You couldn’t ask for better weather on Saturday, May
18, the day that Chillato gelateria chose to celebrate its ribbon cutting Grand
Opening. The only “pouring” was those
people that couldn’t wait for the actual celebration. Owners Maria Chee, John Zefi, Tony Lui and Linda
Lui open the doors too soon, customers ignoring the celebratory balloons.
The counters began to fill with friends, family and
those who got the message about being able to sample the gelato, a 10% weekend
discount and free raffle tickets that would win a free pint of anyone of the freshly
made gelatos or sorbets. There were
certainly enough to choose from including a few new creations.
In addition sample cups were being passed out by
their friendly staff. In Italy one might
have a breakfast treat of a brioche with gelato sandwiched in. Maria and Tony decided to acquaint the public
to the same. Why not? If it were coffee
gelato, you would be having an equivalent of iced coffee and cake…so to
speak.
Photo op as the invited attendees made their way to
the bottom of the entrance steps to pose and snip. Aside from the four owners, Assemblymember
Edward Braunstein, Senator John Lui, Greater Flushing Executive Director John
Cloe, and Whitestone Merchants Association board members, Blanca Rodriguez, Nicholas Aragonesi and George Isaakidis filled the lower steps while
members of the owners’ family filled the top ones.
After the ribbon was cut, the
speeches erupted. John Lui said, “What a great business Chillato is! It’s about
making people happy. I think there’s
going to be a lot of happiness emanating from this corner of 154th
and 17th Avenue. I intend to
be a regular customer. This is certainly something we need in the
neighborhood.”
“Thank you for inviting me today,”
said Braunstein. “This is a great occasion. It’s good to see small businesses
opening in our community as well as the Whitestone Merchants Association. The small business is the backbone of our
community.”
Next up was Aragonesi. “We want to congratulate you on your Grand
Opening. Thank you for becoming a member of the association. If you need us
we’re always here for you.”
Maria made the last speech thanking
everyone for their support. “We could
not have found a better neighborhood to open a gelateria. I plan to stay here
forever!” Marie promised to keep
surprising customers with new flavors.
Back inside more tasting of donuts
and brioche with gelato. Aside from the
owners, four other employees were needed to happily please the party. Constant purchasing kept Chillato quite busy
finding out that S’mores, Deep Dark Chocolate and Sugar Rush were even more
popular than the Almond Roca, Ferraro Rocher and Nocciola
(Hazelnut).
A few hours later, the horde
thinned out. But alas, apparently
someone let the cat out of the bag and the members of Christy’s Gymnastic Team
stormed in with their coaches. Who spilled
the beans? Is it a coincidence that Maria’s daughters 10 year old Madelyn Chee-Zefi
and 13-year-old Chloe are members of the team?
Just in case you didn’t get the
info, Chillato is located at 17-16 154th Street. Phone number: 718-489-1750.
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