Some people eat to live. We live to eat.
I am proud to announce the formation of my new company, GoGo's Gelato. This journey began a little over a year ago when I embarked on a month long European odyssey with two of my closest friends. We trekked through 6 countries and 12 cities exploring a multiplicity of rich cultures and histories, as well as indulging in each location's culinary offerings. The one constant throughout our journey that stood out to me was the gelato. Whether it was people lining up out the door at 10 am in Florence or a line around the block in Rome just shy of midnight - it didn't matter what time of day it was - people were eating gelato.
When I got back, I sought to recreate some of my favorite dishes, primarily from the Italian cities we had visited. The main difference I noticed between Europe and American food was the freshness of ingredients used in Europe. In America you can eat one bowl of pasta and be in a food coma for the next 4 hours, while in Italy you can enjoy a 5 course Italian feast, and have no problem continuing to explore the city. As my guide, Giuseppe, so poignantly conveyed to me at lunch one day, "you Americans eat to live. We Italians here, live to eat!."
One night, late last fall after purchasing a well known gelato at the grocery store, an idea came to me. I said to myself "I can do this better." After doing a little internet research, I stumbled upon what was referred to as the "Rolls Royce" of Gelato makers. I ordered one off of Amazon and within 48 hours the machine had arrived at my door. I fired up the machine per the instruction manual and waited patiently. A standard batch of Gelato takes roughly 30 minutes to make. After 2 hours of watching and waiting, I came to the realization that my machine was a dud. I figured the only way I could insure that this was the case and not some sort of user error was to order another machine. So I waited again and two days later I was finally in business. I threw my first batch in and a half hour later I was sitting on a batch of fresh, mango gelato. Within 10 minutes, my roommates and I had devoured the whole quart and I thought to myself “I may have something here.”
When Spring time had arrived I had spent months sharing my gelato with my loyal patrons at King Street Oyster Bar, and after a plethora of positive feedback from everyone I was ready to share my product with the rest of Leesburg. After convincing my restaurant owners to let me piggy back on their booth for the Flower and Garden Show, arguably the biggest annual event in our town, I began preparations for my big debut.
Unfortunately, the town shut me down before the big day due to the timeliness of my paperwork and proximity of the event. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I would not have been ready for the sheer scope of the event. Back to the drawing board I went. I spent the next few months researching, looking for a way to get my product out there. I considered several avenues including renting a storefront or getting a food truck, but the juice wasn't worth the squeeze for me. I was not willing to give up my lucrative bartending gig, where I'm surrounded by coworkers I love and the most amazing regulars a bartender could ask for. It wasn't until one night in early June, when a close friend of mine had a “eureka!” moment. I literally watched the light go off in his head as he rushed over to tell me, "why don't you do a gelato of the month subscription." The more I thought about it the more it made sense. A “have my cake and eat it too” scenario if you will. I wouldn't have to give up my job while still having time to build this company at my own pace.
I started having conversations with people more knowledgeable than me in the various arenas that I would be entering. The most important thing I learned through these conversations was that I needed to build a solid foundation to get started. After years of working in restaurants I've come to understand you're only as good as the team around you. If this was going to be a successful venture, I needed to surround myself with the best team possible. Luckily I'm blessed to be surrounded with an amazing community we've built at the Oyster Bar. The first and most important people I needed were my owners at King Street Oyster Bar, Jorge Esguerra and Rick Allison. I went to them for their blessing in promoting my burgeoning business within their restaurant. They could guide me through the process of starting my own business and all that went into it. Once I had them on board, I identified two people that are not only talented, but that I truly enjoyed working with. The first was one of my closest friends, my partner in crime behind the bar these past few years, Gabi Sicilian. Gabi is a mother of a beautiful 5 month old boy Sunny, and has just started her own company this past fall during her pregnancy, Dandy Apothecary, which provides herbal goods and botanical skincare products. Her and her amazing partner Max are a pair of farmers that are well connected amongst the local farmers in our area and possess advanced culinary skills that far exceed my own. I sat her down one night after work and pitched her my idea. I said "I'm not asking you to give up your dream, but I need your help in making mine a reality." With that she was in. The next person I pursued was my good friend RJ Gottimer, Jack-of-all-trades and owner of the only rooftop bar in downtown Leesburg, The Crows Nest, as well as his own catering company, Maître D'. After many late nights of bouncing ideas off each, I realized the value of having someone as well connected to this town come aboard my team. With those key people in place, I was finally ready to take action.
I've spent these past few months mapping out what this business will look like and what we need to do be successful. Our first event was a pop-up during the Taste of Leesburg with our friends at Buford’s Biscuits. The owners were generous enough to lease their space to us and allow us to introduce our product to the community. The turnout and feedback were amazing and our Italian Cocktail menu proved to be a big success as well. Going forward we plan on continuing this partnership with monthly pop ups, showcasing a mix of seasonal flavors in addition to traditional classics. We also will be featuring small bites and cocktails inspired by my travels, made with locally sourced ingredients. As we move into the fall, we will be introducing a subscription based service, "Gelato of the Month Club", for the members of our local community.
I’m incredibly excited to share my story with everyone and to finally take the leap in sharing my product on a larger scale. Having worked for a small business for many years and watching it grow into a staple of the downtown Leesburg area, I’m honored to be taking the same steps to grow my brand and showcase my love for the products I’ve poured my heart into. More importantly, I’m overwhelmingly fulfilled with the love and support I have already received. If you love gelato or you simply live to eat, please follow my company @gogosgelato on Instagram and Facebook for continued updates on events and monthly club information!
GoGo's Italian Gelato, Thanks You for visiting our website. Please fill out our contact form below to reach us. Use the form to request more information about events, nutritional and/or allergen information, or to schedule a delivery.