WILLIAMSBURG — A new shop, The Swirl, recently opened in James-York Plaza offering gelato imported from Italy.
The Swirl offers 14 different flavors of gelato that change regularly depending on the season. It also offers a Flavor Burst, a traditional swirl cone infused with flavors.
While ice cream and gelato are similar, they aren’t the same. The Food Network explains that among other differences, they’re rooted in two unique cultural traditions and contain different amounts of milk fat.
The idea of opening a gelato shop came to owner Anna Fiorello as a result of her experience at Antonio’s, the Italian restaurant her husband owns next door.
“We have had a lot of people asking if we had gelato for the past fifteen years and we would always have to say no we don’t have any,” Fiorello recalled. “They kind of expect it at an Italian restaurant and we felt weird that we didn’t have any. So when the opportunity presented itself with the space right next to [Antonio’s] opened up I immediately thought we must have a gelato shop right next to [the restaurant].”
“I think there is something special about a business where you can actually hire local teenagers,” Fiorello added. “All my employees are teenagers who live around the neighborhood and there is something special about it. They feel adult-like and are excited the day the paycheck clears. It’s amazing to see.”
The Swirl is open from noon-9 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Monday. For more information, check out its Facebook page.
