By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Last week, The Toast, of Canastota, announced its plans to relocate from its current location on 139 S. Peterboro St. to the Theophilus Cazenove building at 126 Nelson St. in the Cazenovia Market development.
The Toast is a restaurant and bakery owned and operated by mother-daughter team Tonya Duffy and Kylie Gunnip.
“We opened five years ago serving breakfast and lunch,” Gunnip said. “After a couple of years we started to explore baking and fell in love. We now consider ourselves a small batch bakery. We make everything from scratch and bake fresh daily.”
In addition to a variety of pastries, Duffy and Gunnip continue to offer a number of breakfast and lunch options, including specialty coffees, smoothies, fresh juices, eggs, pasta, burgers, sandwiches and soups.
Having outgrown their current kitchen and baking facilities, The Toast owners began searching for a suitable place to grow.
“We were looking for new locations and this spot seemed right,” Gunnip said. “We will be offering a larger selection of pastries, including some new ones, and breakfast sandwiches daily.”
According to Louis Muraco, of Marketplace Partners RT 20, LLC, the lease was executed on July 23.
“[It] was executed through my sister Alexis, [who] works in our commercial leasing and development division,” Muraco said. “Alexis was persistent in her efforts with The Toast to get this deal done . . . My sister has a passion for baking and loves eating at The Toast herself.”
Formed in 2018 by Muraco and his father, David, Marketplace Partners RT 20, LLC is the developer and owner of both the Theophilus Cazenove building and the ALDI grocery store next door.
David is the founder and president of Empire Management of CNY, Inc. — a real estate development firm that specialized in “the redevelopment of vacant, abandoned, or underutilized land and buildings.” Muraco oversees the firm’s commercial division.
Opened last fall, the mixed-use Theophilus Cazenove building features two first floor retail spaces, 12 luxury apartments, a first floor community room, a main lobby with mailboxes, and a three-story elevator.
“Not only will this tenant be able to serve the 12 apartments on the upstairs residential portion of this building, but also the community,” said Muraco. “Furthermore, there is future development planned to the rear of this property, totaling 48 more apartments, [whose occupants] will be able to walk down to eat at or get take out from [the] restaurant . . .”
The Toast will occupy a space measuring approximately 2,200 square feet.
“Our collective goal for the space is to keep a rustic, artsy feel, even though the space is obviously brand new,” Muraco said.
According to Muraco, original artwork produced and sold by the restaurant owners’ family will be displayed one the walls.
The front register, bakery cases, and seating will be positioned towards the front of the space, with views facing east. Seating will also be available along the windows on the south side of the building. All of the kitchen and prep areas will be located toward the back of the building.
“Eventually, since we are approved for a drive thru overhang on this side of the building, we are talking about adding outdoor seating and a lounge area . . .” Muraco said. “The outdoor area currently houses tables and outdoor lounging furniture for the upstairs residential tenants to use at their leisure. This is likely a 2021 project.”
The Toast owners plan to vacate their Canastota location in October and move into the new spot shortly after. For now, business will continue as usual.
“Though we can’t wait to get started, we will always cherish and appreciate our time in Canastota,” the owners wrote in an Aug. 11 Facebook post. “Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us the past five years. We hope to continue to see you until closing and then afterwards at our new space.”
For more information on The Toast, visit toastcanastota.com or facebook.com/toastcanastota.
To learn more about Empire Management of CNY, Inc., visit empiremgtco.com/residential-properties.
