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If you want “real” gelato, it’s coming to Santa Barbara and the Paseo Nuevo mall.
James Haskins promises the real Italian dessert at the site of the former Wetzel’s Pretzels, 401 Paseo Nuevo, across from the former Macy’s building.
“We produce authentic gelato,” Haskins said. “I wanted to bring the real gelato back to Santa Barbara.”
The entrepreneur grew up in both Italy and Santa Barbara, and he uses authentic recipes. He said he will make everything from scratch, and he doesn’t use any bases, powders or fake sugarss.
“Everything we make is all natural,” Haskins told Noozhawk.
The eatery will be called Tondi Gelato — a nickname his mother gave him as a child.
“It means small and round,” he joked.
He said he plans to make all of the gelato on site; nothing will ever be frozen. There also will be dairy-free options.
“It is not being produced, stocked in a freezer and trucked into the shop,” Haskins said. “It comes out of our machine, and it is going directly into our display case to sell.”
He said there’s only one way to make gelato.
“Gelato is kind of like bread,” he said. “The fresher, the better.”
Haskins expects to open in March.
Santa Barbara Urban Flea Market to Open
There’s more good news for the Paseo Nuevo shopping experience.
Entrepreneur Sara Gehris, the original owner of Punch, plans to open the Santa Barbara Urban Flea Market at the site of the old Pascucci restaurant, 729 State St.
The shop will feature multiple vendors selling their items and crafts.
“We really want to help people who are struggling with their businesses,” Gehris told Noozhawk.
Gehris, who has owned businesses for 15 years, opened a pop-up in the Funk Zone just before Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the lockdown in late 2020. In the meantime, she found Paseo Nuevo and plans to open the bazaar shopping marketplace.
“I wanted a place where people could come in and feel wanted,” Gehris said. “It’s a store within a store. There are so many talented people.”
She said she’s redoing just about everything in the interior.
“I am painting over every surface,” she said.
She’s planning to keep the bar that was there, though, which will allow people to enjoy beer and wine, and fully embrace the shopping experience.
The Santa Barbara Urban Flea Market plans to open in March.
Mary Lynn Harms-Romo, marketing director for the mall, said she’s looking forward to the new stores.
“We are excited to welcome these new local businesses to Paseo Nuevo,” Harms-Romo said. “Currently our tenant mix is about 45% local and small-business owners. We are very proud that we have such a high percentage of small businesses and dedicate significant resources to bring together and develop local entrepreneurs, especially in this ever-changing retail landscape.”
Chocolate Coming to Goleta
Chocolats du CaliBressan is now available in Goleta.
Goleta Coffee Co./Loca Vivant Kitchen is now selling the chocolates.
The chocolates include locally sourced delicacies such as Cali Bressan truffles, soft caramels and bonbons.
Goleta Coffee Co./Loca Vivant Kitchen is a coffee shop and cafe open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 177 S. Turnpike Road in the Turnpike Shopping Center.
Click here to browse online, or order ahead by calling 805.964.8344.
Chocolats du CaliBressan recently closed a store in downtown Santa Barbara, but it has one in Carpinteria.
Diana Lytel Named to Board
Attorney Diana Lytel has been named board president of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the largest regional organization of civil defense attorneys in the country.
She is the first woman on the Central Coast to serve in that position, according to a press release.
Lytel is a partner at Lowthorp, Richards, McMillan, Miller & Templeman, a century-old firm with offices in Santa Barbara and Oxnard. She also serves on the board of directors of the California Defense Counsel and Santa Barbara Women Lawyers.
She also has been named a Super Lawyer for Southern California in 2020-21, has been on the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list since 2015, has been recognized on the Up-and-Coming 50 List of Women Rising Stars and holds an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, according to a news release.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
