Words by Pat Eggleton
In America all things are possible if you persevere and one young couple certainly found this to be true when they emigrated to the US from Italy in 1996. Simona Faroni and her husband Guido Tremolini arrived on Florida's Emerald Coast with a dream – to bring authentic Italian artisan gelato to America.
They began by opening what they hoped would become a neighbourhood café with the atmosphere, culture and traditions of an Italian gelateria but there were many obstacles to overcome: they did not speak fluent English, the local culture was very different to their own and food laws and regulations bemused them.
Most importantly, to make authentic gelato, they needed authentic Italian equipment.
They imported this from Italy and installed it at their small gelato making facility, only to be refused approval of the equipment by the Department of Agriculture. They were the first people to apply for a licence for gelato making equipment in the US and the Department did not have a code for it.
Disappointed but undaunted, Simona and Guido quickly learnt English and found people who could help them negotiate the maze of laws and regulations regarding their proposed product. Throughout this time, three Italian proverbs sustained the couple:
1. When there is a will there is a way.
2. When the water comes to the throat, you better start swimming.
3. Never give up on your dreams.
Fourteen months later they had their licence and with it, approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Today GS Gelato's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility occupies 26,000 square feet of space and has the capability to produce 30,000 pounds [in weight] of ice cream per day. Simona and Guido still oversee every step of the process and also own the San Gelato Cafè retail locations, which offer customers an Italian café eating experience in a delightful, authentic ambience.
By now you may be wondering what exactly is the difference between ice cream and gelato. To explain this we need to go back in history to ancient times, when snow was used to make cooling drinks and other refreshing preparations. But it was not until Marco Polo returned to Italy from China that people began to add salt to snow to preserve it. From this technique, the art of gelato and sorbet making developed. In 1770 a certain Giovanni Bosco arrived in the United States from Italy and introduced there a novelty which became ice cream. Ice cream making, however, became an industrial process and today it leaves out many steps which are crucial to the making of authentic Italian gelato.
GS Gelato combines modern technology and traditional Italian methods to produce a wholesome, seasonal product that also has a delicious taste. Gelato contains proteins, vitamin A, almost all the B group vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, and just a little fat – in fact, it is 93% fat free. It is made with milk instead of cream and is almost twice as dense as regular ice cream, due to the small amount of air incorporated. The company also produces sorbets, which are naturally 100% fat and dairy free and also gluten free. They are made with only fresh fruit, filtered water, sugar and natural stabilizers. GS Gelato uses no additives or artificial ingredients in the preparation of its products. And here is the really good news: the calories contained in one serving of gelato are approximately 130-160 and 90-120 for sorbets!
In June 2010 GS Gelato was awarded the Gold sofi™ Award by the National Association for the Speciality Food Trade (NASFT) for the most outstanding diet and lifestyle product of 2010 for the company’s Blood Orange Sorbetto. A sofi™ award, which stands for “Speciality Outstanding Food Innovation”, is the highest honour a speciality food or beverage product can expect to receive in the $60 billion dollar speciality food industry in the US
Some of the company's most requested flavours are Tiramisù, Chocolate and Pistachio and three of the newest are Mediterranean Citrus, Amalfi Lemon with Basil and the seasonal Watermelon Sorbet. In the US, you can order these and other gelati and sorbetti from the company's website.
Now Americans really can taste authentic, artisan Italian gelato – all because one young couple refused to let go of their dream.
G.S. Gelato & Desserts, Inc.
1785 FIM Boulevard – Fort Walton Beach, FL. 32547
Tel (850) 243-5455
Fax (850) 243-5443
Web: www.gsgelato.com
Email: info@gsgelato.com
Web: www.sangelatocafe.com
