Gelato Dolce Vita & Italian Grocer – Mesa, Arizona
“La Grassa” (The Fat One) is the nickname of Bologna, Italy. While that sobriquet may seem unflattering, Bologna bears it with honor. This city in the north-central region of the country is considered the “gastronomic heart of Italy,” a place where food is an art form and a passion. This may be best exemplified by one of the foods born in Bologna. I’m talking, of course, about gelato. Throughout “Lo Stivale” (the boot, a nickname bestowed upon Italy because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot) gelato is revered. Not surprisingly, Bologna is not only the home of Italy’s oldest university (and the oldest in the western world), but home to Carpigiani, “Gelato University.” Mesa, Arizona is the home of two of Carpigiani’s distinguished alumni. Both Walter Bergamaschi and Marti Printy, founders of the Gelato Dolce Vita attended the Gelato University. Having grown up in Bergamo, about two-and-a-half hours from Bologna, they have been around superior gelato all their lives. In 2010, they launched Gelato Dolce Vita (literally “Gelato Sweet Life) in Mesa. At the time there were only two gelato shops in Phoenix. Ice cream shops dominated the market. In time, customers began to appreciate the difference…
