Mollie's Mio Gelato 

Erin Allen • March 18, 2020

How Mio Gelato has helped me grow

There is a first for everything; your first date, first time driving, your first house and possibly the most important “first”- your first job. Being a small statured 14-year-old, intimidated by everyone and everything, my first job was a huge step in coming out of my “shell”.

For anyone who has been to Mio Gelato and has followed their 10-year journey, you would notice the changes year after year. From trying out new inventory and flavours, integrating into Kingston and having their products available in local restaurants, to introducing a portable cart for private and community events, Mio Gelato has been continually evolving and building their unique brand offering. But, what you do not see is how Mio Gelato has changed the lives of the people who work there.

This is my story and how I learned first-hand how a job can teach life skills that are transferrable into every aspect of life.

When I started at Mio Gelato I was terrified. Somehow I was going to have to talk to new co-workers and interact with people I had never seen before. But somehow, throughout the seven years of working there, I learned new skills I never knew I was capable off. I became more confident in myself and began actively engaging customers in a conversation. I can’t tell you how much that valuable skillset has helped me at school, at home with family, and with friends. I have never really understood the true meaning of “it’s a small world” until I started worked at a place where I talk to hundreds of people in a day and often am able to find a commonality between us. Now, I welcome the chance to meet new people, establish new relationships and find something in common with others.

Mio Gelato has also taught me responsibility, which at 14, I was seriously lacking. I learned the importance of time and money management, taking responsibility for my actions, and maturing into someone I can be proud of.

I not only learned a lot from the work itself but also the people I am able to work with. I learned that the people you work with can have a big impact on the job. The right people can be the difference between a good day and bad day. At Mio Gelato, we are all a part of team with the same goal of working as effectively and efficiently as possible but also in the process, creating a fun and upbeat environment. This is especially valuable when the customer line-up is out the door and it is nonstop for five hours. Our team still manages to laugh, sing along to songs and have a positive attitude. The customers see this energy and enthusiasm of our team and respond with their own jovial attitude and it’s great!

I realize how important it is to be proud of where you work. I love how Mio Gelato has had a tremendous impact on Kingston – a city that I have grown up in and am proud to call home. Mio Gelato is continually involved in events and activities to bolster the community – our portable cart can be seen at the Movies in the Square, Beer Fest, and the Gord Downie Pier, just to name a few. It is also fantastic that local residents and tourists can experience Mio Gelato offerings in restaurants.

I also appreciate and love how Mio Gelato keeps it “interesting” with their gelato flavours. During the warmer months, a new flavour is introduced every week – such as cereal milk, chia latte or lemon basil. This versatility and willingness to experiment makes for a creative environment and spurs the team to brainstorm ideas.

Mio Gelato has come a long way from where it began. We have grown together and I am so very grateful to be a part of their journey and watch it really flourish within the community. Mio Gelato has been a really big part of my life for seven years and has cultivated so many positive attributes in myself and taught me some very important life lessons. I have a boundless appreciation and affinity for the business, and the people who have made Mio Gelato the place it is today. I now truly understand what Steve Jobs has been quoted as saying:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

Happy New Year!

By Erin Allen • January 4, 2020
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.

Throw a Gelato Cocktail Party

By Erin Allen • October 17, 2018
We decided to take on the hard cast of creating some gelato cocktails to help you bring your cocktail game up to the next level! Wow you're guest with these easy and delicious cocktails at your next event. 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.

Gelato Filled Macarons: How to Make

By Erin Allen • May 10, 2018
Looking to make something a little extra special for your next dinner guests. Gelato always a welcomed dessert – well at least in our opinion biased as it may be. But sometimes you want to take this favourite just a little bit further. We’ve decided to help you out with this task by showcasing our favourite ways to make gelato into exceptional desserts. First on the list is Gelato filled Macarons.

Peach Season – Making the Most of Your Gelato

By Erin Allen • August 9, 2017
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.

Skeleton Park Arts Fest

By Erin Allen • June 29, 2017
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

Summer Wedding

By Erin Allen • June 13, 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

Movies in the Square

By Erin Allen • June 13, 2017
Every event is sweeter with Mio Gelato! We love having Mio around to offer delicious, quality treats for our event visitors. Plus: they customize theme gelato for each Movie in the Square! How cute is that? – Alex Amodeo

Grad Bash

By Erin Allen • June 13, 2017
Mio Gelato has been a phenomenal partner for Queen’s University – from the collaboration in creating the Tricolour Flavour (Blue Lemon, Golden Mango, and Red Raspberry) to expertly serving 750+ servings over a two-hour event with smiling faces – they are exactly what Queen’s hopes from our off-campus partners. – Benjamin Seawald

Vegan Options – Sorbetto and Cones

By Erin Allen • May 30, 2017
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!

Ice Cream vs. Gelato – What’s the difference

By Erin Allen • May 30, 2017
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 .