Two-time Olympian Dave Tamburrino has opened Idyll Coffee Roasters on North Avenue in East Tosa. The two-level café and onsite roastery accommodates laptop use, weekend visits, and neighborhood gatherings. Tamburrino operates the business with his wife and family, offering both a public café and a wholesale roasting operation.
Dave Tamburrino, who competed for the U.S. in the 1994 and 1998 Winter Games, retired from skating at age 25, pursued further education, and later worked in marketing before deciding to open Idyll Coffee Roasters. In an interview, he mentioned that, like skating, Idyll coffee is a team effort. According to TMJ4, the café spans two floors and has a seating capacity of approximately 246 people.
Built For Coffee And Community
Idyll Coffee Roasters emphasizes its roastery origins, with a buildout that includes a 1,000-square-foot sample roasting space, a Loring S15 Falcon for production, and a brew bar showcasing single-origin coffees, according to industry sources. The café occupies about half of a 14,000-square-foot building, offering nearly 3,700 square feet of seating across two levels. The layout also includes a cupping and training lab, as well as space for community events, as reported by Daily Coffee News.
Family Team And Local Roots
Idyll Coffee Roasters is a family-run business, with co-owners including Dave and Amy Tamburrino, along with Peter Sohnle and his wife, Karen Kurgan, who contributes decades of experience in specialty coffee. The team, in collaboration with local architects and contractors, transformed a long-vacant office building into the café and roastery. This investment is part of a larger initiative to revitalize North Avenue with more independent restaurants and shops.
From Olympic Laps To Latte Shots
Tamburrino's competitive career is well-documented. Records indicate he competed in the 1,500 meters at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer and returned to the Games in Nagano in 1998. Olympedia provides details of his Olympic appearances and personal-best times, while US Speedskating highlights his later involvement in the sport, including a development role and advisory work with Midwest clubs. Tamburrino has mentioned that the discipline of elite training helped prepare him for the challenges of running a business.
What To Expect
The café opened quietly late last year and has since attracted neighborhood visitors, thanks to its bright, sunlit seating and house-made syrups, according to reviewers. OnMilwaukee provides details on the café's hours and reports that the owners plan to host cuppings, makers' markets, and public coffee classes. Industry sources mention that the team is finalizing a training lab to support wholesale accounts. Currently, the space serves as both a local hangout and a small roastery supplying beans to nearby businesses.
Idyll offers a specialty pour-over and a non-chain work spot, with a strong focus on craftsmanship: a functioning roastery, a dedicated brewing program, and a family team behind the counter. The owners aim to make Idyll a neighborhood gathering place and are already planning events and training sessions as they expand their wholesale operations.
