Our Story

Always passionate about fresh food and wishing to preserve the artisanal methods used to make gelato, Leo Bulgarini, a native of Rome, and his wife Elizabeth, a Pasadena native, spent 2 years searching villages throughout Italy. They were on a quest for artisans who still make gelato the old way, using only fresh ingredients, never artificial or pre-made mixes. They found an 82 year old, third-generation gelato maker in retirement in the Sicilian town of Catania, and studied 2 months with him to learn his formulas. He then sent them to study with another octogenarian in Milan to complete their education.

Leo and Elizabeth are dedicated to producing gelato with the purest flavor and creamiest texture possible. They use only ecologically safe products and seek out the highest quality organic milk, the ripest peak-season fruit, the best chocolate, and the most flavorful, freshest nuts. They search out the best and travel the globe to ensure they get it. They hand-pick fruit from local farmers markets or visit small farms in Southern California to find the best fruit. They fly to Italy to ship back coffee beans from Naples and cactus pear from Sicily. They import their pistachios from the volcanic regions of Catania, where they located pure Sicilian, air-dried pistachios directly from the growers. Among other exotic locations, they also travel to Santo Domingo to get cocoa, to Hawaii for macadamia nuts and to Oregon for hazelnuts.

All of their gelato is handmade on the premises, from cutting the fresh fruit to roasting the nuts. All of their pasta, gnocchi, and sauces are all made from scratch, and available to dine in or take out.

Gelato has a more intense flavor than American ice cream because gelato has much less butterfat. A high fat content coats the tongue and distracts the palate. Our gelato is made with milk, not cream, and contains only 4-7% fat. Ice cream typically contains 10-18% or more. Gelato is softer because it is stored at a warmer freezer temperature. It does not numb taste buds but leaves them open to enjoy more flavor!