Interview with a Gelato Maker

Ciao amici,

Earlier this year, I stopped by the famous Gelateria della Carraia in Florence while they were closed for the season. I was lucky to meet with their gelato maker, Massimo, to ask him a few questions about the most popular flavors and his favorites one to sell. Below are my questions with a summary of his answers.

Lisa: Which gelato flavors do Italians love the most?

Massimo: The classic flavors: cream, chocolate, hazelnut. They don’t like rich gelato with “decoration” like candy pieces and swirls. Generally, they prefer simple flavors but sometimes they are curious and go for more adventurous flavors like cheesecake.

Lisa: Which flavors do tourists love the most?

Massimo: It depends. The French love coffee flavored gelato. Germans like stracciatella (chocolate chip). Americans tend to like rich flavors. However, people mostly just want to try the classic Italian flavors.

Lisa: Which flavor do you wish people would order more often?

Massimo: Of course, the flavor that cost less for us to make. Our gelato is sold at the same price, but some flavors, such as pistacchio, have a higher overhead cost for us. The flavor that costs us the least is fior di latte, it’s just milk. So I want people to order that one! We also make flavors that are particular to Tuscany: il castagnaccio (chestnut and rosemary cake), la schiacciata fiorentina (Florentine focaccia with cream) and I brigidini (thin, anise flavored cookies for Carnevale). All of our flavors are natural.  

It was a pleasure meeting with Massimo. He emanated warmth that could melt the coldest gelato. The video has some background noise, but it's a great listening exercise for students of all levels. Here is the link to the full interview!

Buon gelato!

Lisa