FROST in the News!

08/22/07
Tucson Citizen – Nazario Melchionda,Frost, A Gelao Shoppe
By Nina M. Padula and Norma Jean Gargasz

Section: Taste Plus
Page: T2

What do you get when you mix a spatula, milk, sugar and an Italian man? You get Frost’s best ingredient, Nazario Melchionda, gelato master at Frost, A Gelato Shoppe, owned by Tucsonan’s Stephen Ochoa and Jeffrey Kaiserman.

The 57-year-old is from Bologna, Italy, noted for its pastel-painted buildings. More than 22 years ago, while between jobs, he took a gelato-making course. That was the first step on his new career path.

He came to Tucson in May 2005 after meeting Ochoa and Kaiserman at Gelato University in Charlotte, N.C. Melchionda has worked all over the world in such countries as Germany, Malaysia and China. After resolving a visa problem with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, he expects to be making gelato here for years to come.

He recently put down his spatula to speak to Taste Plus.

What is your favorite restaurant in Tucson?
Tavolino. (Owner) Massimo (Tenino) and I became friends. He brings his daughter here for gelato all the time.

What is your favorite dish to prepare and why?
Pasta Bolognese (with a sauce of meat, vegetable, wine and milk or cream) because I’m from Bologna.

What is your favorite dish to eat?
Actually, calamari and sushi.

What’s unique to the Tucson restaurant scene compared to other cities?
There are a lot of nice places. When I am outside of Italy, I try to eat the local food.

What’s your favorite or most-used kitchen utensil or gadget?
For my job, it’s the spatula. I use it to take the gelato out of the machine and decorate the top.

What do you always have in your refrigerator?
Normally, I have bacon because I prepare Pasta Carbonara (with a cream, egg, Parmesan cheese and bacon sauce) a lot.

Why are you a chef?
I enjoy making the gelato and training people from scratch. You need to love making gelato. There are long hours and you have to be the best. That is how every job is. But if you like it, you don’t mind doing it.

NINA M. PADULA
tasteplus@tucsoncitizen.com

Local Restaurant Recipe

Fresh Fruit Sorbetto

Nazario Melchionda, gelato master at Frost, A Gelato Shoppe, uses this recipe to make sorbetto at home. We have converted the recipe from metric measurements.

9 ounces fresh fruit of your choice

5 1/4 ounces of sugar

1/2 cup of water

juice of 1 lemon

Clean and peal fruit. Cut the fruit into pieces and put into a bowl. Pour the lemon juice on top.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and sugar. Remove from heat right before it comes to a boil and let syrup cool down.

In a blender, puree the fruit mixture and syrup. Place the mixture in an ice cream machine for 5 to 6 minutes. Freeze when finished.

Yields about 1 quart.

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