Franca Tamburello said Italian food, gelato and River Grove were her inspirations in opening Grand Gelato & Ice Cream.
The gelato and ice cream shop, which is located on Grand Avenue in River Grove, will have a grand opening on Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. Tamburello said there will be activities for kids such as balloons, face painting and a visit from Champion the Clown.
The first 25 guests will receive a free ice cream cone, and there will be raffles every hour.
“Our raffle prizes will be a gelato or a cup of coffee,” Tamburello said.
The shop opened in July, and she said she’s excited for the grand opening. She hopes the celebration brings more people in the neighborhood together to try her gelato flavors.
Besides ice cream and gelato, Tamburello said Grand Gelato & Ice Cream sells espresso, coffee and cappuccino. They also have milk shakes, banana splits and sundaes.
“We have certain recipes we like to use,” she said, adding, for instance, that their “pistachio gelato has real pistachio.”
She noted that their coconut and mango gelatos also contain real fruit ingredients, and their birthday cake ice cream has actual cake.
“Everything is made with fresh fruit and ingredients,” she said. “Gelato is heavier than ice cream. It’s a heavier product, but it’s a natural product.”
Tamburello said she often travels to Sicily, where she gets a taste of their local gelatos. She said tasting the gelato in Italy has ignited her imagination for ingredients.
“I go to Italy all the time,” she said. “The gelato in Sicily is to die for. I love gelato.”
Tamburello said she was motivated to open an ice cream shop because she felt River Grove needed one. She also said she’s proud to hire River Grove residents who are college students.
“I want to inspire them,” she said.
Tamburello said she grew up in Chicago. From there, her family moved to Melrose Park. After she got married, she and her husband moved to River Grove. She has three children who attended Catholic schools in the area.
“I love River Grove. It reminds me of Mayberry,” she said.
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As for the future, she hopes to open more gelato and ice cream shops. The next time she vacations in Italy, she assumes that more inspiration will strike her, she said.
“It’s great to see something bloom, like a flower,” she said. “My goal is to open up three more gelato and ice cream shops.”
Grand Gelato & Ice Cream is open seven days a week, from noon to 10 p.m.
