CINCINNATI — You don’t have to travel all the way to Italy to have some of the best gelato in the world. A gelato maker right here in Ohio is making a big impression and is competing for that title.
What You Need To Know
- María Biondo learned how to make gelato from her Sicilian father
- Now, Biondo is serving up the classic Italian dessert in Cincinnati at her gelato shop, Ugo Gelato
- Biondo recently qualified for the U.S. finals for the Gelato World Masters in LA in September
- If she wins, she would compete for the best gelato in the world in Italy in 2025
María Biondo is always busy making gelato, of course, with authentic Italian ingredients.
“This is a pistachio butter," Biondo said. "It’s 100% pistachio from Sicily.”
She said pistachio is a client favorite, and one of hers too.
“I have like a top five and this is one of them," she said.
The gelato maker learned the tools of the trade from her dad, who’s from Sicily.
“My father is a gelato chef himself," Biondo said. "I’m a second generation. We have gelato shops back in my country. And of course, I learned from my family like how to run the business and everything.”
The craft is a game of patience- typically having to make the dessert over several days.
While she waits for perfection, Biondo shows off her newest award-winning flavor- the vegan Mandorland- which recently got her to the U.S. finals of the Gelato World Masters, which takes place in September in Los Angeles.
“If I win in LA, we are going to represent the U.S. in an international competition which is going to be in Italy in 2025,” she said.
The flavor is a blend of her two cultures, Italy and Venezuela, which is where she grew up.
“My heritage from Sicily with the Almonds and some of my Latin culture with the chocolate," Biondo explained.
But in the meantime, Biondo is hard at work.
“I want my pistachio to be the best because we are from Sicily," she said.
Churning out gelato for her customers at her shop, Ugo Gelato, near Cincinnati’s Findlay Market- an area Biondo said reminds her of Italy.
“When you go to Italy and you want gelato, you just grab the gelato and you walk around," Biondo said. "So when I came to Cincinnati, I feel that this is the most authentic place to have a gelato shop.”