Dolce Neve is situated in a charming bungalow off of south First Street. Their patio makes for an inviting place to take in a beautiful day with a cup of gelato and espresso. A visit to the shop is a one of a kind experience that is a must for all Austinites. The owners, Leo Silvestrini, Francesca Ferrarese and Marco Ferrarese moved here from Italy to pursue their dream of opening a gelato shop in the United Sates. The trio is clearly passionate and enthusiastic about providing authentic gelato to the Austin area.
In preparation of pursuing their new business Francesca studied the basics of gelato making in Italy at Carpigiani University that specializes in gelato. She fine-tuned the art while working at the renowned Gelateria De’ Coltelli in Pisa Italy. At Gelateria De’ Coltelli Francesca learned to incorporate organic ingredients and utilize techniques that result in an extremely light and rich gelato. Unlike many gelato shops that use a premix, Dolce Neve is committed to using high quality organic ingredients and locally sources those ingredients when possible. As their tagline exclaims “we do it in front of everyone”, customers can watch the decadent handmade gelato made in-house. What is gelato? Gelato is a healthy treat made of whole ingredients to include milk, sugar, egg yolk, cream and ingredients to add natural flavors. It contains a mere 5-6% fat content making it a healthier treat compared to ice cream.
Dolce Neve rotates their traditional flavors and changes their seasonal flavors frequently. They use seasonal ingredients to add creative flavors such as honey and goat cheese in combination with more traditional gelato offerings such as stracciatella and hazelnut. The seasonal flavors are often a result of experiments and feedback from their customers. In addition to gelato they also serve sorbet, gelato on a stick, gelato sandwiches, custom gelato cakes and they brew espresso with beans from a local roaster. Dolce Neve has a mobile gelato cart and they are available for catering events from weddings to children’s parties.
Owners Leo Silvestrini, Francesca Ferrarese Photo by Courtney Pierce