In our March 3 column, we featured the welcome recent influx of Italian chefs to the Santa Ynez Valley.

And there’s more good news: it’s not just about savory pasta dishes and pinsas … there’s a sweeter side as well.

Exhibit A: Via Gelateria gelato shop at 1623 Mission Drive in Solvang.

If you live, or find yourself, in the Santa Ynez Valley, there are few better ways to brighten your day than a double scoop of gelato made in-house by chef/owner Alessio Carnevale.

Our only caution is to take care you don’t become addicted, as Team Let’s Go Eat has, to the Belgian Cookie/Chocolate combo. In addition to rising spirits, you may find your waistline expanding as well.

It’s a risk we happily take.

Carnevale comes originally from the small town of Rossano in the Calabrian region of Italy.

“I learned the trade from my uncle, who owned a pastry shop,” he told us, “working for him in the summers.

“One day,” he continued, “my uncle broke his arm, so I jumped in to make gelato.”

How did our man from Calabria end up in Solvang? Well, as is often the case, there was a girl.

“When I was 17 I moved to Rome and joined the Carabinieri (one of Italy’s national police forces), which I did for six years,” Carnevale recalled. “I liked hanging around with the American tourists and students, and met Nicole (now his wife) who was from the U.S. She was my bridge to America.

“In Rome, neither of us had money so our dates were to gelato shops,” he continued. “I was thinking about opening my own shop, even then.”

When Nicole returned to UC Santa Barbara to finish school, Carnevale came to visit.

“While at lunch one day at Trattoria Grappolo in Santa Ynez, I met the owner, Leonardo, who happened to be from my same hometown,” he said.

“He told me there would always be a place for me here.”

So Carnevale quit his job with the police, moved to the United States, married the girl, and got to work learning the restaurant business, eventually landing as a server at S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez.

“This valley is a good place to be an Italian,” Carnevale said. “We all do the same thing and see each other often.”

While at S.Y. Kitchen, he dusted off his gelato skills and began making some for the restaurant to offer.

“Customers were telling me they really liked it, and started asking if I could do parties and events,” he shared. Which he did and still does.

When the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns were over, Carnevale decided to open his own shop in early 2022.

“This is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life,” he said. “There’s a lot more to it than just making gelato.”

But he has help.

“There’s a strong support system in my home village,” Carnevale told us. “When I have a question about something, I call home and someone knows the answer.

“About gelato, I mean. About love and relationships, not so much,” he laughed.

Regular readers know we’re big fans of great gelato, not only for the flavors, but also because it generally has less fat and sugar than ice cream. So we feel all virtuous when we eat it, especially the homemade kind.

“I make everything right here on the premises,” Carnevale told us, showing us around the shop. “We do small batch production here, and I want it to always be fresh.”

Gelato is like bread — much better fresh.

“And the best part of the business is creating flavors,” Carnevale said, adding that “inspiration comes from everywhere — from my daughters, the grocery store, and sometimes from nature, like our Lemon/Basil flavor.” (Try that with the mango BTW).

Customers are also quite partial to his pistachio, hazelnut and mixed berry, as well as his summer sorbets.

“This job is a labor of love, and I take great pleasure in seeing people enjoy what we make,” Carnevale shared, adding, “I love it when people come in, order a gelato, and then say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know it could be that good.’”

We can confirm. It is that good.

Locals Only

Chef’s favorite: the pistachio + hazelnut combo. And for those traveling to Rome, Carnevale says the best gelato shop is Giolitti, where you can rub elbows with the politicos and diplos.

When You Go

Via Gelateria, at 1623-A Mission Drive in Solvang, is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.