SwooOOooooNing~~~~
Right now I'm indulging a serving of Paciugo gelato (pronounced "pah-CHOO-go"), a company that was started by Italian husband and wife team, Ugo and Cristiana. As a child in Tuscany, Cristiana would make gelato with her grandpa the old fashioned way, with wooden barrels and salt rock. Cristiana grew up to apprentice at a four-generation gelateria and eventually moved to the states with her husband. Now in America (Mexico included!), this family has created one of the tastiest lines of gelato!
Paciugo Gelato boasts over 300 flavors, all made with the finest ingredients, passion, and creativity. Right now I'm going gaga for the Chocolate Orange Saffron and the Black Pepper Olive Oil, which tastes like sweet vanilla with a hint of olive oil and a peppery flirt in the throat. The soft consistency brings me right back to summer fun on cobble stoned streets when I studied a semester in Italy.
My only disclaimer is that I found the Sea Salt Caramel to be way too salty, but perhaps I had a bad batch since I'm told this is one of their most popular flavors (Hmmmm..?). With so many flavors, they can't all please everyone all of the time. But they can all be made with quality ingredients and care. For this reason, I have to award Paciugo Gelato, one of the most authentic gelatos that I've ever had in the states, five-cherries. Mama Mia, cinque ciliegie!
Thank you to the Hermosa Beach location for sending me such a delicious treat today! To find a location near you, click here!
300 flavors?!?! That cinnamon dulce de leche is calling my name!
P.S. Just found your blog and I love it! You're too pretty haha
Posted by: Lynn @ My Sweet Season | 08/22/2010 at 05:03 AM
Interesting. I was just in Redondo Beach (which I consider basically the same as Hermosa) for some amazingly good small-batch ice cream last weekened. If I'd known, I would've stopped by at all. This seems like one of those ubiquitous gelato stands all over Italy, ie, not produced on site, but rather shipped in from DC. Any more insight?
Posted by: SinoSoul | 08/25/2010 at 08:38 AM
Hi SinoSoul, I'm not sure I entirely understand what you wrote-
but to answer your question about whether the gelato is produced on site, Paciugo is, indeed, one of the very Few gelaterias in LA that actually DOES home-make their own product, fresh daily, without using any butter fat, cream, preservatives, or artificial ingredients. One minute into this video you can actually see how it's done:
http://hermosabeach.patch.com/articles/paciugos-secret-behind-signature-flavor#video-611070
I hope that answers your question!
Posted by: Dessert Darling | 09/07/2010 at 03:51 PM