Trentino Gelato Goes Local To Create Unique Chocolate Decadence

HOUSTON, Texas – Marcelo Kreindel, owner of Trentino Gelato – named “Best Gelato” by the Houston Press – is taking chocolate to a new level with his new line of seven different single origin bean gelato recipes, created with locally roasted cacao sourced from the choco-centric regions of the world. The line will initially be available at Spec’s in Midtown on September 22nd and ultimately at Central Market at Whole Foods in Houston.

“People are beginning to think about chocolate in the same way we might think of wine or coffee. There are minute distinctions that leave a complex layering of distinctive notes,” said Kreindel. Those influences include the type of cacao beans, specific region of harvest and the process of fermentation and roasting – all contributing to the final flavor of the chocolate. To this, Kreindel adds his award-winning gelato recipes utilizing organic natural milk, locally sourced from Way Back When Dairy, which is pasteurized in-house in Trentino’s facility, and other high-quality local ingredients. An innovative emulsion process provides exceptionally light and silky texture in the final product. This “chocolate experience” gelato differs from eating intense chocolate via the typical chocolate bar option. “It’s a gentler introduction and an opportunity to share with more people,” said Kreindel.

Kreindel collaborated with Tejas Chocolate, a new “bean to bar” producer located in Spring, Texas. By overseeing the long and extensive process of the cacao bean from farm to factory, their involvement provides an opportunity for flavor development and a more complex and nuanced final product. “I wanted pure cocoa liquor with no added flavoring,” said Kreindel. “These folks are really dedicated to a quality product – they work directly with growers in all of these countries and roast the beans right here.”

Those countries (and corresponding flavors of Trentino’s Single Origin line) include Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Madagascar and Mexico. Beans from each country carry their own unique flavor characteristics and percentage of cocoa mass in the chocolate. The higher percentage, the darker color and more intense the chocolate taste.

Trentino Single Origin Chocolate Gelato

• Venezuela – 85%: One of the oldest cacao growing regions of the world provides beans with notes of toasted cashews, complex and well-rounded with hints of toffee on the finish.

• Brazil – 80%: Beans from this family farm carry notes of berry fruit, followed by toasted nuts and deep flavor. Hints of caramelized sugar are found on the finish.

• Ecuador – 75%: A wild heirloom variety bean from high elevations provide fruit notes like plumb with a hint of jasmine and a lingering, rich finish.

• Bolivia – 70%: Subtle notes hint of black pepper, fruit, toffee and gardenia from these beans, which are mild but complex in flavor.

• Dominican Republic – 65%: These beans provide unique hints of malt biscuit, toffee and tobacco, followed by a rich, malt chocolate finish.

• Madagascar – 60%: From the Sambriano Valley in Madagasca, this cacao produces a red-tinted chocolate with brilliant red very fruit notes that linger within the milder chocolate flavor.

• Oaxaca, Mexico

There will also be a unique “Trentino Blend” – a special recipe combining several of the single origin beans.

We all scream for…

Online sample sales.
That hot-bodied new Dynamo.
Chuck and Blair to finally get back together.

Just in time for a make-you-flush long hot summer, Trentino Gelato’s chef series is back on freezer shelves. A guilty pleasure you can enjoy in the privacy of your own home, the city’s top chefs make a visit to your kitchen by way of gourmet flavors they created for the beloved local brand, like Ryan Pera of Revival Market’s blend of Galveston sea salt and nuts, or others like Sicilian pistachio chocolate, saffron spice and almond fig. A sketch of each toque graces the clean white packaging, and like all of Trentino’s desserts (including a Saint Arnold sorbet), cartons are hand-packed right here in town.

Here’s to hoping for a pulse-quickening climax tonight. With a cherry on top.

www.trentinogelato.com

Available at Central Market, Whole Foods, Rice Epicurean, Spec’s Midtown and Phoenicia Specialty Foods.

Some featured chefs, pictured from top: Top Chef Masters’ Monica Pope of t’afia, Robert Del Grande of RDG + Bar Annie, Ava and Alto, and Anita Jaisinghani of Pondicheri and Indika.

To read the full article click here.

Despite the generous outpouring of spring showers we’ve seen lately, let’s face it: relentless summer heat will be here before we know. Luckily, the list of local forms of refreshment keeps growing and the options are all much more portable — and delicious — than Barton Springs!

When Marcelo Kreindel relocated to Houston from his native Argentina to manage a software company ten years ago, he felt something pulling him in another direction…it was the call of gelato!

Now the owner of Trentino Gelato, he’s been making high-end, small batch Italian-style sorbets and ice creams for the past five years. Kreindel pioneered a chef-inspired series by collaborating with local Houston culinary greats to create unique gelato flavors inspired by their signature dishes. Now, the Austin chef series is available at both Central Market locations and the downtown Whole Foods Market, with an unmistakable likeness of each chef sketched on every pint.

Look for Shawn Cirkiel’s coconut basil sorbet, mixologist Bill Norris’ honey mezcal gelato, and pastry chef Laura Sawicki’s malted dulce de leche.  Summer’s already looking sweeter…

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Texans will always have a great sense of pride in where we live, often spurring friendly competition and teasing, but food seems to be bringing Austinites and Houstonians closer than ever.

Marcelo Kreindel, who owns Trentino Gelato, made a name for himself in the Houston food scene by making the kind of gelato he used to eat as a kid in Argentina and selling it to local restaurants and grocery stores. After the success of a chef series line featuring flavors created by Houston chefs such as Monica Pope, Kreindel decided to do a similar line in the Austin market; it launches next week. He asked eight local notables including Bill Norris of the Alamo Drafthouse, Parkside’s Shawn Cirkiel, James Holmes of Olivia and Iliana de la Vega of El Naranjo to come up with gelato flavors that he would then make and sell in pints. Starting next week, you’ll find the gelatos — which come in flavors such as honey jalapeño, apple bleu cheese and coconut basil — at both Austin locations of Central Market.

Trentino Gelato Chef Series Austin

To read the full article click here.

How sweet it is: Marcelo Kreindel makes the move from software manager to gelato master

Houston Culture Map

Trentino Gelato – Profiles of innovation
BY CLIFFORD PUGH
08.22.11 | 07:30 pm
Ten years ago, Marcelo Kreindel moved from his native Argentina to Houston to manage a software company. But he always had a yen to start his own business. So four years later, he created Trentino Gelato, a Houston-based company that makes handcrafted gelato like the kind he used to have regularly at home, with the best local ingredients “and a lot of passion,” he says.

He now supplies gelato to restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, catering companies, supermarkets and farmers markets and has a lot of fun doing it. “Gelato is for me something that makes people happy. If you want to eat gelato, it’s because you want to have a good time,” he says.

In the continuing series, Profiles of Innovation, Kreindel tells videographers John Carrithers and Douglas Newman how he returned to Argentina to learn the craft of gelato-making, how he put in practice in Houston and his plans for the future. “Our idea is to keep growing — slowly,” Kreindel says.

Italian Spumoni by Chef Nash D'Amico.: Melissa Phillip

Written by Greg Morago, 29-95 Monday, August 22 2011

Marcelo Kreindel, owner of Trentino Gelato, has worked with many passionate Houston chefs by creating gelato and sorbet to their specifications for their restaurants. His 5-year-old business — known for making the richest, silkiest, freshest frozen treats — is a favorite among local chefs looking for local gelato made with top notch ingredients.

Now Kreindel is returning that affection by giving a delicious shout-out to some of his favorite chefs. Trentino Chef Series Gelato offers pints of chef-inspired flavors bearing the likeness of Houston’s best cooking talents. The new line of gelato includes flavors inspired by Monica Pope (t’afia), Robert Del Grande (RDG + Bar Annie, Ava Brasserie, Pizzeria Alto), Anita Jaisinghani (Indika, Pondicheri), Ryan Pera (Revival Market), Nash D’Amico (D’Amico’s Italian Market Café) and Jonathan Jones (Beaver’s, El Xuco Xicana), all of whom have lent their names to Trentino’s new venture.

This week pints of gelato labeled with drawings of the chefs (each chef approved of his or her flavor and helped develop the flavor profile) will be available at Central Market to be followed next week by Whole Foods. Revival Market in the Heights will begin carrying it as soon as it gets inventory.

“He’s always done a great job, so when he approached me on it, it was a no-brainer,” said Pera, whose flavor is Sorghum Sea Salt — a vanilla gelato swirled with a ribbon of bold sorghum syrup from Yoakum and grains of sea salt from Galveston Island. The flavor perfectly captures Revival’s mission of showcasing local ingredients, purveyors and food artisans, Pera said.

Pope, who Kreindel says was among his first big supporters, echoed Pera’s sentiments, saying she agreed to do the project to help someone with a good reputation among local chefs. “He supports us and we support him; it’s simple,” she said. “It doesn’t just promote local chefs, it’s about local ingredients and local concepts. And it’s fun. It’s fun to see my ice cream in the store. It’s not an ego thing, it’s more like me getting behind him.”
Pope, whose flavor is mascarpone gelato with seasonal berries, will be sample scooping with Kreindel on Aug. 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Whole Foods Montrose. The pints have a suggested retail price between $7.50 and $7.99.

Kreindel said he’s had the idea for local chef-inspired flavors since he opened his small gelato operation in 2006. “But we weren’t ready. Now we think it’s the moment to make it happen,” said the 36-year-old Argentinean who gave up a career in software management information systems to launch his gelato company. He began small-batch scooping at Pope’s farmers market in Midtown and then attracting chef clients and staking out retail sales at Spec’s, Whole Foods, Central Market, Phoenicia Deli and Rice Epicurean.

If the current chef flavors become popular with customers, Kreindel said he may launch a second round of flavors with the existing chefs and/or add other Houston chefs to the collection. He also hopes that other Texas cities might be interested in a chef series of gelato; and perhaps other big cities in the country. Kreindel said he’d be happy to make them.

Phil Myers, Central Market general manager, is impressed by the range of flavors and the stark, black-and-white packaging (drawings were done by Emily Grenader). “It’s absolutely unique, especially with the chef’s portraits,” he said. “They’re all different and as unique as each chef is.”

At the moment there’s no compensation for the participating chefs, Kreindel said. “Without their help it would be impossible for me to do it,” he added.

But Pope said it’s not about making a profit. “That’s not a concern for any of us,” she said. “When he came to me with this it was, ‘whatever you need.’ ”

That camaraderie is what makes the local food scene special, Kreindel said. And it’s why he created the series with some of his favorite clients and friends.

Plus, Kreindel added, gelato is special — so special he added his own flavor to the Chef’s Series: almond fig.
“It’s not something you have to have to live, but it’s something that will make you happy,” he said. “I like that.”

TRENTINO GELATO CHEFS
Monica Pope — Mascarpone with Berries: Rich mascarpone studded with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries.
Robert Del Grande — Sundae Sermon No. 1: Chocolate and coffee with smoked almonds.
Jonathan Jones — Peanut Butter Chipotle: Nutty peanut butter with a smoky chile kick.
Anita Jaisinghani — Saffron Spice: Saffron base with the perfumed flavors of cardamom, fennel seeds and rose water.
Nash D’Amico — Italian Spumoni: a combination of chocolate, house-cured cherry and Sicilian pistachio.
Ryan Pera — Sorghum Sea Salt: Salty, sweet and crunchy with a ribbon of local sorghum syrup.
Marcelo Kreindel — Almond Fig: Lush fig and ground roasted almonds.

Trentino Chef Series Gelato Now Available at Central Market Houston

Houston citizens are among the luckiest in the world, because they share a town with Trentino Gelato, makers of award-winning, premium, artisan gelato. Gelato master Marcelo Kreindel works with chefs to create fantastically unique flavor profiles—all made with fresh ingredients found at the farmers market and purchased from local purveyors.

Trentino has upped its own ante by launching the Chef Series—pints made with Houston’s best chefs, including Monica Pope (T’afia), Robert Del Grande (RDG + Bar Annie), Ryan Pera (Revival Market), Jonathan Jones (Beaver’s), Nash D’Amico (D’Amico’s) and Anita Jaisinghani (Indika and Pondicheri). The packaging feels as special and handcrafted as the gelato inside, thanks to the black-and-white rendering of each chef, as well as an explanation of the inspiration behind each flavor. The gelato is made with organic and local ingredients, per the chef’s directions. Kreindel also contributed to the series, with almond fig, which he calls a heavenly blend of roasted almond with a special fig spread.

Perhaps most exciting, Central Market is the first to market with these gelatos, which are available at the Houston store only starting August 18. To tease your taste buds, here’s a preview of some of the flavors:

Mascarpone With Berries, by Chef Monica Pope
After falling in love with pure white gelato on a recent trip to Italy, Monica created this gelato spotted with seasonal berries using mascarpone from Sicily.

Peanut Butter Chipotle by Chef Jonathan “JJ” Jones
Smokey, sweet, nutty, creamy, cold and spicy—this kick-ass flavor combination was inspired by JJ’s early experience with peanut-driven mole. Una fiesta en la boca!

Italian Spumoni by Chef Nash D’Amico
Houston’s only authentic Italian spumoni combines three flavors in one pint—made-from-scratch chocolate, house-cured cherry and Sicilian pistachio.

Sorghum Sea Salt by Chef Ryan Pera
Jurassic sea salt found on Galveston Island is the original flavor and inspiration for this gelato. Salty, sweet and crunchy—the boldest creation in any frozen food section!

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