A lot has happened in the past few weeks. A lot. The building at 109N Columbus is made over beautifully. The pantry, refrigerator and freezers are stocked. Coffee and espresso bins are full. Grinders and coffee and espresso machines are calibrated–tastings are happening daily. Menu’s are refined. The space is decorated. Front porch is inviting.

And this. Little Stevie, the gelato king of East Texas, has been cranking out house-made gelato well into the night. The case is full of cookies-n-cream, dark chocolate, vanilla, coffee and lotus flavored espresso. This is the real deal. Stevie wrote these recipes personally–perfected over years of refining his craft in San Antonio and Austin. We are lucky to have him. The legacy of his gelato recipes will be given the respect they deserve and will serve the community for years to come.

Today we did a little family and friends gig to shake out a few flaws. Measure our worth. See if we are ready for prime time. We are close. Damn close.

Shannon and the crew rocked the back-of-house cranking out breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy, sandwiches, French toast and even a dish of Shakshuka.

Steven handled gelato, coffee & espresso and made sure everything clicked. Customers were fed. Coffee was drank and you could sense the future of community taking shape.

You may want to stop by on Thursday. We will be taking the leap on that day. And so any day thereafter. 5:30am to 9:00pm.

Come by. We will be here.

The good news is that the big white house on the corner is being transformed. Outside is spruced up, new windows are in, floors are sanded and polished, new plumbing and electrical is nearly done. Paint is dry, equipment is ready to be installed and parking lots are being created. We built the world’s smallest fireplace.

That’s the good bit.

The bad part is the kitchen is not yet ready. We have a classic economics dilemma at the moment where demand for talented tradespeople exceeds supply. So we are down to pleading and begging and promising a lifetime of gelato to get the kitchen finished up so we can finalize our menu and planning and get open.

We are hopeful that July is our month to get open. Really really hopeful. We are like a racehorse at the gate. The lead dog at the start of the Iditarod. The doors are closed and cross-check is nearly completed. We need to get this plane in the air.

It will happen friends. Stay close to us now.

Shannon and Trent are working their magic. Restoring a tired old historic house to something of beauty. A somewhat modernized look, but with a nod to history and traditional architecture of the times.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to plan for an opening the first week of June. Researching and buying equipment, reviewing menu options, learning the gelato business with some great help from our young Nephew Steven in San Antonio. The Gelato Master!

We’ve been fortunate for a good working relationship with North Valley Bank and they are partnering with us to help out with capital expenditures.

Lots to do.

As always, we are on the lookout for great food ideas–I happened upon a superb yogurt bowl the other morning at a coffeeshop in Worcester, Mass. So simple but so delicious.

Interestingly. Coincidentally, we will be opening 30 years after I opened my first business, also a coffeeshop but combined with a bookstore, in Pocatello Idaho. Our tagline there was ‘Damn fine cuppa Jo‘.

Time passes, but my love for coffee and camaraderie and good food and conversation has not diminished in all these years. So we are both very excited about getting this venture open and meeting our neighbors in a new space–over a cuppa.

It’s happening. Somerset OH. At the corner of 13 & 22. Next to Nick’s and across the street from the Duke.

We are busy remodeling the tired old house on the corner into a super cute little coffee shop and cafe. Oh. And we will making many amazing flavors of gelato on-site. So that means not only great Italian ice cream, but ice-cream sandwiches, cones, and delicious cream and coffee drinks.

All with a smorgasbord of delicious comfort food items to be enjoyed on site or taken with you on the run.

Stay tuned here for more updates.