ProduceGood Surpasses One Million Pounds of Fresh Food Recovered

Photo by Charlie Neuman / The San Diego Union-Tribune

We are thrilled to celebrate with the San Diego based food recovery nonprofit, ProduceGood, their million-pound milestone on Saturday, March 26th through their annual Spring Gleaning event at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa. This one million pounds of produce has been donated by over 600 local farmers and growers with gleaning and collection provided by thousands of volunteers to benefit over 70 feeding partners in San Diego County, all to reduce food waste and hunger while building community.

GelatoLove and ProduceGood have partnered for 3 years now to present ProduceLove, a special gelato line that uses recovered fruit from San Diego orchards to create delicious desserts that will be offered at the Rancho Valencia event. GelatoLove Crema al Limone (Lemon Custard) and the dairy free Lemon and Strawberry Lemonade Sorbets are made from fruits gleaned by Produce Good. They will also be available for purchase both at the Carlsbad Village GelatoLove Store and online for next day delivery starting in April 2022.

 “Because the Rancho Valencia resort has partnered with ProduceGood for the last three years to recover citrus from the property to feed people, we felt that this was the perfect place to celebrate our achievement on behalf of the community we serve,” says Nita Kurmins Gilson, Co-Executive Director of ProduceGood.

“We are often not able to use all the citrus from our trees and instead of letting it fall to the ground, Rancho Valencia partners with ProduceGood to do our part to combat food waste and food insecurity in the County,” says Simon Harris, Food & Beverage Director at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa. ”As a luxury resort, in the heart of San Diego, it is important for us to be able to give back to the community.”

 With initial food recovery activities launched by Kurmins Gilson in 2010 as CropSwap Carlsbad, Nita joined forces with Mother/Daughter Team Jerilyn and Alexandra White to incorporate as ProduceGood in 2014. In eight short years, the nonprofit has become a vital part of San Diego’s food recovery system, using their decentralized model to prevent massive food waste and to empower communities to feed themselves.

“40% of all food is wasted, while 1 in 3 San Diegans struggles with food insecurity, a number that has doubled since 2020,” says Alexandra White, Co-Executive Director of ProduceGood. “We glean the excess produce and provide direct access to these nutritious fruits and veggies that would otherwise go to waste, to those who need it most.”

This small but mighty homegrown nonprofit has diverted 500 tons of perfectly edible produce from the landfill since 2010. According to the San Diego Hunger Coalition, as of November 2021, more than one million people in San Diego County are facing hunger, including over 284,000 children. ProduceGood has provided over 3 million servings of fresh produce to these individuals. Thanks a million, ProduceGood!

ABOUT PRODUCE GOOD

ProduceGood is a non-profit founded in 2014 by Nita Kurmins Gilson, Alexandra White and Jerilyn White, three local women looking to reduce waste and hunger by connecting surplus produce to food insecurity in San Diego County. To accomplish this work, we engage local volunteers to harvest excess produce in backyards, on farms and at farmers markets to benefit over 70 local feeding partners who serve food-insecure individuals in our county. Our mission is to build an informed and engaged community committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate hunger, reclaim and repurpose waste and promote the health and well-being of all. To learn more, please visit producegood.org.

Surprising Facts about Pistachios

Pistachio Seeds.

• Did you know Pistachio is a tree? It is a member of the cashew family, originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. People have been eating pistachios for thousands of years and we love to make our popular gelato with Pure Pistachio Butter from Sicily.

• The Italians were ahead of the game. In the first century A.D. Emperor Vitellius introduced Rome to the pistachio. Apicius, Rome's 5th-century A.D. recipe book, and that era's version of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, includes pistachios.

• That which we call a pistachio is known as the "smiling nut" in Iran and the "happy nut" in China. They're also known as the "green almond."

• The kernels can have different colors, ranging from yellow to shades of green. At GelatoLove we don’t use any food coloring, so our pistachio gelato is a beautiful shade of light brownish green.

• Among the health benefits of pistachios, we find high levels of unsaturated fatty acids an potassium. They both have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory traits. They can also lower your chances of cardiovascular disease.

• Since Pistachios are bursting with fiber, minerals and unsaturated fat, they can help keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in check.

• Pistachio trees were introduced from Asia to Europe in the 1st century AD by the Romans. In the 19th century, the pistachio was cultivated commercially in parts of the English-speaking world, such as Australia along with New Mexico and California, where it was introduced in 1854 as a garden tree.

• The pistachio tree may possibly live up to 300 years. Production is biennial-bearing, meaning the harvest is heavier in alternate years. Peak production is reached around 20 years.

• Each pistachio tree averages around 50 kilograms (110 lb) of seeds, or around 50,000, every two years.

Did you know we serve Barini Coffee at GelatoLove locations?

Barini coffee & Cappuccino.

Did you know we now serve the amazing Barini Coffee at our locations? We are offering their exclusive Italian roast for the first time in the US, after 50 years of experience in Italy. You can also buy Barini Espresso Blend online and enjoy the irresistible aroma at home.
Barini Coffee’s History started in 1970 in the same Italian City of Romeo and Juliet: Verona. It’s here that Giorgio Barini convinced his brothers Vito, Luigino and Leda to select and blend superior coffee beans to eventually open up one of the most renowned Artisan Coffee Roastery in Italy. Exactly Fifty years ago, in July 1971, Barini Tasting Room was born to offer the Italian clientele a legendary House Specialty Blend made from beans selected directly from coffee growers in Brazil and all over the world. The tasting room was then integrated into of the historical Barini Pastry and Coffee House in Verona, just one step away from the Arena, the famous Roman Theater where Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli performed. 

The Barini brand was since then recognized for the particular high quality and care in selecting and roasting the best quality of coffee beans in the world. Davide and Stefano Barini have opened in 2020 their headquarters in Los Angeles, where they are still researching and deepening their knowledge in supreme quality coffee. 

Barini Coffee is now prepared for the first time in the United States at our Carlsbad Village location, at Rovino the Foodery and soon at our Carlsbad Tasting Room. The partnership with GelatoLove and the Espresso Bar inaugurations marks the first United States and California experience.

Barini Coffee Shop website
Barini Coffee Shop Instagram

Paesaggi Italiani

Ilaria Gatti ceramic art at GelatoLove Carlsbad Village Store.

‘Paesaggi Italiani’ are concentric Italian landscapes on ceramic vases created by the Rome based architect and ceramist Ilaria Gatti. They are now part of a pop-up exhibit of 15 pieces, divided in 3 Landscape Series, at our Carlsbad Village Store. Ilaria Gatti’s ceramics are unique art objects, entirely handmade according to the ancient techniques of the Italian Pottery Tradition. Compared to the geological formation of Italian maiolica clay (sea floor moved by quakes into Dolomiti mountains, eroded by wind and rain, melted in fresh waters), the Paesaggi portrayed by Ilaria narrate a short story: 2.500 years of interaction between nature and human activities.

OSSIDI SERIES

City in Pianura Padana; Scirocco Wind; Gulf and Shore; Venice Lagoon; Tramontana Wind on Tirrenian Sea.

INTAGLI SERIES

Italian Beach Carloforte-Sardegna; Valley in Alto Adige; Ustica Island,Sicilia; Beech Forest Monte Venere; Mirage in Canale di Sicilia.

MAIOLICA SERIES

Tuscan Hills; Dawn in the Woods; Cliff and Church; Valle d’Aosta; Tower.

Ilaria Gatti’s Ceramic Art is for Sale - Full Ceramic Set $325 (single vases $45-90)

Ilaria Gatti, Rome based architect and designer of social facilities (among her works the cultural center “Aldo Fabrizi” in San Basilio, Rome), is also active as film critic and writer, with books like Jane Campion (Le Mani, 1998); Lo sguardo discreto. Il cinema dell’interiorità da Virginia Woolf a Kiarostami (Le mani, 2005); La tenda color ruggine (Kappa, 2006), L’Incanto della visione. Cinema d’autore tra Jane Campion e Clint Eastwood (Prospettive, 2010); Francesca Comencini (Le Mani, 2011); Ricordando Berlino (Prospettive, 2015); Chantal Akerman. Uno schermo nel deserto (Fefé, 2019). From 1996 to 2014 she wrote for the magazine “Filmcritica”.

As ceramist, she works for the Antica Scuola di Arte Educatrice Museum, founded in 1890 in the XXIX Tower of the ancient Roman Walls.

Contact: ilasugatti@gmail.com
FB: Le Violon d’Ingres di Ilaria Gatti

Italian Gelato meets Mexican Tequila

Califino and GelatoLove presentation at RoVino The Foodery.

Join us on November 18th from 6.30-9.30pm at Rovino The Foodery in East Village San Diego to celebrate the fusion of the most famous Italian dessert with the smoothest drink in the World.

We are honored to launch the first Tequila Gelato Bar in the World, right here in San Diego, at Rovino The Foodery in East Village. Twenty-one and older San Diegans will be able to enjoy this exclusive new epicurean pleasure starting November 18th at 6.30pm until 9.30pm.

Awarded "The Best Tequila" in 2020, CaliFino partnered up with GelatoLove to design a unique dreamy and delightful dessert made of Tequila infused gelato. 

 The one of its kind dessert is now available in six flavors: Sicilian Pistachio with Blanco Tequila, Mexican Chocolate with Anejo Tequila, Amarena Cherry Vanilla with Tequila Blanco, Carlsbad Strawberry with Reposado Tequila, Italian Espresso with Anejo Tequila, Mint Leaves Chip with Blanco Tequila.

The launch of this innovative dessert will occur alongside with the Grand Opening of Rovino The Foodery new full liquor department on November 18th 2021 at 969 Market St, San Diego 92101 (corner of Market & 9th Ave). 

RovinoTheFoodery.com
CaliFino.com
www.gelato.love

GelatoLove has a New Location in East Village San Diego!

We are delighted to announce a second GelatoLove Location placed inside legendary RoVino The Foodery in East Village San Diego.

San Diegans in and around the East Village are now able to experience for themselves 18 Homemade GelatoLove Flavors, cakes and desserts, plus a full Italian coffee bar featuring Barini Coffee’s debut in the US.

Since its opening in 2015 in Carlsbad Village, it has been GelatoLove’s intention to bring from Rome to California the authentic art of homemade gelato making. GelatoLove is the first company in the world that uses a revolutionary low calorie sugar, found in fruits like kiwis and figs. The name of this amazing product is Allulose and it is a completely plant based product. Allulose is scientifically proven to improve sugar metabolism in your body. Our Special Artisan Gelato contains on average 80% less sugar than regular ice cream. One small cup of our handmade gelato (4 oz) contains less than 5 grams of added sugar. GelatoLove offerings are designed with the clear intent to make people feel better from the moment they walk in. 

GelatoLove at Rovino The Foodery, East Village San Diego.

Rovino The Foodery was born as a natural progression, from the 5 star Little Italy restaurant RoVino, to become San Diego’s largest Italian market in 2019. The East Village Location offers ready made Italian meals and groceries, together with sandwiches, pasta, pizza, salads, coffee, gelato and desserts. They soon will be adding a full liquor department. Since the opening of the first restaurant in 2016, RoVino was awarded “Best New Restaurant” in 2017 by San Diego Magazine. In 2018 and 2019, both San Diego Magazine and Ranch & Coast Magazine voted RoVino as "Best Italian Restaurant” as well as “Best Wine Bar”. Rovino The Foodery in 2020 won San Diego Magazine’s prize for “Best Sandwich” and “Best Service”, in addition to “Best Desserts” from Ranch & Coast Magazine.

“I am excited to share with Paola and GelatoLove the Italian vision of beauty, excellence, impeccable service and exquisite foods”, says Tom Tarantino, co-founder of Rovino. “Together I hope we’ll be able to share our Italian heritage and culture with even more people, and in new and exciting ways.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to partner up with Rovino The Foodery. We share the same passion of offering the community a place to share joy and good times, just like in Italy”, says owner of GelatoLove Paola Richard. “That is crucial to me, along with having a downtown location”.

In addition to gelato, guests can also indulge in coffees from Barini, an Italian roaster for 50 years which will be debuting their coffees at The Foodery, their first U.S. retail location.

www.gelato.love
www.RoVinoTheFoodery.com

ABOUT BARINI COFFEE
Barini Coffee’s History started in 1970 in the same Italian City of Romeo and Juliet: Verona. It’s here that Giorgio Barini convinced his brothers Vito, Luigino and Leda to select and blend superior coffee beans to eventually open up one of the most renowned Artisan Coffee Roastery in Italy. Exactly Fifty years ago, in July 1971, Barini Tasting Room was born to offer the Italian clientele a legendary House Specialty Blend made from beans selected directly from coffee growers in Brazil and all over the world. The tasting room was then integrated into of the historical Barini Pastry and Coffee House in Verona, just one step away from the Arena, the famous Roman Theater where Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli performed. 

The Barini brand was since then recognized for the particular high quality and care in selecting and roasting the best quality of coffee beans in the world. Davide and Stefano Barini have opened in 2020 their headquarters in Los Angeles, where they are still researching and deepening their knowledge in supreme quality coffee. 

Barini Coffee will be offered for the first time in the United States at Rovino the Foodery on July 30th 2021. The partnership with GelatoLove and the Espresso Bar inaugurations in the San Diego East Village marks the first United States and California experience.

What is Allulose?

´ Allulose is a natural, non-GMO, low-calorie rare sugar. Allulose is a monosaccharide, or simple sugar, and is found naturally in fruits such as raisins, figs, kiwis and jackfruit.

´ Unlike other natural and synthetic sweeteners in the marketplace, Allulose tastes and functions like sugar yet contains almost zero calories while suppressing glycemic response. With less than 10% of the calories of sucrose, Allulose provides a clean, satisfying sweetness to gelato.

´ Allulose is recognized by the body as a simple sugar and is absorbed accordingly; however, clinical studies confirm that it is not metabolized and has optimal impact on blood glucose levels.

Mixed Berries Cheesecake by GelatoLove

Meet the GelatoLove Magic Van!

The GelatoLove Magic Van.

Meet the GelatoLove Magic Van, our trusty Nissan RV200 that has been bringing joy to the community since 2016! The GelatoLove Van spends its days making deliveries, catering and bringing guilt-free sweetness to endless events. Ever since its first day on the job 5 years ago, our van has done the best job at bring smiles to your homes! In March of 2020 our van did not let a pandemic stop him from spreading the love, as it began to make home pint deliveries to neighborhoods all the way from Chula Vista to Orange County and Temecula! And guess what? Our van loves when its fans say hello on the road, so if you ever catch it making deliveries make sure to snap a picture, tag us on instagram at @gelatolovecalifornia, and you will earn a free gelato cup! Just make sure that the van is making deliveries and not parked by one of our locations. And as an extra bonus, if you can tell us how many scoops of gelato can be found on the van we’ll gift you a pint of your favorite gelato flavor!

Do you want to meet the GelatoLove Van in person? Invite us to your event! There is no event too big or too small for our van, we will plan accordingly to your needs and can offer everything from single serve gelato containers to an Authentic Italian Gelato Bar with expert baristas who serve your guests for the duration of the party. Set up, clean up, and transportation? Our team and van have got it all covered! Contact us for more information on events, catering, and deliveries!

The GelatoLove Magic Van in Carlsbad Village.

The GelatoLove Van in the desert.

The GelatoLove Van

Meet Julian, our GelatoLove Driver!

Julian Trupe, GelatoLove Driver.

Julian is a math and coding genius. He is currently making GelatoLove a better place as a relentless driver. He has never failed a delivery and, honestly, we don’t know how he does it. Julian is just a magnificent problem solver!

He is a first generation German-American, born and raised in San Diego (Cardiff). Julian grew up playing soccer and is a lifelong supporter of Liverpool Football Club. 

His passion is Alpine Sky: since he was little, once a year or so, he would travel to his family cabin in Tahoe, which nurtured his love for the mountains, snow, and especially skiing. He has now been skiing for 25 years.

Julian graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2018 with a degree in Mathematics. Shortly after graduating he completed a coding bootcamp at UC Davis before returning home at the beginning of the pandemic. Julian is absolutely passionate about science and technology, and currently spends most of his free time programming in pursuit of a career in technology.

He’s had several jobs in food service, including grill cook at Chipotle, cuisine/deli at Cardiff Seaside Market, and catering events which served 1,000 people. Julian has been a math tutor at MiraCosta Community College, and a mentor staff at a sober home for young men struggling with addiction.

Julian loves to cook and has had a lot of fun learning how to prepare various ethnic foods including Thai and Indian curries, mastering new techniques, and becoming familiar with ingredients which were once foreign.

Julian Trupe, GelatoLove Driver

PRODUCELOVE: A sweet way to celebrate Earth Day (all month long)!

The ‘ProduceLove’ Team in Action! (photo by Tomoko Matsubayashi).

GelatoLove and ProduceGood have partnered again to present ProduceLove, a new gelato line that uses recovered fruit from San Diego orchards to create a special dessert for Earth Month. Both GelatoLove Crema al Limone (Lemon Custard) and the dairy free Lemon Sorbet are made from fruits gleaned by Produce Good and private donors (Walton Organic Lemon Farm and Pete Anderson). They will be available for purchase both at the Carlsbad Village GelatoLove Store and online for next day delivery. The proceeds from this special Gelato Sale, will benefit ProduceGood gleaning programs, which rescue 10 tons of edible produce a month to feed the hungry. When 40% of all food is wasted and 1 in 3 San Diegans is food insecure, buying some ProduceLove gelato is a sweet way to help people and our planet! 

ProduceGood, a non-profit that reduces waste and hunger by connecting surplus produce to food insecurity in San Diego County. “San Diego may be one of the most desirable places to live on Earth, but something’s not completely right when 1 in 3 people are food insecure and 40% of all food goes to waste”, said Nita Kurmins Gilson, Co-Executive Director of ProduceGood. “Every day we recover 650 pounds of fruits and veggies from local farms, orchards and farmers markets that would otherwise go to waste and we deliver that to local feeding agencies. I love the idea of turning our citrus into a special gelato that will also benefit the community. The proceeds raised during this Earth Month will allow us to serve even more people.”

Today ProduceGood has expanded to over 2,500 volunteers, who have harvested over 805,000 pounds of fruit from over 350 growers in North San Diego County. The latest program, Market Share, gives the opportunity to recover unsold produce from weekly Farmers Markets, delivering the bounty to local food pantries.  

GelatoLove is a gelato venture that provides a healthier choice of high-quality Italian artisan gelato made with only the best natural ingredients.

“I am so inspired by the work ProduceGood does for the San Diego community, which is why I am thrilled to be partnering with them again to help give back to our environment and create a new tasty gelato for the public to enjoy,” said Paola Richard, CEO and Founder of GelatoLove. “We hope the community can join us by ordering online (www.gelato.love) and visiting our store in Carlsbad Village to celebrate the partnership, give back to ProduceGood and have some yummy gelato on a beautiful spring day.” 

GelatoLove is the first gelato maker in the world to make a low sugar gelato made with a revolutionary ingredient, allulose—a non-GMO, FDA approved and rare low-calorie natural sugar that tastes just like the sugar you already know and love. Allulose is found in fruits like figs and kiwis and won’t lead to a sugar crash. GelatoLove also uses all natural ingredients like the best quality non-treated California milk and cream, a supreme cacao and cocoa butter, exquisite nuts, and fragrant coffee beans. GelatoLove contains half the fat and 80% less calories compared to regular ice cream, which makes it a healthy alternative to satisfy your sweet tooth. All recipes are gluten free and vegan options are available. 

HOW TO SUPPORT PRODUCELOVE EARTH MONTH PROJECT

Donate online to ProduceGood or become a volunteer https://producegood.org

GelatoLove craft gelato made with ProduceGood recovered citrus is now available:

GelatoLove Store – 300 Carlsbad Village Dr Ste 104, Carlsbad CA 92008

Online Store for next day doorstep delivery https://www.gelato.love/shop-gelato

Thank you for the amazing Organic Lemons to:

• ProduceGood

• Walton Organic Lemon Farm, San Marcos

• Pete Anderson, Carlsbad

A Day Trip in Carlsbad with Melvin Robert.

Melvin Robert from Spectrum News1 spent a day in Carlsbad visiting GelatoLove and some of our favorite places in this world. Enjoy this beautiful segment where he takes us to the mesmerizing Flower Fields, Leo Carrillo Ranch, Pipes Surf Shop and our dear friend Clinton Prager with Prager Bros Bakery (GelatoLove is at minute 5.50).

What a fun visit to have Melvin make and Authentic Affogato for us and check our delicious cakes.

Maybe a Day in Carlsbad is not enough, but make time to visit these fabulous beaches and the numerous awarded Restaurants. We promise that a weekend in Carlsbad will certainly become memorable.

Arrivederci a presto!

Meet Piero, GelatoLove maker and Assistant Manager

Piero Richard, Gelato maker and Assistant Manager at GelatoLove.

Piero Richard was born and raised in Rome, Italy. He started his California adventure in 2014 when he first visited for a Summer Holiday. He then moved in 2016 as a student to attend University. He will graduate this summer at San Diego State with a major in Nutrition. 

Piero knows everything about gelato and Italian Food in general. During his 5 years of work, he has covered every role at GelatoLove. Everybody loves him!

He knows how to make gelato and balance a new recipe, he runs the store and trains new team members. 

Piero was an American Football Junior National Champion in Italy, but now he mostly enjoys Surfing, spending time with his wife Katarina and their lovely Corgi “Lucignolo”.

He can bake outstanding bread and focaccia and makes fresh pasta from scratch. Please ask him about every single ingredient at GelatoLove. He’s super knowledgeable and enjoys talking about food.

Is Gelato a Men’s or Women’s World?

International Women’s Day is March 8th.

Gelato History started in Italy as a definite men’s realm and creation. Just to mention one: it was the eclectic genius Architect Bernardo Buontalenti from Florence who first created Modern Gelato. In 1500 Buontalenti designed buildings, theaters, gardens and the first refrigerated rooms made of wood and cork. He was also a fine mathematician, but maybe his most interesting invention was modern Gelato. It was made with with ice, salt (to lower the temperature), lemon, sugar, egg, honey, milk and a drop of wine. This creation was meant to be served at the Renaissance Court of Grand Duke Cosimo de’ Medici. So, a man started the Gelato World, but we must add that at the same time, it was Caterina De’ Medici, a woman, who brought gelato to fame. Not so long after this gelato first appearance, she’s the one who offered this amazing dessert at the Court of France as an ultimate gift from the Italian Renaissance. 

The contemporary world of gelato is orchestrated by many talented men and women and certainly appreciated in the feminine world. On this subject, GelatoLove is maybe an interesting example: not only the Company was founded and owned by women since 2014, but it’s also run by a Team made of 70% women. They make gelato, pastries and cakes, help manage the store, design our communication, make espresso and serve our customers. And there’s more… A funny figure about GelatoLove ‘Lovers’ is that 70% of our customers (both online and in person) are actually women.

Do men dislike Gelato? Or is it the women choosing and buying for them? The answer is up to you… We believe Gelato is for everyone!!!

Most of all let us all enjoy (men and women) a Gelato Discount! Paola Richard, founder and majority owner of GelatoLove, invites all genders to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8th.

Meet Ray, our Gelato Maker and GelatoLove Server

Raymond Whight. Gelato maker and server at GelatoLove, Carlsbad, California.

While Ray is a California native, his is family originally from Tonga. As a kid he used to go back and forth between the beautiful Pacific Island and Oceanside, where he currently lives. At GelatoLove we feel like the Ocean and Nature itself shaped Ray’s positive attitude and unique way of thinking. We also discovered that he’s passionate about Marine Biology and that’s what he studies at Mira Costa College.

Ray is young, but he has already had many different job experiences: from laborer for construction projects during the pandemic, to young caterer for restaurants, as well as offering customer service at GameStop. Ray shares his time between school, work and his favorite activities: football, surfing, video games and making music.

At GelatoLove Ray immediately absorbed the art of scaling and mixing our fresh ingredients to make all the countless flavors we offer at GelatoLove. Ray’s eclectic personality can also be enjoyed at the store, where anybody can meet him serving the homemade gelato he previously prepared.

Meet Adi, GelatoLove Server and Espresso Barista

Adi Nimrodi. Gelato Server and Espresso Barista at GelatoLove.

Adi Nimrodi is a passionate student in Communication Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Her creative drive is expressed in different fields from Costume Design to Graphic Design, Illustration and Rendering. Her website is an astounding collection of surprising beauty.

As a Social Media Coordinator at San Marcos School, Adi created advertisement and managed the account platforms school-wide including Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. She also thought the Associated Student Body advertising skills and design communication tactics.

Adi was also Costume design and Crew Lead for the San Marcos High School Drama Department. She led a team of students to design and create a full set of costumes for Chicago the musical and The Little Mermaid.

Adi’s visual art talent and skills permeate her world. We are so grateful at GelatoLove for the magnificent vision she brings to desserts and coffee art. Adi is personally developing a Cappuccino stencil art project that we will soon enjoy at the store.

Meet Cheyenne, our Gelato Server and Espresso Barista

Cheyenne Hancock, Gelato Server and Espresso Barista at GelatoLove.

Born and raised in Oceanside, Cheyenne Hancock does not hide her big passion for animals. She personally trained for 4 years a macaw named Emerald at the Discovery Center in Carlsbad, but she also takes care at home of Deshi, a pet Bearded Dragon, and Pooh, an adorable Arctic Albino Western Hognose snake.  

Cheyenne also enjoys riding horses and she has a desire to start training in show jumping.

Cheyenne Hancock, horse riding.

As much as she loves working at GelatoLove, Cheyenne plans to attend Stanbridge University to become a veterinarian technician.

Cheyenne is a very talented, artistic and crafty person. She has a big passion for design: she can realize amazing outgoing makeup looks, as well as decorate your cappuccino with self thought beautiful Latte Art.

Her gelato cups and cones are always beautifully composed. She’s truly a natural master in artistic design.

Her many talents also crossed path with Deaf Culture, as she’s is perfectly fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). She welcomes anyone at the store with a warm heart and her magnetic painted eyes. We love seeing her expressing every day her many talents, both at work and outside. Thank you Cheyenne!

Cheyenne Hancock, creative make-up artist.

Cheyenne Hancock with her Bearded Dragon.

Meet Hanna, GelatoLove Store Assistant Manager

Hanna Seeman, Assistant Manager at GelatoLove.

Holding a Dual citizenship for the United States and Switzerland, artist Hanna Seemann appreciates different languages and cultures.

While pursing her fine art degree, she found herself in Florence Italy, learning in the heart of the Renaissance. Here she fell in love not only the Italian art, but the language and cuisine. She loves cooking (and eating!) anything Italian: from Risotto alla Milanese to Bomboloni alla Crema.

At GelatoLove she is enthusiastic about the variety flavors to share, as well as  the variety of people she gets to meet. We never heard anyone describing Gelato Flavors as well as she does. Her words can re-design the exact tasting pattern of food in your palate. You definitely want to listen to her gelato flavors recommendations!

If she doesn’t know how to say ‘Hi’ in a language, you can always teach her. Hanna is fluent in English, Swiss German and Italian. When she’s not at the store, she’s probably up in the air practicing her favorite sport: Aerial Gymnastics.

Meet Oxana, our Production Manager

Oxana Bentley, GelatoLove Production Manager.

Oxana holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Document Archivists. You can bet that everything’s in place and lined up when she runs the kitchen as GelatoLove Production Manager.

Oxana’s field of expertise is Hospitality Management, including scheduling, hiring, training, inventory management, POS operations, event planning and Food and Beverage.

She completed her education in Moscow, Russia, where she also launched and managed an 89 seat, American Diner, as well as trained and mentored all the staff in a 196-seat European-cuisine restaurant. Oxana brought from Russia to California her knowledge and exuberant energy when she moved 8 years ago. She now makes the GelatoLove Kitchen Lab a lovely, energetic and pleasant place to work for everyone. Her commitment is impeccable and the gelato presentation always outstanding. We are so grateful for her contribution.

Meet Luca, our Director of Operations.

Luca Guerzoni, Director of Operations at GelatoLove.

Passionate Surfer and Certified Nutritionist Consultant (CNC), Luca Guerzoni is originally from Milan, Italy. After moving to California in 2014, he deepened his knowledge in wellness arts with the Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy in Encinitas and he also holds a three-year course diploma as Naturopathic Practitioner in Italy.

Expert in food industry management, Luca is now Director of Operations and Manager at GelatoLove. Yes, he’s the one that makes the ‘magic’ happen inside and outside the kitchen.

He claims he has learned his barista’s skills from the Italian Cappuccino World Champion Rubens Gardelli… we just know his cappuccino and latte are to die for. 

When COVID emergency hit California, Luca resumed his Italian experience as a moped postman. Thanks to his organizing talent GelatoLove was able to quickly set up our current and much-loved Gelato Delivery System.

If you see our GelatoLove magic van in your neighborhood, wave at Luca as he’s probably driving…

GelatoLove Delivery Magic Van.

Meet Nicole, our new Pastry Chef.

GelatoLove Team Spotlight

Nicole Hovan Pastry Chef.

Nicole Hovan is a certified culinary arts professional with ten years plus of experience in the hospitality industry. She joined the GelatoLove Family in August and she became the artist behind our latest sweet creations.

Passionate about Italian Food and Desserts, Nicole learned to love Artisan Gelato throughout her extended travel in Italy. She got her University Degree in Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona, Class of 2017. Continually looking to expand her knowledge and skill sets, Nicole loves challenging herself to learn and grow in areas she has yet to conquer. 

As a new Dessert Creative Director Nicole is magnifying our Homemade Gelato and Dessert offerings through the First Independent Online Dessert Platform available in Southern California. You can now find Custom Made Cakes, Italian Desserts, Cookies, Homemade Gelato and other specialties by clicking on GelatoLove Online Store or visiting our Carlsbad Village Location.

Find out how our Gelato is made!

Have you ever wondered what gelato is? How is it different than ice cream? What sets our gelato apart from all the other gelato in the world? In this post, we will break down our gelato making process and explain what makes our gelato so unique and healthy. Read on to find out more!

Step 1: Source the Ingredients

We use only high quality non-treated California milk and cream as the base for our dairy gelato flavors. We currently supply our dairy from Hollandia a family owned company based in the San Diego North County in San Marcos since 1950. Hollandia Dairy Farm is also Certified Humane®, with unquestionable, passionate and ethical treatment of their animals. Our nut and oat milks are made in house with organic ingredients. We use them in many of our non-dairy gelato flavors. We source fresh, seasonal produce from local farmers such as Aviara Farms, that also runs the famous Carlsbad Strawberry Company. Exquisite pistachio and hazelnut pure pastes are imported from Italy. The finest chocolate drops come from Belgium.

Step 2: Our Secret Ingredient (besides Love!)

Our gelato is set apart from the rest by the sugar we use. Allulose is a a natural, non-GMO sugar derived from fruits such as kiwis, figs, and raisins. Unlike other natural and synthetic sweeteners, allulose tastes and functions just like regular sugar. Yet it contains only 10% of the calories of sucrose (regular sugar), and does not trigger a glycemic response in the body. We are proud to be the first company in the world to use allulose in our gelato, giving the gelato a lighter, healthier feel, with the same rich taste.

Step 3: How We Make It

We hand make all of our gelato in small batches at our state-of-the-art facility in Carlsbad. Our Italian gelato chef chops all of the fruit by hand, grinds the coffee beans and mixes the nuts, and adds all of the ingredients to our high quality gelato machines imported from Italy. The machine churns out the perfect, creamy-consistency gelato, that incorporates 50% less air than ice cream. Gelato has a dense texture and it is super rich in flavor. We arrange it the traditional way in metal pans with beautiful assortments of fruits, nuts, or cookies on top. The pans are then stored in our walk-in freezer, which is specially designed to maintain the perfect temperature for storing gelato, which is served between 7 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit (regular ice cream is served between 0 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit).

Step 4: How We Serve It

Gelato is served with a paddle which is better designed to work with the creamier texture of gelato than the traditional ice cream scoop. This also means you have much more freedom to choose your number of flavors, since we don’t measure quantities in number of scoops. We allow you to taste up to 3 flavors, even in a small size cup! Because gelato is richer, creamier, and has less air than ice cream, you don’t have to eat as much to feel satisfied.

Come Visit Us!

Come visit our tasting room and watch our gelato makers at work. Our state-of-the-art facilities are located in the Food District at Carlsbad Gateway Center in Carlsbad, CA. Ceiling-height windows into our production space offer visitors a rare peek at the gelato making process.  Stop by to see where the magic happens and taste some of our freshly made flavors!