As we enter 2020 we wanted to take a moment to thank the Kingston community for your support over the years and share with you the company we are continuously striving to be with your help.
2019 was a big year for mio gelato! We dug deeper into who we are as a company and where we want to go in the future. Behind the scenes we made big steps to grow as a community, and help our staff feel involved in our process and take pride in what Mio does as a company. We may seem like just a gelato shop, but Mio means so much more to the staff that work there and the community we serve.
Taking advantage of this deep dive we created 4 core values that showcase who we are as a company and how we try to serve you everyday.
1. We work hard - like really hard - but we make sure to prioritize fun while doing it! We’re talking staff singalongs or cracking jokes even while serving people lined up out the door.
2. We prioritize experience - our mission is to make every customer smile. That means offering samples even when its busy and helping customers find the flavour best suited for them. That also means answering any questions they have about our city while they are here.
3. We are a team - ALWAYS - there is no ‘every man for themselves’ here. Everyone is here to help everyone. If someone is having a bad day we work EXTRA hard to make them smile or to pick up their slack if needed.
4. We keep going! - NO MATTER WHAT and we do it with a smile. Things break (like a lot) and days are busy (like always), but when things aren’t going our way we find a way to succeed anyway and we do it with humour and laughter.
When we shared these values with staff many agreed that it was ‘so mio’ and we hope you feel the same. We want to live these values everyday and take great pride in providing an experience people remember and want to share with their friends and family.
We are so excited for 2020 and have some BIG things up our sleeve that we can’t wait to share with you as we move through the new decade.
Thank you Kingston for your love and support. We hope to do you proud as we continue to grow.
To make assembling each cocktail as easy as possible we did a little prep-work to keep things running smoothly. Before the party we pre-scooped each flavour of gelato and kept them in separate bowls in the freezer. We'd recommend labelling each bowl so it's easy to tell the difference between flavours that look the same like the pineapple and coconut.
Without further ado here's the different gelato cocktails we tried:
Kahlua Float
1 scoop Cappuccino gelato
1.5 ounces Kahlua
Top with champagne
This is the most desserty of the cocktails we made pretty much dessert with a little bit of alcohol mixed in.
Moscow Mule
1 scoop Mojito sorbetto
2 ounces vodka
Top with ginger beer
Garnish with lime and mint
Bet you thought we'd make a mojito with mojito sorbetto but we like to shake things up a bit!
Passionfruit Aperol Rose
1 scoop Passionfruit sorbetto
1 ounce aperol
3/4 cup sparkling rose
You obviously can't have a gelato inspired cocktail party with the signature Italian spirit Aperol.
Pain Killer
1 scoop pineapple sorbetto
1 scoop coconut gelato
2 ounces dark rum
Top with pineapple juice
The nice thing about all the options is you can have a party an offer all these options or just offer one as your signature cocktail of the night.
We'd love to hear if you've tried any of these recipes and what you thought of our gelato cocktails.
It’s peach season and for many that means a trip to Mio Gelato for peach sorbetto. But have you ever explored other ways to enjoy gelato with your peaches? We decided to put some flavour combinations to the test. Below is the recipe for the dish we deemed our favourite. In addition we tried:
- peaches with tart yogurt – great if you’re looking for a snack as apposed to a dessert
- peach cobbler with dolce de leche – great if you have some time or are looking to impress
dinner guests
But our winner is baked peaches with vanilla gelato. This was our favourite because it was super easy as well as super delicious. Great if your craving a quick dessert after a long day.
We used I Heart Nap Time’s recipe.
Last weekend we had the opportunity to attend Skeleton Park Arts Fest (SPAF) for the first time, and we couldn’t be happier with how it went.
For those of you that don’t know SPAF is a community run arts festival that includes local artisans, neighbourhood poets, and celebrated Canadian musical talent from all across the country. The event is free to attend and runs every year the last weekend of June.
Our highlights from this year include:
- Seeing all the families bring their children to enjoy the musical storytellings of Fred Penner
- Boxtopia which featured it’s very own ice cream store
- Celebrating with other local food vendors including Chez Piggy
- The large crowds of Saturday
- The incomparable songwriting and stylings of Sarah Harmer
This was the biggest event that we’ve participated in so far and we’re already excited for next year!
Comment below to let us know your favourite thing about SPAF 2017
We booked the gelato cart for our summer wedding as a special surprise for our guests to enjoy during cocktail hour. We chose a combination of refreshing sorbets and gelato to serve, and our guests were absolutely thrilled! From the booking process, to the set-up and service on the day of the wedding, Erin and her team did a phenomenal job. Having worked at Mio Gelato myself during my time at Queen’s, the gelato cart was a meaningful (and delicious) addition to our cocktail reception.
– Emily Sarah
– Alex Amodeo
– Benjamin Seawald
We’re happy to offer vegan dessert options!
Traditional Italian sorbettos are authentically made without dairy or eggs it was a natural fit to continue on that path. Brining a wider range of frozen desserts than you’d typically find in an ice cream shop.
Currently we offer many fruit flavours and a chocolate as our vegan selections. We are working on creating a nut flavour that is full in taste without being icy. In addition to sorbettos we also offer a cone so you’re not stuck with just getting a bowl.
Have a flavour you’d love to see as a vegan option? Comment below and let us know. We’re always happy to create flavours that everyone can get excited about!
We get asked a lot what the difference between ice cream and gelato is. In short gelato is the Italian version of ice cream.
Here’s a quick little run down.
Gelato is milk based, so less butterfat than ice cream. It also has less air, which makes the flavour really pop! (in store these are identified with green and blue paddles). Typically gelato is the more rich flavours, here you’ll find nuts like pistachio and hazelnut and chocolates. At Mio we’ve also made the typical ice-cream flavours like cookie dough into a gelato.
Sorbetto is water based, so packed with taste, also great for those who want to go dairy free. (in store these are identified with red paddles). This is where you’ll find your fruit flavours such as lemon and passionfruit. At Mio in the summer we also make strawberry and raspberry with local flavours.
Frozen Yogurt is made with yogurt and milk. (in store these are identified with white paddles)
For all our different gelato sorbetto and frozen yogurt flavours click here.