Zero Gradi Opens With Endless Italian Summer
Johnny Di Francesco, Melbourne’s pizza king and owner of renowned 400 Gradi and Gradi at Crown, is taking his first steps down a sweeter path - launching his his first stand alone gelataria, Zero Gradi. The World Loves Melbourne is mighty partial to Italian gelato, all year round.
Opening just a few doors down from his flagship restaurant 400 Gradi on Lygon Street, the sweet delights on offer at Zero Gradi transport customers straight to the heart of Italy – which is precisely what Johnny wants. The master pizza Chef says he has been considering the venture for a while, with the idea for Zero Gradi ignited by the longing for traditional Neapolitan gelato he feels every time he leaves his family’s homeland of Naples.
Johnny goes on to explain, “Great gelato should be an everyday enjoyment, and when I am in Naples I eat gelato every day. The gelato there is unlike any other I have found, anywhere in the world, and similarly to how and why 400 Gradi was originally created, I wanted to bring that to the people of Melbourne.”
Zero Gradi’s offering also follows the Gradi Group’s love of combining the old and the new, and Italian and Australian, with flavour combinations inspired by both countries. Of course Johnny’s World’s Best Pizza award gets a nod, namely in the form of the unique and delicious margherita flavour gelato.
The Italian inspired gelato is churned daily on-site and served in the traditional way, by adding ‘panna’, otherwise known as whipped cream. Complemented by a selection of cakes and Italian pastries, Zero Gradi is setting the benchmark in gelato by taking a more traditional approach to Italy’s favourite dessert, and the results are sure to leave a sweet taste in everyone’s mouths.