NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
A Jamaican native has turned her love of gelato into a successful business in Nashville's Edgehill Village.
Terri-Ann Nichols opened Legato Gelato less than a month ago and is already selling out of flavors.
Growing up, Nichols loved ice cream, ate it each week with her family and always insisted on having a Carvel Ice Cream cakes for her birthday.
Her life changed in college when she studied abroad and had gelato for the first time.
"[It] was spectacular! It was even better than Carvel," Nichols laughed.
Upon graduation, Nichols took a job in finance in Manhattan, where she could always get her gelato fix but it was a different story when she moved with her husband back to his hometown of Nashville.
"When I moved to Nashville two years ago, I just couldn't satisfy my craving for it, and I started tinkering more and more with recipes at home," Nichols explained, adding, "I eventually bought a commercial grade gelato machine."
Eventually she decided to turn her passion into a business, even traveling to Italy to train one-on-one with gelato maestros to perfect her recipe.
"It is incredibly smooth, it tastes incredibly rich and it's not because it's packed with fat, that's a common misconception," Nichols explained of the differences between gelato and ice cream, adding, "It actually has such intense flavor because it's made with less fat."
Also, ice cream has more air pumped into it, which gives it a longer shelf life. Gelato is only good for only one day.
"People are starting to recognize that and come early so they get their chocolate because at the end of the day, there's no more chocolate left," Nichols said, adding, "Every time I look out and see people on the other side of the counter enjoying themselves and taking it all in, it's incredible."
Legato Gelato uses many local products, including TruBee Honey.
The shop is located at 1200 Villa Place and is open everyday except Monday.
Read more at LegatoGeloto.com.
