This hidden gem in The Colony could be one of North Texas’ best-kept secrets. Ollio Patisserie doesn’t appear to have much of a presence on Google, social media or even among local Yelpers. Maybe it’s a side effect of being a small business tucked away in the suburbs. But the more likely explanation is that locals have just done a really great job at gate-keeping their favorite morning-time pastries.

Ollio started out as a small farmers’ market booth at the Frisco Fresh Market in 2019. It’s the brainchild of Sri Lankan-American Golda Sumpon, who left her full-time IT job to pursue her lifelong passion for baking pastries. The booth started off with a limited menu of croissants, macarons and other French pastries. But hundreds of local petitions and long lines later, Sumpon racked up the courage to open her own brick-and-mortar storefront in The Colony. We first made a visit when Ollio opened its doors to the public in June 2021. Almost two years later, we checked back in. It was no surprise to us that the lines haven’t disappeared.

Scents of baking pastry dough, caramelized butter and freshly whipped creams engulf you as you enter the store. That classic bakery smell is something that Sumpon takes pride in. “Everything is made from scratch here in the bakery,” she says. "From our fillings to our pastry dough, all our ingredients are made in-house. That’s what makes it smell — and taste — so good.”

The standard pastry menu hasn’t changed either. The classic almond croissants that Ollio is known for still line the bakery's shelves, stuffed generously with an almond cream filling and topped with crunchy sliced almonds. Ollio’s colorful macarons have also remained a menu signature, filled with a light buttercream in flavors like lemon, pistachio and chocolate.

But much on the menu has evolved. The popularity of her signature almond croissant, for example, recently pushed Sumpon to get creative with the standard recipe. Ollio now serves different iterations of the customer favorite, including both berry-cream and chocolate-flavored spins on the classic almond.

She also added savory flavors to the croissant selection, hoping to capture the palates of customers without a big sweet tooth. Sun-dried tomato, spinach and ham are just some of the specialty ingredients that you can now find baked into Ollio’s buttery croissants.

“It’s been a learning curve,” Sumpon admits. “I’ve really made the effort to talk to more customers, so I can get their input and see what people like. I think it’s definitely working.”

Sumpon tells us Ollio’s lines have only gotten longer since opening. Especially during 8 a.m. rush hour, you might find yourself in a line of hungry patrons, all aching for a bite of Sumpon’s flaky croissants or a lick of her signature macaron filling. The lines are no surprise. Pastries are filled with not only fresh fruit compotes and Chantilly creams, but a whole lot of passion too.

“This is my calling,” Sumpon says. “Honestly, I’m putting more hours into this than I did in my corporate job.”

But it’s clear that she’s content where she is. “Not once do I regret choosing this passion over IT. This isn’t just about me anymore. My husband, my family, and even my three kids are really involved in the bakery. It’s turned into a real family business in the truest sense of the word. And I love every day of it.”

Ollio Patisserie, 7552 Main St., The Colony. Tuesday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.