By the time all the twinkling white lights begin to glisten in downtown Naperville at 6PM on Fri., Nov. 7, Frost Gelato will be well into its grand opening day. Frost opens at 11AM at its new location in Main Street Promenade East along Van Buren Ave. in downtown Naperville.
During a busy equipment move-in last week, partners Steve Rams, Kurt Bruksch and Ed Bruksch provided an education about “batch freezers” and “Mixtronic Machines” in their “Gelateria” that soon will keep chefs occupied whipping up flavorful gelato fresh every day. While workers in the front of the store installed the expansive stainless-steel gelato coolers where customers will begin their “Frost experience,” the educational experience behind the scenes was enlightening indeed.
According to Ed Bruksch, the three partners opened their first Frost in Highland Park on Nov. 4, 2011, “almost three years ago to the day” that they will begin serving customers in Naperville, their second location.
Gelato is an Italian frozen treat similar to ice cream, but with fewer calories and less fat, Rams explained, as he provided a little history about Frost, an enterprise that started in Tucson.
Rams and Kurt Bruksch are operating partners, while Ed Bruksch, Kurt’s dad and Steve’s father-in-law, is the managing partner. “Kurt and I spent six weeks learning to make gelato,” Rams said. “…and it takes our chefs six to eight weeks to learn the art of gelato.”
Frost features more than 38 delectable flavors of authentic Italian gelatos and sorbets. In addition, the store offers a number of gelato infused beverages such as root beer floats, sorbettinis and hot gelattes.
“When you look at our gelato, you’ll see that each flavor has its own unique decoration to create the flair,” said Rams, adding that customers are encouraged to sample.
“One of the most important aspects of our gelato is that every flavor is made fresh daily in on site,” explained Rams. “Frost Gelato has imported ingredients and equipment from Italy in order to combat the age old problem with supply and demand. Our gelateria allows us to create and produce fresh, authentic Italian gelatos and sorbets daily.”
Every month Frost features seasonal flavors for a limited time in addition to 32 “fixed” flavors already proven to please appetites. For instance, this month pumpkin, cinnamon apple pie and bourbon butter pecan are among the flavors perfect to go with Thanksgiving.
In addition, Frost offers year-round catering with opportunities to feature the authentic Frost experience at special events, birthday parties, school festivals or wedding receptions via the Frost Italian Gelato Cart. The cart, which was on display recently when CBS-2 visited Naperville, comes with a choice of flavors, frostbites and frost bars, providing a unique touch to any event, indoors or out.
Frost hours will be from 11AM to 10PM Sunday through Thursday and 11AM to 11PM Friday and Saturday.
Frost Gelato is among several stores to open since mid-August in Main Street Promenade East, located at 50 S. Main Street Suite 139, in downtown Naperville, just steps from the Van Buren Parking Deck.
For more info, contact Frost via frosthpgelato@gmail.com.
Editor’s Note: PN editors first tasted creamy Frost Gelato at their booth during the Naperville Jaycees Last Fling. More recently, Frost provided samples at Ever Eve and very early on Sept. 25 when CBS-2 Morning News came to town to showcase the popular shopping and dining destination. Rams said free sampling and education about the “guilt-free” delicious treat are part of the Frost Experience.
