Outstanding Perishable Foodservice Product 2009: Ciao Bella Key Lime Graham Cracker Gelato

With its 15th Gold Award, Irvington, N.J.’s Ciao Bella has become a sofi™ veteran that continues to produce distinct gelatos. Deborah Holt, vice president of marketing, explains that many things factor into award-winning products. “You can have a great product, but if it doesn’t stand out on the shelf or if the price isn’t right, those things will bring you down,” she says. With the introduction of its Key Lime Graham Cracker Gelato last spring, the company has brought yet another affordable and delectable gelato to market.

“The Key Lime flavor stands for what Ciao Bella is,” says Holt. “We believe in coming out with innovative and unique flavor combinations. You have a gelato, which is by nature a creamy ice cream and then you have the Key lime, which is tart.” The bits of graham cracker also provide a bit of saltiness, she notes, adding to the flavor profile.

Holt explains that many of Ciao Bella’s flavors are “shockingly good” because average consumers are “not prepared to like it.” The development team, she says, will ask themselves: “What can we do to make a gelato that is not so predictable?” With the help of their staff chef, Danilo Zecchin, they work to create the interesting flavors that help the company stand out of the crowd.

Zecchin is an Italian-born-and-trained chef with more than 30 years of experience, says Holt, and his expertise make tasting the company’s gelato a culinary experience. “He brings balance to the flavors and to what we are trying to accomplish. We like interesting and shockingly good flavors but he keeps it to what gelato is about, and it’s about balance and simplicity.” ciaobellagelato.com.—D. Marrero