About Giancarlo Fine European Pastries
Giancarlo Fine European Pastries is a two-person operation run by pastry chef Giancarlo and his wife, Jane, from a small kitchen and retail room behind their home on Austin Avenue in Staunton. Giancarlo was born in Lumezzane in northern Italy and came to the United States in 1971 to apprentice with his uncle, a Swiss pastry chef in Lynchburg. He later worked as a pastry chef at The Homestead in Hot Springs and as executive pastry chef at Keswick Hall, and he and Jane ran a cafe on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall starting in 1987. The Staunton shop opened in the spring of 1998.
The retail room is open only two days a week, Friday and Saturday, so plan the stop around that. The case holds the week's desserts, classic tarts and cakes, Danish pastry, cocktail pastries, fine chocolates and specialty breads. Holiday specialties appear late in the year, and custom cakes and other orders can be picked up on other days by appointment.
Wedding cakes and custom desserts are a large part of the business, and the website has pages on wedding cake planning and pastry classes for anyone who wants to ask. Finding the door is part of the visit: use the gravel lane behind the house, known as Pastry Lane, and look for the red and white awning over the back door.
White Oak Lavender Farm in Rockingham County is about 19 miles north, roughly a half-hour drive on I-81. Pick up pastries on a Friday or Saturday morning and head north for the farm's gardens, butterfly house and lavender shop.
What to do
- Buy classic tarts, cakes and Danish pastry on a Friday or Saturday
- Pick out fine chocolates or cocktail pastries to take home
- Order a custom cake or wedding cake ahead and arrange a pickup
- Look for holiday specialties late in the year
- Ask about pastry classes listed on their website
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Retail room open year-round on Fridays and Saturdays; holiday specialties late in the year
- Hours
- Friday 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; custom-order pickups other days by appointment (posted on their website, checked October 2026)
Good to know
- Reservations
- Walk-in
Tips for your visit
- Enter from the gravel lane behind the house and look for the red and white awning over the back door
- The shop is open only Friday and Saturday, so plan your Staunton visit around those days
- Call (540) 885-8919 ahead for custom cakes or larger orders
Pair it with a lavender farm
White Oak Lavender Farm · about 30 minutes away
White Oak Lavender Farm is about a half-hour north on I-81, a good afternoon after a Friday or Saturday pastry stop in Staunton.
Getting there
Questions
When is Giancarlo's open?
The retail room opens Friday from 9 a.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; custom orders can be picked up other days by appointment.
How do I find the entrance?
Take the gravel lane behind 117 Austin Ave and look for the red and white awning over the back door.
Do they make wedding cakes?
Yes. Wedding cakes and custom desserts are a main part of the business.
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
