Gelato Making Class at Fatamorgana Gelato
DETAILS:
Location: 12021 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
Hours of Operation:
Gelato Shop: Monday thru Thursday; 12PM to 11PM / Friday & Saturday; 12PM to 12AM / Sunday; 11AM to 11PM
Classes: Select Saturdays from 10AM to 12PM. See AirBnB; Fatamorgana page (listed below under “resources”) for availability and booking.
Parking: Metered street parking.
Cost: $50/person.
Time Commitment: 2 hours.
Miscellaneous: Every gelato flavor in the shop is 100% gluten-free.
What’s better than eating gelato at world class gelato shop? Making the gelato that you’re eating at a world class gelato shop! You can do both at Fatamorgana Gelato. The first U.S. location of a renown gelato shop found in Rome, Fatamorgana Gelato will win you over with your first sample and all the subsequent samples you’ll ask for next. The newest vertex of the frozen dessert triangle in Studio city (along with Salt & Straw and McConnell’s which are all just a few blocks from one another), we stumbled upon Fatamorgana Gelato after having dinner nearby. The first thing you’ll notice when you step inside are the vast amount of flavors. Typically 66 in total, many of which get rotated daily, I promise that you’ll discover flavors that you never knew existed, or even could. And while they get an A+ for creativity, none of that would matter if it didn’t pass the taste test, and it does… it really does! The second thing you’ll notice is how vibrant in color the gelato is. Like its namesake (Fatamorgana is Italian for a type of mirage), the gelato looks almost too perfect to be true, like those DayGlo-colored plastics food items meant for window displays, but your tastebuds will confirm their delicious reality.
So it was a pleasant coincidence when we learned that Fatamorgana Gelato offered a gelato-making class on AirBnB. One of their newer features, “AirBnB Experiences” allows you to find some really unique activities in the city of your choice. Having used this service several times, I highly recommend it as a great resource for interesting things to do and will definitely be a regular user for as long as it’s available. And to think I wasn’t even paid for that plug!
The class is run by the shop’s owner and soul gelato-maker, Katyna. This woman is intense in the very best way and she’ll win you over instantly with her passion for gelato. The class is held in the morning before opening hours so you’ll have the shop all to yourself and your fellow classmates. As any great Italian host would, Katyna begins the session by offering you a freshly made espresso or hot chocolate. That’s when you know you’re off to a good start. As we drank our morning pick-me-ups, we discussed the shop’s Roman backstory, gelato itself (not to be confused with ice cream!), and the gelato-making process before she informed us of the gelato that we’d be making that day. For our class, it would be; peaches & wine (technically a sorbeto) and Makowki (based on a Polish dessert). As we dived into our class, it became evident that 99% of gelato making is the prepping of ingredients that goes into any given flavor. As we continued to assist Katyna with both flavors, it was mind-boggling to think that she was the only person responsible for making all of the gelato in the shop. As each of our two flavors churned out of the gelato-maker, we gained a whole new appreciation for the effort and craftsmanship that goes into making this delicious treat, and it made our gelato taste all the better for it. Hit up the class or just grab a scoop at Fatamorgana Gelato. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.
