Sorella Gelateria - Lexington, KY
I don’t know if you guys have figured it out by now, but we LOVE downtown Lexington! We’re really digging the NoLi area at the moment; there are so many good restaurants on North Limestone and we can’t wait to dive into all of them. You could legitimately spend an entire day on this street; start with brunch, followed by a nice dinner, and end with dessert, all within a couple of blocks! This week we’re focusing on the dessert aspect, as we stepped off the sidewalk on North Lime and into the sweet little world of gelato encompassed inside of Sorella Gelateria. Now you may be asking yourself, “what’s gelato?” It’s kind of like ice cream, with a few key differences: gelato is smoother and creamier than ice cream, it contains more milk and less fat, and gelato is mixed up so that it contains less air than traditional ice cream. We got to try some of the house-made gelatos here at Sorella, and y’all need to get down there ASAP and check this out!
While we were sampling several different gelato flavors, we got to have a really nice chat with the owners of Sorella, sisters Selma Sulejmanagic and Alma Kajtazovic. They each bring their own special skill set to the gelato game; Selma makes all of the gelato in-house every morning, while Alma handles all the business stuff. What sets Sorella apart from other gelato places (or other restaurants in general, really) is the passion that these two sisters have for their craft. Selma, who frequently travels to Italy, actually spent a couple of months in a small Italian town, where she learned to make gelato from a local gelateria. She was able to hone her craft by trying out her recipes on the locals who frequented the shop; they were a picky bunch, so if they really enjoyed her gelato then she knew she was doing something right! Here in Lexington, Alma loves to be involved with the downtown community; Sorella is a part of the Night Market series that happens once a month during the summer, and she serves on a committee that works to help small businesses get started in the NoLi district. These two ladies are very committed to working with their fellow NoLi neighbors in order to bring more visitors to the downtown area, specifically on North Limestone (hence the name NoLi). They have noticed an increase in foot traffic from the UK campus and South Limestone over the past little bit, which is great for Sorella, as well as the rest of the street!
Sorella Gelateria opened their doors in December of 2015, and since then the business has been quite good! This operation is truly a craft; Selma comes in every morning and makes the day's gelato flavors from scratch, using as many local ingredients as possible (they frequent the farmer's market, Midway Bakery, local coffee roasters, etc). There is no set menu or even an actual recipe; Selma has made this particular gelato so much that she just knows what goes into each batch right off the top of her head! There are a few popular flavors that she likes to make on a regular basis, such as cookies & cream and Nutella, and she tries to keep a bourbon flavor on hand during Keeneland seasons (we are in Kentucky, of course)! Otherwise, Selma makes up a dozen or so flavors each day based on what sounds good in her mind. She also likes to keep certain dietary restrictions in mind; whether you have a dairy sensitivity, a food allergy, or you prefer a vegan lifestyle, you'll always have a couple of choices at Sorella. Do you have a flavor that you'd like to try? Selma can always whip something up for you if you have a specific request; batches normally take less than 10 minutes, and she can make her entire day's worth of gelato in about 2 and a half hours. Each sister has their own favorite flavors, and between the two of them, they estimate that they've made over 150 different flavors since opening 2 years ago! How awesome is that?!
You all seriously have to get over to Sorella and try the gelato - you won't regret it! There is always something amazing in the freezer case for you to try, and trust us when we say you're going to want to try ALL of the flavors! There is plenty of metered street parking right out in front of the shop (bonus: it's free to park on evenings and weekends) so that you can sit inside this cute storefront and enjoy an afternoon treat; or take it to go, and check out all the cool stuff that this street has to offer. They like to work with other local restaurants as much as possible; you can get their gelato at places such as Honeywood, Kentucky Native Cafe, and Bella Notte, just to name a few. And they recently collaborated with North Lime Coffee and Donuts to create a cone-shaped donut filled with Sorella gelato; go check out our Instagram account to see the finished product! Alma and Selma are such nice people; they love to get to know their customers, and they really care about their neighborhood and all the good stuff that's going on here. So the next time you're craving something sweet, head on over to Sorella Gelateria and dive head-first into some of the best gelatos you've ever eaten - we guarantee it!
