Even though many speculate the first Così to be a New Yorker, it's actually French. And the story of its origin goes a little something like this.

Young and wide-eyed, New Zealand-born Drew Harré left his home country to travel the world. His adventures eventually brought him to Paris where Drew became inspired by the sandwiches of Parisian cafes, which instilled in him the desire to top them all.

His quest for the perfect sandwich landed Drew in Italy where he learned the crafty recipe behind Così flatbread from a small, family-owned bakery in Rome. After his apprenticeship with the Italian bakers using a large hearth oven he returned to Paris. He quickly opened a cafe on the Left Bank and named it after his favorite opera, 'Così Fan Tutte'.

It wasn't long before a pair of young travelers, like so many other Americans, fell in love with Drew's cafe in Paris. So, these two brothers brought the concept and flatbread recipe stateside to share with the rest of us.

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At the heart of Cosi, baking throughout each day in hearth ovens across the country, is our crackly-crust flatbread. It's the fresh baked smell when you walk through our doors. It's the warm foundation to our Sandwiches and Pizzas, as well as perfect company to our Salads.

The passion behind our flatbread is what carried the recipe from Italy to France and the U.S. That passion hasn't wavered. Our skilled bakers take pride in the process of making the best flatbread around (no, really, they're very competitive). It's not an easy task and they rise to the challenge of preparing the bread just right, every day.

Our flatbread is a reason guests keep coming back (sometimes just for the free samples).