By Richard Kaufman
On warm summer days, there’s nothing quite like a frozen treat to beat the heat, and in Cos Cob, residents can’t get enough of the delicious offerings from Gelato & Cioccolato, located at 232 E. Putnam Ave.
Co-owner Lucio Lozza, a native of Belluno, Italy, had the idea to open up a gelato shop in town with his friend Alessandro Uccelli after visiting his business near Venice several years ago.
Gelato & Cioccolato offers 24 different varieties of gelato, from Stracciatella, hazelnut, and pistachio, to non-dairy items like mango, dark chocolate, and blueberry, which contain just water, sugar and fresh fruit. Everything is made fresh daily.
Lozza utilizes fresh, local ingredients, while also using unique tastes from Italy such as the premium Tonda Gentile hazelnuts from Piedmont, the almonds from Apulia and the pistachios from Bronte, Sicily.
“You can taste the individual flavors,” Lozza added, emphasizing that simple recipes are all you need. “We extend the logic of having genuine and organic — as much as possible — ingredients to the other products we offer.”
Custom made gelato cakes, and homemade chocolates and cookies are available as well.
Aside from the storefront, home delivery and catering is available for parties and various events. The gelato and products are served from a small custom made cart.
For Lozza, he says the close-knit area of Cos Cob is the perfect place for his business.
“We found Cos Cob to be the ideal location because it has a village type of feel. It’s very welcoming to local businesses. The local community, and Greenwich Town Hall has been very helpful to us,” he said.
But people aren’t coming from just Greenwich to get a taste of Italy.
“People are coming from Stamford, Westchester, Port Chester,” Lozza said. “For us, the customer is first. Even though we have lines out the door, we stay open to satisfy everybody. Second, is the product. We always try to improve.”
The First Bank of Greenwich has a similar mindset, so the pairing between the two made perfect sense when Lozza was looking for a bank.
“When I was looking for a bank, they made it very easy. They understood my needs. Small retail has different needs, and they tailor perfectly to them,” he said.
“As a community bank, we’re also a relationships bank. It’s been great working with them,” said Amy Huertas, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager at FBOG.
Emily Newcamp, Vice President and Retail Banking Manager for FBOG, said the bank always strives to support local merchants.
“We’re neighbors. We want to see the businesses thrive here and support Cos Cob. We may be a different business; they’re selling gelato and we’re selling interest rates and checking accounts. We’re all in business together and we want Cos Cob to thrive,” she said.
Gelato & Cioccolato stayed open as an essential business during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Greenwich. Lozza said he was happy to keep his staff, made up mostly of college students and high schoolers, employed.
“It’s a way to support them and give them an experience,” he said.
Lozza believes there’s more than meets the eye in serving gelato.
“Serving gelato is a fun experience. You make so many people smile,” he added. “It’s nice.”
