Francesca Cavallari’s love for natural ingredients brings colorful scoops to life (Credit: Dolce Bacio)
Those who can recognize the “real deal” when it comes to gelato are typically the ones who grew up with it. Francesca Cavallari and Dante Scarano not only grew up with gelato, but went to school to master the art of making it. And luckily for us, the duo recently opened a truck in East Austin, dishing out some seriously mind-blowing flavors of the popular Italian dessert.
Thank you to Dolce Bacio for hosting me. All opinions are my own.
Australia to Austin
Francesca Cavallari and Dante Scarano, owners of Dolce Bacio
Cavallari and Scarano have lived an adventurous life. They grew up in Italy and were long-time friends before they were married. In each other, they found the same adventurous spirit, yearning to travel, and passion for gelato. So sharing traditional Italian gelato with the world seemed to be a no-brainer.
With the title of “Master Gelato Maker” from Carpigiani Gelato University under both their belts, the couple set toward Sydney to gain first-hand experience owning a small business. Sydney’s market and bazaar culture turned out to be the perfect training ground for operating a gelato lab in a truck. The first avatar of Dolce Bacio was a huge success.
After two and a half years in Sydney, they headed to the U.S. and fell in love with Austin’s food truck culture. Dolce Bacio moved to Austin in late 2017 and officially opened for business in August 2018.
Real Ingredients, Little Sugar
The hand-stuffed gelato cannoli are a special treat
Dolce Bacio isn’t out to simply sell you a great dessert, but also to educate and inform. Cavallari and Scarano are very proud of their gelato. They love talking to customers about the differences between ice cream and gelato, their production process, and how dessert doesn’t have to be a sugar bomb.
Dolce Bacio’s gelato is made with 100 percent fruit and other natural ingredients. Cavallari is fairly adamant about respecting the art of gelato making. She likes to maintain the authenticity of traditional gelato and works on perfecting the recipe before selling a flavor.
The gelato taco comes in a house-made waffle shell, stuffed with a gelato flavor of your choice
(Credit: Dolce Bacio)
The menu at Dolce Bacio changes frequently with the seasons. Favorites like chocolate and vanilla are available anytime. However, the truly special flavors to try are the seasonal ones.
Cavallari and Scarano also get experimental with their menu. They recently introduced gelato tacos and also serve a mean affogato. If you really want to get adventurous, then try the gelato-stuffed cannoli.
Loving Austin One Scoop at a Time
The black and white with passionfruit gelato
Cavallari and Scarano show their love for Austin in the best way possible: serving up the best gelato scoop you’ll ever have. The couple even built a mobile gelato bar for special events!
Dolce Bacio is their pride and joy, and everything about the operation reflects that. The love and care that goes into their product is evident in every bite. I’ve been to the truck twice in a two-week span, and found a new flavor to love each time.
1606 E. 6th St. – Website
@theAustinot wants to know:
What’s your favorite gelato flavor?
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