Gelato Gilberto is throwing open its doors on Frankfort Avenue this Sunday for the second annual GelatoFest, a free block party celebrating the Crescent Hill gelateria's 20th year in business. The event runs from noon until 9 p.m. and will fill the street outside the shop with Italian food, live music, and a competitive eating contest.
As WLKY reports, Gelato Gilberto co-owner Justin Gilbert has said the best gelato is the kind freshly made on a Sunday afternoon in Italy — a fitting sentiment for a festival timed to a Sunday of its own. Justin and his wife, co-owner Kristin Gilbert, reportedly spent three years in Italy learning to perfect their gelato recipe, training with Italian experts at three different locations before bringing the craft back to Kentucky, according to the same station's report.
That Italian education runs deeper than a few years abroad. Justin Gilbert formally trained at Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy and researched recipes across more than 20 Italian gelaterias before launching the business, according to AyrKing. Kristin Gilbert, meanwhile, earned a PhD in Art History with a dissertation on French Academy artists in Rome, and it was her time living in Italy that helped shape her sense of authentic gelato-making, per StyleBlueprint.
What Actually Separates Gelato From Ice Cream
Gelato is often described simply as the Italian version of ice cream with less air and fat, per the station's report, and the food science backs that up. Under federal regulations, ice cream must contain at least 10% milkfat, while gelato typically runs between 4% and 9%, and it's churned with less air incorporated than commercial ice cream, according to Dairy Foods. Those differences are among the ways gelato differs from ice cream.
The Gilberts opened their first Gelato Gilberto 15 years before StyleBlueprint's 2022 article and later opened a second shop in Crescent Hill, according to StyleBlueprint. The shop's history also includes its Crescent Hill location.
Opera, Jazz and a 5:30 P.M. Eating Contest
This year's festival lineup leans into the shop's Italian roots with entertainment as well as food. GelatoFest includes performances tied to opera and jazz, alongside fresh and hot Italian food, an Italian market, and tiramisu, per the station's report. The opera performers at GelatoFest are members of Kentucky Opera, who are using the festival to promote the company's upcoming production of Rossini's comedy The Barber of Seville, set for October 9 and 11 at the historic Brown Theatre, according to Kentucky Opera.
Festival organizers have also detailed a more specific lineup for the day. Food will come from the Flavaville food truck, led by former Vincenzo's chef Serge Katz, along with Italian bakery goods from The Italian Loaf and Monella, and an Italian market featuring vendors including Fiorisci and Primo Olive Oil, according to Gelato Gilberto. A gelato-eating contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and Frankfort Avenue Liquors will be on hand serving spritzes and limoncello.
A New Tradition on an Established Food Corridor
GelatoFest is in its second year and marks Gelato Gilberto's 20th anniversary, according to Louisville Gypsy Jazz. The shop also has a Frankfort Avenue location.
The festival's setting is no accident. Gelato Gilberto's storefront sits along Frankfort Avenue, a culinary corridor packed with dozens of local dining spots and artisanal food businesses, including Blue Dog Bakery & Cafe. GelatoFest takes place there this Sunday, September 20, from noon to 9 p.m., and admission is free.
