New gelato from Northern Ireland chef from course at Italian university

Northern Ireland chef Aaron Heasley has just launched his own luxury gelato on the back of studying at Carpigiani Gelato University in Bolognia.

Aaron (37) has established Moon Gelato, an artisan business, and introduced his first range of gelato flavours on the back of the five-day study course at the university.

Aaron, a qualified chef in Moira, county Armagh, developed a taste for Italian gelato on honeymoon to Barcelona and Mediterranean cruise. “The trip put the idea of a genuine Italian gelato operation here in my mind,” Aaron, the chef at the Fat Gherkin café, explains.

“The course gave me the confidence and inspired me to turn my interest in gelato into a small business venture. The first lockdown provided the time and space to develop my own products and the business,” he adds.

Established in 2003 to spread the Italian artisan gelato culture, Carpigiani Gelato University attracts chefs, entrepreneurs and pastry chefs from around the world. It offers the world’s biggest gelato laboratory, where students can learn to create novel recipes with guidance from vastly experienced instructors. Every year more than 2,000 people take the study courses, offered in several languages including English.

“I gained solid knowledge of Italian artisan gelato, an understanding of ingredients and different production methods for gelato, sorbet and stick gelato there,” he continues “While gelato and ice cream both contain the basic ingredients of cream, milk and sugar, authentic gelato uses more milk and less cream and generally doesn’t include egg yolks. Gelato is also a much denser product than ice cream, which means stronger flavours, and contains only about four to nine percent fat.

“In addition, gelato typically offers fewer calories, less air and lower sugar than ice cream,” he explains. “I handcraft the gelato myself and even pasteurise the milk. This means customers can count on a totally traceable product with provenance,” he adds.

The first eight flavours of gelato and sorbet he’s created include a vegan coconut and maple variety that’s proving immensely popular. Others in the portfolio include chocolate and salted caramel.  In another change, he serves the gelato in a croissant instead of the traditional cone at the cafe.

The gelato is also sold in two scoop tubs and 500ml pots. The product is now attracting the attention of leading gourmet retailers such as The Meat Merchant, also based in Moira, and Yellow Door in Portadown.