Cooling down from the summer heat at Cremalosa gelato shop

DECATUR, Ga. - Summer just officially began this weekend, but we’ve already experienced our fair share of hot and humid days in North Georgia this year. And since temperatures will likely only go up from here, the Good Day feature team decided to chill out a bit with a trip to one of Metro Atlanta’s coolest new hot spots.

Cremalosa is a Decatur gelato shop owned and operated by Meridith Ford, whose career has taken her from pastry chef to food critic to gelato master and business owner. Ford opened the shop in February of 2020 — and was immediately faced with the challenging task of running a business during the coronavirus pandemic. After serving customers through to-go pints for nearly three months, Ford was finally able to allow customers back to the shop in late May, providing patio seating for those in need of something sweet. The current hours are 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Now, let’s talk about the gelato!  First of all, how does it differ from ice cream?

“The main thing that makes it different from ice cream is the amount of air that is churned into it during the churning process, so it's freezing and churning at the same time,” says Ford.  "Lots less air is added, which keeps it a lot more smooth, a lot less dense."  

Ford spins her flavors in-store on a machine imported from Italy and uses farm-fresh ingredients. That means the menu changes based on what’s in-season and available; recent offerings have included pistachio and stracciatella (both traditional Italian options), cherry baby, hazelnut, and banana pudding.  Ford posts the daily flavors on the Cremalosa Facebook page, and the menu includes sorbetto, shakes, and other specialty treats along with the gelato.

Cremalosa is located at 2657 E. College Avenue in Decatur — for a peek inside, click the video player to check out our morning inside this very “cool” new local hangout.