Gelato & Co: The newest addition to Fifth Avenue!
We happened upon Gelato & Co after enjoying happy hour at The French and though we had just eaten, who can say no to dessert?! Upon entering, we were immediately in love with the aesthetic…minimal and modern with an Italian cafe flair. We could already imagine the afternoons spent getting work done at one of the tables while enjoying a cappuccino (and of course, gelato!). After briefly speaking with the owners of Gelato & Co and taking a couple of bites of our chocolate peanut butter and coffee gelato, we knew we had to introduce this delicious cafe to our Insiders!
Both Alfonso and Yuliana, the owners of Gelato & Co, have extensive culinary training with a focus in desserts. One look at the dessert cases as well as the dessert that Yuliana was making while we were chatting and you can tell! They are works of art that are ALMOST too beautiful to eat. Alfonso and Yuliana started their journey with gelato at a Gelato & Co cafe in Panama City. They said that they fell in love with not only the dessert but also the quality of the company. With successful locations in Panama City, Grand Cayman, Aruba, Puerto Rico, and Houston, Alfonso and Yuliana decided to venture to Naples, Florida to open the company’s newest location! They have only been for here for less than a month but they’ve fallen in love with the town and already fit right in on the iconic Fifth Avenue in Downtown Naples!
For the full video interview, click the play button below. To read more, continue below the video!
Our top question was what makes the Gelato not only delicious but also unique from its competitors? Alfonso and Yuliana shared that the standards set by Gelato & Co are high so they were taught to take great care in selecting the ingredients to make sure they are quality and coming from a quality location. What we loved most about their care for ingredients is that they source them locally whenever possible! Their goal is to bring the farm to table concept to gelato!
Vegan Gelato and Gluten Free Desserts
In addition to quality gelato, Alfonso and Yuliana also offer vegan gelato options as well as gluten free dessert options! They wanted everyone, despite their special diets and allergies, to be able to indulge in a sweet treat. For those of you who find ingredient hacks interesting, vegan gelato is made possible by using seaweed as the binding agent. Perfect for Naples, right? We had a taste of the Lemon Spearmint, a vegan option, and felt instantly refreshed! Vegan or not, these are great options to cool off in the Naples heat!
Vote for the newest gelato flavors!
While Gelato & Co maintains the classics and crowd favorites year round, they do release seasonal and holiday specific flavors. For fall, they have already begun creating a Pumpkin Gelato that of course, will only have real, fresh ingredients! Perhaps it will be a healthier, warm weather friendly version of the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte? Finally, Alfonso and Yuliana love recommendations from their customers! We will be releasing some voting opportunities in the near future and the winning flavor will receive a gift card!
We had such an amazing time interviewing Alfonso and Yuliana and they are excited to experience their first “season” in Naples so make sure to stop by for a scoop of gelato and to welcome them to paradise!
Website: Gelato & Co
Address: 483 5th Ave S #2 Naples, FL 34102
Cheers!
Matt & Megan