By Amelia Mola
From seasonal Ontario fruit to homemade limoncello, the celebrated Toronto chef is bringing his culinary expertise to the art of Italian gelato.
For Chef Lorenzo Loseto, gelato is more than a sweet treat. It’s an opportunity to experiment, celebrate seasonal ingredients and reconnect with his Italian roots, one scoop at a time.
Born in Bari, Puglia, Loseto has spent 24 years at the helm of Toronto’s George Restaurant. But in recent years, the accomplished chef has turned his attention to another culinary passion: artisanal gelato.
The journey began in 2018, when Loseto travelled to Italy to study at a gelato-making school outside Bologna. Although he returned with newfound knowledge, it wasn’t until the pandemic that he had the time to put his skills into practice.
With the restaurant temporarily closed, Loseto began experimenting with recipes, eventually launching his gelato venture, Alberobello.
Unlike many gelato makers who rely on commercially prepared bases and flavourings, Loseto approaches the craft with a chef’s mentality. From homemade fruit jams and nut pastes to his own stabilizers, nearly everything is prepared from scratch.
“I think being a cook, I can get more intense flavours,” he explains.
That philosophy shines through in his inventive, ever-changing offerings. Think egg custard gelato with yellow plum jam and ginger streusel, refreshing watermelon sorbet made with Ontario fruit, or limoncello gelato featuring a reduction of the Italian liqueur.
Seasonality is central to his approach, a philosophy reminiscent of his native Puglia, where fresh ingredients are celebrated.
During Ontario’s warmer months, peaches, raspberries and plums take centre stage. Come winter, Loseto turns to other ingredients, including citrus, when he can source quality lemons to prepare his own limoncello.
But crafting exceptional gelato requires more than culinary creativity. It’s also a science, demanding precise measurements and a delicate balance of sugars, fats and temperatures.
For Loseto, the challenge is part of the appeal.
Today, his gelato is available through George Restaurant, where guests can enjoy it from a dedicated cart or purchase pints to take home.
And while Toronto’s gelato scene continues to grow, Loseto has ambitions of opening a standalone shop, where he can serve his creations at their ideal temperature and texture.
Interesting fact: unlike traditional ice cream, gelato is typically served slightly warmer, allowing its softer, silkier consistency and delicate flavours to shine. When served too cold, those flavours become muted and the texture firms up, diminishing the very qualities that make artisanal gelato so special. For a chef who carefully balances every ingredient, maintaining the right temperature is as important as the recipe itself. A dedicated shop would give Loseto greater control over that final, often overlooked detail, ensuring each scoop is enjoyed exactly as he intended.
For now, his Loseto’s motivation remains refreshingly simple.
“I want to just keep making enough, sell enough, so I can keep working on flavours,” he says. “Just making gelato is fun.”
As it should be. – VV
Gelato photography by Priyangsha Chittaranjan
