Osman Soysalan was educated in finance and accounting, but cooking is his passion. He worked in a Turkish bakery for seven years, but his pastry making is mostly self-taught, and it's summa cum laude . Soysalan opened European Gourmet Bakery in September 2003 in Leesburg, not far from the outlet mall. The bakery has a small selection of European specialty items, a wide selection of sandwiches, a Mediterranean salad bar and grilled Mediterranean foods such as kebabs and chicken as dinnertime specials. Everything is made from scratch daily. The pastries -- from the napoleons to the croissants to the cupcakes to the eclairs and especially the Bavarian mousse cakes -- are the best reasons to seek out Soysalan's storefront. I chose his wife's favorite, the chocolate hazelnut mousse cake. "It's the one she always asks me to bring home when we are having company," Soysalan said. The layers were moist and rich; the mousse filling was light and delicious. It was a delight.

--Nancy Lewis (April 27, 2006)