LaBruzzo’s Sweet Oven is open in the River Market

There are cookies and there are Italian cookies: iced cucidati, those addictively good fig cookies, lightly glazed chocolate-spice balls, wedding cookies dusted with powdered sugar, crunchy biscotti.

Vicki and Carol LaBruzzo — the daughters of the late Vito LaBruzzo who operated a popular downtown restaurant from 1962 to 1983 — felt that there was a need for Kansas City to have a bake shop specializing in the dolce of Sicily and Rome, so on November 21, they opened LaBruzzo’s Sweet Oven at 520 Walnut, in half of the space formerly occupied by Hickok’s Bar & Grill.

The refrigerated display cases boast Tuscan-style pottery platters piled with traditional Italian cookies. Another case features single portions of tiramisu, pineapple cake, and a lucious apple cream concoction. There are freshly baked pecan rolls, tiny and large cannoli, and iced cinnamon rolls, too.

The LaBruzzo family has deep connections in Kansas City: a LaBruzzo cousin, Nick, operated Chubby’s diner for many years, and Carol was the owner and head baker of Kelly’s Bakery in the Historic Northeast for 16 years.

The brick building at 520 Walnut — it dates back to the earliest days of Kansas City — evokes an old-school pasticceria with its worn wooden floors, high ceilings, and the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee (the Roasterie created a blend just for the Sweet Oven). There are items that Carol LaBruzzo would like to add to the menu, but only sweet things — no savory items. And no cakes.

“I used to decorate cakes at my previous job,” Carol LaBruzzo says. “I won’t do that here.”

LaBruzzo’s Sweet Oven is currently open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.