If Canberra was a gelato flavour, what would it be? Florence Gelato wants to make it.

Posted on 19 January, 2024

When you think about Canberra flavours, what comes to mind? Local honey? The taste of crisp cool climate Riesling? How about gin?

This is the challenge Florence Gelato has put to Canberrans in celebration of their opening at Belconnen Markets tomorrow, Saturday 20 January.

Having found a home in Belconnen’s Capital Food Market (on the site of the former Belconnen Fresh Food Markets), Florence is ready to open its doors with a flourish – and find the flavour of Canberra in the process.

Behind Florence is two passionate foodies, Matteo and Juliana Sassi, who are excited to bring an authentic flavour of Matteo’s home country to Canberra.

“Florence Gelato was inspired by and named for my hometown – a city that is home to some of the world’s best gelati,” explains Matteo.

We were lucky enough to have a behind-the-scenes tour (and taste!) of Florence’s gelatos and cakes (yes, more on that later) and all we can say is: bellissimo.

Matteo Sassi.

Across the afternoon we tried the yogurt and cherry (heaven), chocolate (rich and decadent) and hazelnut (creamy and moreish) gelato as well as the mango and berry sorbets, both of which tasted like summer.

Naturally, this is just the start of Florence’s offerings, with the full suite of flavours unveiled this Saturday, including a very special Florentine flavour which Matteo says is a love letter to his hometown.

Florence’s elegant oxblood and cream storefront is the culmination of a long-held dream for Matteo, who started work in the culinary industry as an apprentice at just 14-year-old.

Training as a pastry chef, chocolatier, gelato maker and baker at Italy’s Cast Alimenti Culinary Academy, Matteo honed his craft as the executive production manager of gelato stores and restaurants in London, taking third place in the Savour Pâtissier of the Year in 2016 before becoming Head Pastry Chef at Adriano Zumbo Patisserie.

Moving to Canberra to become Head Pastry Chef at Sonoma Bakery, Matteo met and fell in love with Juliana. Now the couple want to launch a flavour dedicated to their own city of love.

“I’ll be bringing all my years of experience and passion to Florence Gelato to offer classics with a modern twist – creations that combine quality Australian ingredients to bring out the best of Italian flavours. The Canberra gelato will be a perfect showcase of what makes us different,” says Matteo.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to launch than by combining a little Italian creativity with all the things that make Canberra such a special place.”

Want to suggest a flavour? Head to Florence Gelato’s Instagram (@florence.gelato) and send them a message, with suggestions closing on Monday 29 January.

Matteo will then comb through the suggestions to find the unique flavour that he promises will be on sale for a limited run before the end of summer.

The bottom line? Don’t hold back on creativity.

“We expect suggestions to range from the considered to the cheeky, but we’re looking forward to the creative process!” says Matteo.

Okay, now back to the cakes. If authentic Italian gelati wasn’t enough, Matteo has also turned his years of patisserie experience into a simply jaw-dropping selection of layered traditional Italian cakes.

Combining layers of mousse, gels, creams and cake in classic Italian flavours such as lemon and strawberry and hazelnut, the cherry on top of these lavish creations is that they’re gluten-free, meaning they can be enjoyed by even more Canberrans.