There’s no shortage of yummy dessert and coffee spots in Lake Travis and now you can add one more to the list, because FROST – a Gelato Shoppe opened earlier this month in the Hill Country Galleria.
But FROST is way more than just another run-of-the-mill soft serve parlor with an over-the-top list of sugary toppings.
FROST serves up authentic Italian gelato, sorbet, coffee and more. The visual presentation alone is delicious! Think of it as a taste of Italy with a twist of romance.
Romance, you say?
What could that possibly have to do with gelato?
Well, after you taste FROST gelato and sorbet, you may fall in love with it, so there’s that. Plus, the owners make fresh gelato and sorbet from scratch every day with ingredients and machinery from Italy. That’s love too.
But the best part has to be the FROST story, which started taking shape in Audrey Perez’s mind in 2005.
How FROST came to Texas
Audrey, who comes from a family of engineers, shocked her family one day after she visited FROST in Tuscon, Arizona, by telling them she was headed to business school.
Why? Because she was going to own a gelato shop just like FROST one day. At that time FROST was not yet franchised, but Audrey was smitten and her entrepreneurial spirit was leading the way.
In 2009, Audrey’s path crossed with Anthony’s path at a baseball game. Anthony was a cavalry scout in the Army and he met Audrey right after his first deployment to Baghdad/Iraq. The couple really liked each other and on a whim, the two decided that Audrey’s sister should meet Anthony’s best friend, who was also in the Army, before they both left on their second deployment to Baghdad. Well, fast-forward to today and both couples are married and all four are proud owners of FROST.
When they say it’s a family-run business, they mean it. That’s one of the reasons why the grand opening of FROST in Lake Travis was so exciting. After 11 years of planning, working and saving money, Audrey’s dream finally came to fruition and she gets to share it with her husband, her sister, her brother, and her brother-in-law in the Texas Hill Country.
FROST may have just opened this month, but Audrey and Anthony have had their eyes on the Hill Country Galleria for a long time. “We really love this community,” says Audrey. “It’s exactly where we want FROST to be and we’re excited to share it with Lake Travis.”
Authentic gelato & sorbet
What makes FROST an authentic shop?
Pretty much everything! The gelato and sorbet is made from scratch daily with ingredients from Italy (with the exception of sugar, milk and fresh fruit for the sorbet).
The machines are from Italy, including the espresso machine. The gorgeous custom display case was made in Italy. And the tables. And the chairs.
The master gelato chef, Nazario Melchionda, is also from Italy. He has been working with the owners of FROST for months to teach them the procedures and processes so they can perfectly replicate gelato and sorbet as though it were crafted in Italy. Nazario himself has more than 22 years of experience traveling the world perfecting his gelato skills and recipes.
Audrey and Anthony agree that making sorbet requires “perfection” in the process to hit the right amount of intensity for each flavor. It can be challenging, but the end result is worth it. They both love making gelato because they’re always incorporating new seasonal recipes and flavors into the menu. Get ready for pumpkin spice!
More cool stuff about FROST
- Their most popular gelato flavor is Sea Salt Caramel
- Lotus Cookie and Honey Lavender are also very popular gelato flavors when they’re in season
- 100% of their sorbets are gluten-free, fat-free, and dairy-free
- 90% of their gelato flavors are gluten-free
- Gelato has 80% less fat and 1/2 the calories of traditional ice cream
- 1 serving of gelato only has 132-180 calories
- 1 serving of gelato only has 2.6 grams of fat
- Waffle cones are also made from scratch
- Try their FROST Bites – chocolate covered gelato
- FROST features a full coffee bar with espresso imported straight from Italy, and flavored coffee drinks with their gelato (added Italian espresso – you could also add FROST Bites – chocolate covered gelato)
- FROST makes custom cakes
- The Spizzico (pictured below) is a mini gelato cone tree, perfect for parties!
Nice article on FROST at the Hill Country Galleria. Would be nice to know – and a benefit to the shop – to state where it is at the Galleria. It would help folks from searching the mall from end to end.