Sweetest success for gelato man
Hidden down an alley in Tawa is a boutique gelato factory that has a growing reputation around the country.
Five years ago Zelati Freezeria owner Alberto Tuason traded in his highpowered job in IT to create mouthwatering frozen treats.
‘‘ I’m a real foodie. I’ve always been a foodie,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve tried to move away from the corporate side of things and get into the passion of cooking.’’
Zelati could just about be the best kept secret in Tawa. After a year of awards and success last month at the Visa Wellington On a Plate Supplier Showcase, things are only getting better.
‘‘ Business has grown really well,’’ Tuason said.
Tuason and his wife, Rose, opened the Tawa site, which has a retail area, in 2013 after Tuason spent three years travelling between New Zealand and Italy, learning the trade.
Philippines-born Tuason worked in his father’s restaurant in Manila growing up, and always had dreamed of opening his own cafe.
Thinking chocolate was the way to go, he completed a chocolatier course in Melbourne with his daughter, but the gelato on the streets of Melbourne swayed him and he decided to study gelato- making at the Carpigiani Gelato University, in Bologna, Italy.
He creates all the recipes himself and now supplies to restaurants in Wellington and Auckland.
Among Zelati’s most popular flavours are Raspberry Velvet and Cioccolato Fondente.
The gelato and sorbet are made on site in Tawa and use fresh and sometimes unusual ingredients.
He has experimented with black sesame seed gelato, wasabi and a chocolate and cayenne pepper mix.
Zelati’s products is gluten- free, egg- free, gelatine- free and has no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.