.