Local Gelateria Brings Milan to Your Market

I always enjoy walking into Whole Foods, but last week the trip was extra sweet. A representative from Gelato Giuliana, a local authentic Italian gelateria, was handing out samples of their handmade frozen dessert. Never one to turn down anything sweet, I raced over for their signature LaGiuliana (made with expresso, marscapone, and chocolate) and a personal favorite, coconut. Both were creamy, intensely flavorful, and had that "made that morning" freshness. Here comes the best part...This local Gelateria (with a storefront in Glastonbury), has been for years selling primarily to restaurants like Aqua (Westport), and Mediterraneo (Greenwich), but is now making their artisan gelato available in pints at many local markets including Whole Foods, Garelick & Herbs, A & P Fresh in Greenwich, and Stiles Farmer's Market in Westport. I walked out with containers of Tiramisu and Poma Di Currant, excited to share my find with our dinner guests that evening.

Intrigued by this wonderful local company, I did some research and found out that Gelato Giuliana's chef is a multi award winning gelataio from Milan, who hand makes gelato daily in the traditional method of Italian Gelaterias. They use all natural ingredients and buy from local farms whenever possible. By using milk instead of cream (cream apparently coats your taste buds...and not in a good way) they are able to produce a rich, silky, fabulous tasting product. It truly puts your standard ice cream to shame.

They offer regular Gelato, Fruit Gelato, Yogurt Gelato, and have amazingly unique flavors like Creme Brulee, Smores, Honey Pecan, and Almond Coconut. The Tiramisu tasted like a trip to Florence with intense flavors of coffee, liquor, ladyfingers and creamy marscapone cheese. The Fruit flavors have real fruit blended in every bite, and are dairy free and non-fat. They also have a richness that seems impossible for a nonfat, dairy-free dessert.

Alas, my only question now is...if the product in the pint is this good, could it possibly be even better at the retail location? Road trip to Glastonbury anyone? See you there.