Mack's Finest Gelato, the scratch-made gelato shop that has quietly built a following in Park City's Prospector neighborhood, is expanding south. Construction is now underway on a second location in Salt Lake City's 900 South corridor, in the Central City neighborhood, bringing the shop's small-batch approach to a new crowd of regulars.
According to the Park Record, the Salt Lake City build has hit some delays. The shop ordered custom-made gelato cabinets from Milan for the new location, and those cabinets alone take about 14 weeks to manufacture plus several more weeks to ship. When the first shipment arrived with the wrong designs, co-owner Mack Tilling had to order replacements, pushing the timeline back further.
Despite the setback, production for both the Park City and Salt Lake City shops, along with the business's wholesale restaurant accounts, will continue to be based in Park City. The Salt Lake location will reportedly serve largely the same flavors as its sister shop, though the new space has a slightly bigger back bar to work with.
From Prospector to the 900 South Corridor
Mack's Finest Gelato has been open for about two and a half years, having launched its original Park City location in April 2024. Tilling, who co-owns the business with Anne Vivienne, has spent 20 years perfecting his gelato craft and builds his menu around ingredients he considers the finest available, refusing to serve something he can't source at its peak.
The new Salt Lake City spot sits near Loki Coffee, Paréa, Skillets Restaurant and Neighbors Bar. Tilling had originally hoped to find a small space on Park City's Main Street for his first shop, which opened on Bonanza Drive in Park City's Prospector neighborhood. He described the thinking behind that kind of location choice to the Park Record: “We didn't want our first one to be on Main Street. We wanted it to be in more of a locals' access area, and I think that's what this is.”
That instinct seems to have paid off. Tilling said the Park City shop's response, even with little marketing, exceeded his expectations, including a relatively busy first winter despite a record-low snow year that season.
No Vanilla, but Plenty of Ambition
One quirk that sets Mack's Finest Gelato apart: it doesn't serve vanilla as a standard flavor, leaning instead on fior di latte as its go-to alternative. The shop keeps a rotating selection of seasonal flavors, including a classic mint chip that only appears in summer. Tilling now plans to add a Swedish lingonberry flavor, using what he called some of the highest-quality berries he could source.
He's also particular about sourcing for existing favorites. “The best pistachio in the world comes from Sicily, and maybe Iran if you can ever get it,” Tilling said, per the Park Record's reporting.
The shop has leaned into collaborations with local chefs and restaurants that use its gelato for plated desserts. Tilling made gelato-paired dinners with chef James Dumas of Alpinist, crafting heirloom tomato sorbet and basil lime sorbet for a caprese course, plus a toasted seaweed guacamole sorbet served with aged soy sauce for tuna tartare. In August, he opened his gelato production facility to visiting chefs for the inaugural Chef's Table Festival.
Building a 'Community Creamery'
Tilling has said he once considered calling the business Community Creamery, and that spirit still shapes how he talks about the Central City expansion. He compared the vibe he's after to a neighborhood gathering spot, saying, “It's like the nonalcoholic version of No Name Saloon, where all the regulars kind of go and know each other.” Mack's Finest Gelato is aiming for its new Central City location to become that kind of community hub.
Tilling doesn't seem worried about competition in a city that already has its share of dessert options, including Auntie Em's Baked Goods and its Em's Very Vanilla pints, or Matilda's custom spiced gelato with sticky toffee pudding. “We're not looking to be competitive or displace somebody else,” Tilling said. “Utah is a state that loves its sugar, so I think there's room for lots … so we'll carve out our little niche.”
An earlier report from Building Salt Lake identified the proposed address as 313 E. 900 South and noted the commercial building permit, with an estimated job value of $200,000, was still in the pre-screening phase at that time. The shop also sells at Park Silly Market during the summer and has released gelato popsicles for Halloween and Día de los Muertos. Tilling said he hopes to eventually find a small outlet in Old Town as well, and the business plans to post construction updates for the Salt Lake City shop on its Instagram account, @macks_finest.
