Black ice cream is not an easy sell, but Jose Luis Cervantes, AKA Joe Gelato, is a persuasive guy. It’s not just his million-dollar smile or easygoing nature, but also the passion that he clearly feels for his gelato.
“Before I went to Italy, I knew about the concept of gelato,” says Jose, “but I had no idea how good it would be. I had only tasted what was available in Mexico at time. I went there and felt the fat in my mouth, the sugars, I can’t explain it – I love it. I love the whole culture around gelato.”
Master gelato maker is quite the lifestyle choice, not least for Jose, the son of a doctor, whose father believed he would one day follow in his footsteps. But when he went to Italy in 2014 to study pastry and then work in a high-end restaurant, he became so passionate about the gelato he encountered that his only desire was to make it the rest of his life. So when he had to come home to Mexico City for a bit after overstaying his visa in Italy, the only real option for him was to open Joe Gelato, a self-described “experimental gelateria.”
“It was really hard to tell my parents,” Jose confesses, “but my mom told me if I was going to make gelato it better be the best gelato in the world.” He’s certainly on his way there. Jose was recently invited to come to Italy and talk gelato as the special guest of Italian gelato master Manuele Presenti. What the traditionalists of the old country were most interested in were his innovative combinations – flavors like hoja santa (Mexican pepperleaf) and lime, or green tea ash with jasmine (the black ice cream mentioned above) – that are simply unheard of in Rome. Sometimes it takes a fresh perspective to mix things up a bit.
“For my product to be known in Italy is the greatest recognition that I could have,” says Jose. It was there, while working at the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Calandre headed by chef Massimiliano Alajmo, that he had his first brush with gelato making, something that inspired him to attend the Carpigiani Gelato University (yes, there really is such a thing) near Bologna and learn how to become a gelato master.
Now back in Mexico’s capital he has joined the dozens of gastro-entrepreneurs taking over Colonia Juarez, just south of the city’s Centro Historico. Over the last decade or so, the neighborhood has slowly been attracting big names in Mexican food like Elena Rey from Rosetta and Lalo Garcia of Maximo Bistro; it was only in the last four years, however, that it’s really turned into a culinary hotspot. With its gorgeous turn-of-the-century architecture and a central location, the area was ripe for investment. On a recent Sunday night his shop on Versalles Street was abuzz with customers, and Jose was running back and forth behind the counter making sure everyone got to taste everything they wanted.
“For my product to be known in Italy is the greatest recognition that I could have.”
There are sixteen flavors on the board, yet they change depending on the season and the whims of the gelato master himself. Some particular favorites of ours: sweet honey with the bite of Greek yogurt, a smoky vegan cacao made with cacao mass and cacao powder (not with dairy substitutes), Mexican pepperleaf with lime, blue corn and his classic house flavor, olive oil. The latter has an earthy flavor of fresh pressed olive oil that hits your tongue as the initial sweet creaminess of the gelato melts away. It pairs suprisingly well with his chocolate cone made with cacao powder.
“It was hard at first because people would come in and say, ‘I want strawberry’ or ‘I want cookies and cream,’ but now I get customers that are like ‘What’s new today Joe?’” he says.
Jose cites other chefs, restaurant requests, and his own culinary meanderings as the inspiration for his flavors. He always gives credit where credit is due, but there’s no denying he’s a bit of a gelato genius.
It’s extremely important to Joe that the gelato be one hundred percent natural, with no chemical emulsifiers or artificial flavoring. He uses large quantities of real fruit pulp, which not only gives the gelato texture and heft but also the taste of a real banana or a real coconut.
What’s left for a man who is making the food he’s most passionate about, and successfully at that? To teach others how to make it, of course. In a few months Joe plans on opening a gelato academy in Mexico City, with classes for enthusiasts of all stripes – kids, home chefs and professional ice cream makers – that want a peak at the secrets of Italian gelato making.
Instead of feeling like he might be putting himself out of business giving away his secrets, Jose sees it as a chance to give back to the world.
“I never really think of anyone as competition. It’s like karma, if you help people eventually it will come back to you,” he explains.
Whether it’s karma or just good ice cream, the town is buzzing with the name of Joe Gelato and the first time you try one of his creations you will know why. Don’t be afraid of the black gelato, it’s delicious.
Published on November 30, 2018
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