Gelato Del Teatro

Gelateria del Teatro 

Via di San Simone, 70, 00186 Rome

The Gelateria is nuzzled on a street corner covered in Christmas decorations in lights. We are able to look in and watch how they make their Gelato and other treats through a large glass window outside. 

The owners of the 4.5 out of 5 (according to trip advisor) Gelateria are a married couple, Stefero and Sylvia. We also spoke with one of his employees, Alessandro who assisted with the translating. Julia and I were lucky enough to ask Stefero some questions about his successful gelato shop. 

Interview with Stefero - 

What is the most popular flavor?

• Pistachio, pure chocolate, sage and raspberry
• How often do your flavors change?
• I change flavors about every 4 months, I keep the flavors seasonal to assure the freshness of the gelato. (Points at a gelato dish) I serve pumpkin because it is winter, but in the summer I will serve pineapple and strawberry. 
• How do you choose your flavors?
• I experiment with different flavors to see what tastes good together. Some of my best creations were honey with lemon, and raspberry with sage.
• What ingredients do you use and where do you get them? Do you use organic food?
• I go to all parts of Italy to get the ingredients. I only purchase my ingredients from a small producer in Sicily and all around the north of Italy. I am careful when purchasing ingredients because the gelato tastes the best and is at its highest quality when the ingredients are fresh and organic. 
• What is your favorite flavor?
• In the winter I like the crème with alcohol and chocolate
• In the summer I like the fruit flavors (best is the cheese and cherry from Roma)
• Why do you think gelato is important?
• That is hard to explain. It is a long tradition in Italy. People, families eat it often and producers are proud of their products. Gelato is a lifestyle. 
• Last couple years have changed with flavors. Much experimentation  has occurred and there are many different flavors than there were ten years ago. 
• How is your gelato made and stored? Can you show us?
• It is made with an Italian machine, I call my machine “the Ferrari for ice cream”.
• Do you have any other comments?
• Look up my shops in 100 places to go in Rome, it is on the list. I am famous!!
• We also have a small bakery section and have separate workers for that (Susana, Carlos)

Stefero was a proud owner of his shop and enjoyed explaining his products to us.It was interesting to see the creativity in the experimentation of flavors. For example, “Sage and Raspberry” was a unique flavor I had not yet seen before. The tasting and testing different flavors together must excite the taste buds. The importance of creating unique flavors when having a Gelateria is sizable because it gives Stefero a trademark, a distinct characteristic from all the other Gelato shops. 

 In America, jobs are jobs. There is much less passion about going to work everyday and the work that people produce. Stefero’s Gelateria was not just his job, but a lifestyle he was enthusiastic about. He was eager for us to ask him questions rather than his assistant Alessandro, we could see how thrilled he was about his shop. It makes me wonder, why do so many people continue to work at jobs they do not enjoy? Isn’t there any other way? All of the Italians that I met have found jobs that they love, and are overjoyed about. It is truly heartwarming to see a person so happy with their accomplishments and life choices, the interview with Stefero not only taught me about his Gelato shop, but about the importance in finding a job that I love.