Borough Bites

from 08108 Collingswood Summer 2022

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Gelato Dolceria

BY CHRIS ISAAC

Most people living in America will never get to experience going to Italy. But at Gelato Dolceria, you can have the next best thing with a shop that strives to be as authentic as possible. Rather than produce Americanized versions of Italian desserts, Chef John Caiola and his business partner Mike Paletta keep it traditional, going so far as to import their shoppe’s gelato directly from Italy.

“Everything we get, everything we use, is from Italy,” said Caiola. However, while such authenticity is admirable, it did also make business tough once COVID first broke out and the store could no longer get their imported goods. Luckily, they had enough stockpiled to wait things out, but they are grateful that they did not meet the fate of so many other businesses that had to shut down. “It was really a trying year, 2020, in Collingswood,” Caiola continued. But he’s proud that they made it and did not have to compromise on what makes them special. “It’s just nice to have the product from Italy. If it was an American gelato, I would not open it.”

It is not simply a matter of tradition for

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