Pizza Today - June 2021 - 47

T

here is something irresistible
about gelato. Maybe it's the
smooth, soft and creamy flavor
or that it doesn't leave your
palate coated in the heavy
butterfat of its dessert sibling,
ice cream.
The demand for the popular Italian treat
is growing in America. New and innovative
flavors have sparked a rise in North
America's preference for gelato, according
the ResearchAndMarkets.com's North
American Frozen Desserts Market Insights
2020-2025. And the demand continues to
skyrocket.
Gelato proves to be a fitting complement
to pizza. Both are meticulously crafted with
culinary creativity.

What's hot in gelato
Regardless of whether you source or
make gelato in-house, let's get down to the
nitty gritty of what flavors are hot this year.
We asked four operators with successful
gelato programs to give us the skinny on
popular gelato flavors.
Sam Hathorn, co-owner of Sam &
Greg's Pizza in Huntsville, Alabama, says,
most popular flavors are simply chocolate
and vanilla. That doesn't keep Sam & Greg's
from introducing innovative flavors that sell
well. " We have made some great flavors over
the years - honey goat cheese, spicy hot
chocolate (with cayenne), and strawberry
balsamic (with vinegar), " she says. " In 2021
we have created pineapple upside down
cake, peanut butter Oreo, and buttermilk
pancake. My team also makes a vegan gelato
from pea protein milk that is creamier than
most vegan gelati. "
Pistachio and Oreo are favorites at
Pupatella's in Alexandria, Virginia.
Sarah Bruggeman, pastry chef at
Pangea Kitchen in Evansville, Indiana,
says, " We have found that Stracciatella,
Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Mint Oreo,
Biscotti Crunch and Peanut Butter Cup
are Evansville's favorites. " She warns
not to shortcut the classics. " The classic
Stracciatella can be described as 'chocolate
chip' but we are not just adding chocolate
chips to this base, " she says. " Stracciatella
means " little shred " in Italian. So, we
actually drizzle melted chocolate into the
gelato, let it sit for a second to freeze the
chocolate, and then turn the machine
back on. The chocolate strings then break
up into little irregular bits that are mixed

046_PIZ_0621_IKgelato.indd 47

throughout the entire gelato. "
Pistachio is another flavor where
operators may look for cost savings.
" Pistachio is definitely the priciest gelato
that we make, " Bruggeman says. " We
use 100 percent pistachios. Other places
may use a combination of pistachios and
almonds to help offset the cost. But you can
taste the difference. "
Mike Bausch, owner of Andolini's
Pizzeria and STG Gelateria in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, says, " The most popular flavors
are what you'd expect - Fior Di Latte,
Pistachio, Strawberry, Raspberry and
Chocolate. We have 65 flavors and counting
... some of our non-traditional flavors that
sell well are Salted Caramel, Chocolate
Cake and Lemon Biscotti. Lately, we've
had a lot of interest in our Extra Virgin
Olive Oil gelato. Since we're making all of
our bases from scratch (White Base, Yellow
(Egg) Base, Chocolate Base and Sorbetto
Base) we can experiment a lot. We've used
ricotta, mascarpone, yogurt, broken cannoli
shells, etc... We're even experimenting with
an " Everything Bagel " gelato right now.

Making gelato from scratch
Making gelato is similar to scratch-made
ice cream, Bruggeman says. " We mix whole
milk, heavy cream, sugars, dry milk powder,
and a stabilizer, " she says. " We cook that
base low and slow. Let it cool overnight.
Next morning, we add whatever flavor we
are feeling. Mix very well. Then we turn the
gelato low and slow in our gelato machine
imported from Italy. "
Bausch makes gelato the old-fashioned
way at STG. " We make our STG Gelato
the very old-fashioned way - hot process, "
he says, " meaning we blend milk, sugar
and sometimes egg yolks and cook it in a
pasteurizer. Much of the gelato made in
America today is a mix that simply has
either water or milk added to it and then
is spun in a batch freezer. We chose to do
it the 'hot process' way because we didn't
want to ever hear 'that's not what it tastes
like in Italy' from any of our customers and
thankfully we quite often hear 'That tastes
better than in Italy.'
" Using very high-quality local milk, local
fruits and importing Italian flavorings, our
food cost hovers in the 23-25-percent range
depending on flavor, " he continues.
Hathorn too recommends making the
base from scratch even though it's more
work. " It really makes a difference in the

flavor of the gelato, " she says. " (Co-owner)
Greg says, 'the base is where it's at.' "

Gelato making logistics
Just like the pizza line, gelato requires
equipment and training. Pupatella's
co-owner Anastasiya Algarme heads up its
gelato program. " It is an investment, " she
says. " All the equipment is Italian-made and
quite pricey. The training is quite extensive,
and we have designated staff members that
specialize in it. It is not an exact science,
so it's important that the gelato maker
develops the 'feel' for it. "
Gelato equipment requires both a large
financial investment, as well as valuable
kitchen space. " One of the biggest hurdles
to starting a Gelateria is the price of
equipment, " Bausch says. " Pasteurizers
(roughly $20-$30K), Batch Freezers
(roughly $15-25K), Blast Freezers (roughly
$10-15K) and Display cases ($15-$20K) are
expensive - but - they hold their value very
well and generally have more than half their
initial value 10 years later. There is also very
good quality used equipment available.
" For anyone considering making gelato
in their existing business. I'd probably
start with the cold process since it has the
least barriers to entry and the training /
equipment is minimal, " Bausch continues.
" If someone wishes to do a truly legit
Gelato (like the type you'd eat in an Italian
neighborhood that has no tourists) then the
only way to go is 'hot process.' "
Hathorn was able to find value. " We got
our equipment secondhand when we started
out, " she says. " It is much cheaper to take
a gently used gelato freezer off someone's
hands than to buy new. "
Bausch, Hathorn and Bruggeman also
went through in-depth training.
" We were trained in Italy, use Italian
equipment, Italian ingredients and Italian
processes, " Bausch says. " We certify all of
our Gelatician's before they can make any of
our gelato. "
Hathorn found attending a school on
frozen desserts helped kick off the program
at Sam & Greg's. " It also taught us the
science of gelato, " she says. " I think if you're
making it from scratch, it's helpful to have
that training. "

DENISE GREER is Executive Editor at
Pizza Today.

5/11/21ST.
11:46
AM
PARK
PIZZA
Pizza Today June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today June 2021
