By Stefanie Gans
In Italy, says Nicky DeChiara, “when you order gelato, you sit down and it becomes a form of entertaining.” In the states, says the 75-year-old, people order gelato and leave. To bring back a sense of hospitality to eating this Italian version of ice cream, DeChiara is building Gelateria Pazzo within Vienna’s Pazzo Pomodoro.
Pazzo Pomorodo’s team will use the Italian brand Carpigiani gelato makers and offer between 10 to 15 flavors, including strawberry and raspberry which will be made from fruits grown Pazzo Pomodoro’s owner Jimmy Audia‘s sister’s property, Windswept Farm in Waterford. Expected to open in July, the gelateria will occupy the space next door to the restaurant; they tore down the wall to make it one unit.
Besides the forthcoming gelateria, the Italian-born DeChiara, the owner of McLean’s Capri, and a consultant at Pazzo, is looking to replicate Pazzo Pomodoro in Arlington and Ashburn, with another one in the Maryland suburbs. The open kitchen-wood burning oven-custom-made grill concepts are scheduled to open within the next two years. “The prototype has been very successful,” says DeChiara.
*This post has been updated.
