Our Story

Established in 2009, working as a family since 1965.

The Beginning

Tough Times

Opportunity Knocks

The Shield

Avalanche Expands

The Beginning

Mama, Graziella, and Papa, Giovanni, met in grade school on the southern coast of Sicily. They married in 1965 and Joe was born in 1966. When Joe was six months old, he and his mother joined his father and uncles in Brooklyn where they had recently opened a restaurant. John was born in Brooklyn in 1970. The Rosas moved to Texas in 1971 to open a flying pizza restaurant in Houston and Ricky was born there in 1975.

Mama and Papa Rosa opened another flying pizza parlor, La Rosa Flying Pizza, in Bellaire in 1976, La Rosa Ristorante in Sugar Land in 1983 and Pappa La Rosa Italian Restaurant on Westheimer in 1988, the last of which served guests for 18 years. Joe, John and Ricky literally grew up in their family’s restaurants doing homework at a corner table and reconfiguring flour sacks in the stockroom for a game of house or war, depending on the mood. Before long they were washing dishes and eventually waiting tables and working in the kitchen.

Tough Times

The lessons Mama and Papa Rosa imparted to the brothers – don’t buy things with money you don’t have, work hard and live below your means – became all the more valuable when La Rosa Ristorante was forced to close as a result of the 1980s oil bust. It was during these two years before they were able to open Pappa La Rosa, that laid the foundation for the Rosa brothers’ values that they still uphold today.

Mama and Papa Rosa moved the freezers from the closed restaurant to their house and the contents were the family’s meals for the next two years. True to their values, the family pulled together and did what was needed to make ends meet. Joe began selling real estate and 16 year old John handed over the money from his job as a Fiesta Mart cashier to his parents so they could buy the necessities for the family. Even young Ricky pitched in, he and his dad starting an impromptu lawn service business in addition to the weekly garage sales the family held. The Rosa brothers clearly remember this time in their lives and, though they learned a lot from it, they vowed to do everything possible to never let it happen again.

Opportunity Knocks

Then, in 2009, the Rosa brothers separately watched the same Nightline episode on the financial success of “breastaurant” concepts. The brothers’ love of sports and of great scratch-made food was a perfect fit with Twin Peaks. The Rosa brothers visited the headquarters in Dallas, signed the first-ever Twin Peaks franchise contract four months later and opened Twin Peaks Webster in 2010.

The Shield

Like many great ideas, the first version of our values shield was sketched out on a napkin. Our coat-of-arms that represents our values serves as a shield that protects the Avalanche family both inside and outside the physical walls of our establishments. The shield remains unchanged and continues to protect our values every day.

Avalanche Expands

Following a search for just the right concept to broaden the portfolio of Avalanche Food Group, the Rosa brothers settled on Bread Zeppelin in 2020 and opened their first location in June 2021. This unique concept is a step forward in their constant evolution and they look forward to opening additional locations.

Our Mission

To consistently create memorable experiences for our guests through our commitment to providing hospitable, personalized service.

Our Vision

To execute innovative and trend-setting concepts that will excite our guests and, in turn, enhance the lives of our employees and those in our communities.

Our Community

Avalanche Food Group is committed to making a positive difference in the communities in which we live and work. We are grateful to be able to extend a helping hand not only to our Avalanche family, but the extended family of our communities.

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Our Culture

“The best thing I like about my job is how much of a family it feels like, there’s a lot of fun energy when working with the girls…I just feel safe where I am. ”

-Haley, Twin Peaks Girl