Nestled beside City Park, Gelato & aMore is a neighborhood Italian shop that grew from Northern Colorado Catering. The store has been serving gelato alongside various hot Italian foods since 2018, dedicated to providing authentic food through catering, delivery and take-out that reflects the store’s passion and heritage.
“It’s a lot like an Italian Bodega you would find in a big city with lots of groceries, coffee, sweets, gelatos, savory foods and specialty items that are harder to come by these days,” said Paul Pellegrino, owner of Northern Colorado Catering. “We try to bring in the best and make it as authentic as we can.”
Antoine Salazar is the associate administrator and senior event manager for Northern Colorado Catering. He said he hopes people will come and experience the versatility of the store, with customers able to shop for food such as gelato, pizza and soup in-store and products such as olive oil.
“Most people thought that all we did was gelatos until they walked into the store and they realized there was so much more,” Salazar said. “Paul has the unique way of saying gelato and amore or a more, or there’s more play on that name. People understand that we have love and so much more.”
Pellegrino said he appreciates the number of people in Fort Collins that grew up in Italian neighborhoods — such as those on the East Coast and in Boston — who feel relieved to have a place such as Gelato & aMore.
“We feel the value is in existence,” Pellegrino said. “All of our gelato flavorings come from Italy; we use and we source local dairy for the gelato.”
Pellegrino said he has found value in being by City Park, getting to provide for families, joggers or dog walkers passing by. Pellegrino said he also enjoys providing unique foods that come from various parts of his life.
“Every day, I wake up and I’m very enthusiastic about getting to work and being a genuine great taste for everybody to enjoy, bringing the best quality and value,” Pellegrino said. “A good part of (the foods) are our family recipes that I’ve been able to keep going and sharing what I was exposed to seasonally and grew up with in an Italian-eating household.”
Sarah McDougall is the shop’s catering coordinator and said she has found working at Gelato & aMore to be a beautiful experience.
“Being a prior business owner myself, I like working for small businesses because it’s more family-oriented,” McDougall said. “They’re just one big family here.”
Salazar spoke about getting to cater weddings, especially the aspect of being a part of a couple’s story. McDougall said some of her favorite memories come from weddings, when the team gets to come together and truly enjoy one another’s company while working.
“We sometimes have those cool events where we dress up or put a mustache on, and all the catering team gets together, and we get to take pictures, you know,” McDougall said. “It is fun getting to enjoy work like that, too, and just seeing everybody have fun on the job.”
Salazar recalled one Fourth of July before he started working at the shop when Gelato & aMore was one of the only places open near City Park. He said it made him excited to experience Pellegrino’s shop and see how he interacted with each customer.
“I told him about that story because I realized then and there that this seems like a unique place, and here I am now, eight years later, after I started with him,” Salazar said. “We’re family, and that’s what we want people to experience.”
Salazar said he hopes recognition of Gelato & aMore will continue to grow and demonstrate what the business is capable of, from contributing to big weddings and expanding their menu to celebrating other cultures within the community.
“We’re also hoping that we’re beyond just seasonal — you should come in January, February (or) March,” Salazar said. “We’re here all the time.”
Pellegrino highlighted the importance of Gelato & aMore having a presence in Fort Collins, growing relationships and giving back to the community. He said he hopes people keep discovering the store, what it has to offer and what it will continue to offer.
“I always try to do as much as I can (to give back); a lot of the growth happened through valuable friendships and relationships between catering and gelato that have been established (over) the years,” Pellegrino said. “(It’s important) to just be involved, giving back (to) organizations where I can and trying to be something for everybody.”
Reach Sananda Chandy at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.
Dining and Cooking