Hank Sbraccia, Sous Chef and Gelato Master
Take a stroll to the dessert display, where you'll feel like a kid in a candy store. The freshly made gelato is as tasty as those found in the Gelato Capitol -- Florence, Italy. Hank Sbraccia, Sous Chef, arrives at the restaurant at two in the morning each day to make a variety of flavors, including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, pistachio and Italian Cheesecake. Sbraccia, who celebrated his 15th anniversary with MRG in May 2007, makes sure the gelato is up-to-the-minute fresh and better than any you've tasted.
Gelato is a very dense ice cream product made from cream and eggs. The process calls for less air than is used in making ice cream, which causes the denser texture and a richer flavor. With so many people watching their weight, they'll be happy to know that gelato contains a lower fat content than ice cream.
Sbraccia has made 350 flavors of gelati throughout the years. He strives to be innovative and create different flavors, and TREVI always features a "Gelato of the Day". Sbraccia has experimented with flavors such as Prickly Pear Cactus and Tomato Basil.
For a special treat — and a favorite of children — the Spaghetti Ice is both a work of art and delicious. Served in a pasta bowl, strands of white gelato looks like spaghetti, strawberry sauce doubles for marinara and shaved white chocolate resembles parmesan cheese. It's enough to fool even the most discerning eye.
Sbraccia, a perfectionist and master at making gelato, has trained employees at Bertolini's Authentic Trattorias across the country. Since the gelato at TREVI is homemade, Sbraccia has his own kitchen at the restaurant, which consists of expensive equipment including a pasteurizer to cook the eggs, milk and sugar for at least 24 hours. A freezer is always stocked with 1,500 pounds of the gourmet treat. All of the flavorings for the gelati are imported from Italy.
"When I make gelato, you're going to remember it," said Sbraccia, whose gelato was described in Food Arts Magazine as 'the best this side of Florence.' "I believe in giving people lots of flavor, because that's how I like it. TREVI sells between 250 and 350 pounds of gelati on a busy day."
Gelato-making is a craft, and people in Italy know when it's made on the premises because of the sign "Artiginale Gelati," which means artisan, an art form. In Florence, Italy, the sign signifies the best gelati you can get. While Sbraccia doesn't hang a sign outside his kitchen, his technique and the results are synonymous with the gelati found in Italy. Sbraccia trained at the Farmer's Culinary Institute in Boston and earned a Pastry Chef degree.
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