Bringing Old World Flavours to Hintonburg

Stella Luna Café serves up award-winning gelato and sorbet – with passion and dedication

A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.

If you were to pose the following question to the average Ottawan, you may receive a few blank stares or perhaps even the odd head scratch in response: what’s the actual difference between gelato and ice cream?

Luckily for residents of Hintonburg and the Glebe, we have a world-class, award-winning gelato master nearby, who can offer some clarity on the matter.

“It’s in the purity of the flavours,” says Tammy Giuliani, Master Gelato Chef and owner of Stella Luna Gelato Café. “Gelato is milk-based and, compared to ice cream, it has a quarter of the fat. So, when you take a spoonful of gelato, there’s less fat coating your tastebuds. Since fat inhibits flavour, you’re able to perceive that flavour more with gelato.”

Sounds simple enough in theory, but for Tammy, the creation of high quality and authentic gelato is much more than the sum of its ingredients – it’s also about a commitment to the craft, learning from the best, and taking creative chances.

“Making gelato from scratch by hand is an old traditional art,” says Tammy. “Not many people around the world, and even in Italy, are willing to do it. The gelato we make is what you would have eaten if you were a child growing up in Italy. We don’t use any pre-packaged mixes; we create from scratch.”

Tammy (along with her husband and three adult children who help with operations) has been going that extra mile in terms of making authentic gelato since 2011 when she opened the first Stella Luna Café in the Glebe. It didn’t take long for locals to catch on, and locations in Hintonburg as well as Merrickville followed. Word soon spread, and gelato aficionados from near and far began to seek out Tammy’s sweet creations.

Understandably so – Tammy is a Master Gelato Chef, having trained extensively under the masters at Italy’s Carpigiani Gelato University to learn the traditional craft. Today, her frozen creations run the gamut from the traditional such as hazelnut, pistachio and madagascar vanilla, to the award-winning chocolate bourbon-pecan, which took bronze at the 2017 Gelato World Tour, to the tantalizingly unexpected such as chocolate cinnamon chillies and fuzzy peach schnapps.

Tammy’s gelato and sorbet menu changes just about every day, and in the busy summer months she will offer 24 varieties (six of which are always vegan). Tammy imports a great many of her gelato products from Italy, and nothing is done halfway – not even the cones. However, these sweet and icy treats are only a small part of what draws locals to Stella Luna Café, which recently landed on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in Canada list.

The expansive menu also features an ever-evolving selection of house-baked goods including pies, scones, squares and tarts. Ever since the pandemic made in-store dining an impossibility, however, Tammy and her team have pivoted to make Stella Luna Café into an Italian specialty store featuring olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, pastas and much more. “We brought in some of our favourite products from Italy,” says Tammy. The cafés have also begun selling prepared grab-and-go meals including lasagna, arancini, and steak and mushroom pie.

With summer on the horizon, one can imagine that the demand for a satisfying gelato will be high in Hintonburg. The last year has been beyond challenging for businesses like Stella Luna Café, but when you hear Tammy speak about her gelato and how passionate she is about making a mouth-wateringly good product, you can’t help but get caught up in the simple magic of a dessert made with love and care.

“In the summer, when you get a lemon sorbet with freshly squeezed lemon juice, the taste is just so refreshing,” says Tammy. “Or during strawberry season – there’s nothing like the aroma of local berries in season. Add a little prosecco, and it’s like strawberries and champagne.”
 

About Discover Local

Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring, and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local – there’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!