Gelato Festival Announces Its First Flagship Store in Los Angeles

On 17 September 2019, Gelato Festival announced its first permanent flagship store at 8906 Melrose Ave in West Hollywood, ahead of its first LA-based festival on 28 and 29 September at the Pacific Design Center. The multi-room, whimsically decorated space was billed as unlike any other gelato or ice cream store in the country.

What the store offers

• A rotating menu of award-winning artisan gelato flavours and gelato confections created by master gelato chefs from around the world.
• An open-concept lab with state-of-the-art machinery, where customers can watch gelato being made fresh daily.
• A classroom for regular, interactive gelato and coffee workshops open to the public, also available for private events.
• A museum area telling the story of gelato’s roots and of Bernardo Buontalenti, who first created gelato in 16th-century Florence, alongside contemporary art installations.
• Community events, including visits by award-winning gelato chefs, kids’ juries and all-you-can-eat gelato challenges.

The idea behind it

Gelato Festival was born in Florence in 2010 on the belief that gelato is a universal symbol of happiness. Over its first ten years it has staged more than 100 festivals worldwide, with over 3,000 gelato chefs competing with original flavours. Visitors taste the competing flavours, vote for a favourite and watch chefs at work in the world’s largest frozen dessert laboratory on wheels.

The flagship gives that spirit a permanent home and serves as an innovation hub, regularly bringing in top chefs from the festival network to experiment with new flavours using the best local ingredients.

Gabriele Poli, Founder and President of Gelato Festival, said he grew up with a passion for gelato as a native Florentine and wanted to share it with the world. He noted that there are still very few true gelato stores in the US, and that the festival wants to help change that and raise the bar for the whole industry. The store was due to open daily with special weekly events, with details at gelatofestival.com/store and festival tickets at gelatofestival.com.

What this means for gelato makers in Australia

A lab where customers watch gelato being made is a concept any gelateria can borrow. Majors Group can help you plan a visible production area with Carpigiani gelato machines and a showcase of ISA display cabinets. Our gelato shop guide is a good place to start.

Source: Carpigiani news. Rewritten for Australia by Majors Group.