Tutto Amore makes their gelato fresh daily, in an hours-long process that starts early in the morning.
“It’s very difficult to make gelato,” Marcello Mauri said; his sister concurred.
“You have to have a passion,” Melinda said. “Every day, it must be the same quality.”
Another traditional aspect of the gelato is that it is decorated while it sits in the freezers, topped with chocolate drizzles or bits of the ingredients it contains.
“When you do that, people see that you love what you are doing,” Melinda said; she is responsible for making the designs, and sees them as being a parallel to Laguna’s own focus on art.
“For me, when you make gelato, it’s got to be art, too,” Marcello said.
A close variant, sorbetto, is made without dairy ingredients, and contains various fruits. Tutto Amore offers gelato, sorbetto and two yogurt-based gelati.
Classic gelato flavors available at Tutto Amore include nocciola (hazelnut); cioccolato (chocolate); caffe (coffee); pistacchio (pistachio); stracciatella (fior de latte and chocolate); noce di cocco (coconut); and Tiramisu.
Sorbetto, made up of just ice and fruit, comes in flavors like plum, pineapple and pear.
In addition to their cup- or cone-based offerings, Tutto Amore makes custom semifreddo (half-cold) gelato cake, and has its own whipped cream and espresso machines. (Naturally, the store only serves Italian coffee).
As the owners hope to turn their space into a hangout for locals, the store has no take-out option for beverages. Bottled Italian waters and cane-syrup-based Coca-Cola are poured into glasses before being served.
Mauri hopes to expand his idea into other shops, but for now he’s content to build the brand here in Laguna.
“Because Laguna is a very European city, I think,” he said.
Tutto Amore is at 247 Broadway St. For more information, call (949) 715-9249 or visit www.tuttoamoregelato.com.
