Lara Rizk admits there were a few nerves before opening her new business a couple of weeks ago.
Now two weeks in, having experienced lines out the door at Divino - the gelato shop she and her husband Daniel launched in Georgetown - Rizk is brimming with confidence.
She's already talking about entering gelato competitions to see where her creations stack up against the best in the business.
“When I start something I go right to the end,” she said.
Given the reviews of Divino’s initial customers, Rizk’s creations are a big hit.
“Sampled a few flavours of gelato and they are amazing!” said one Facebook user, while another added, “Super welcoming environment and the soft serve ice cream was literally the best I’ve ever had.”
So the store is living up to its name. Rizk decided on Divino “because it tastes like heaven, so it’s divine.”
The Rizks were originally looking at opening a shop in Mississauga, but when the Georgetown location became available (158 Guelph St., formerly occupied by Menchies), they saw a great opportunity.
Each day Divino offers up 18 kinds of homemade gelato, including cookies and cream, French vanilla, lemon mango, salted caramel, bubble gum, almond, cotton candy and blueberry cheesecake. Different flavours rotate in and out of the daily lineup, which also includes vegan sorbets such as lemon, strawberry and raspberry lychee rose.
Rizks’ personal favourite is mint chocolate while Daniel enjoys Lara’s original creation, Arabica.
Rizk enjoys the challenge of coming up with with original recipes and creating her own unique flavours.
“You have to balance the recipes, make sure it’s not too hard, that you’ve got the right amount of sugar,” she said, “and it’s different for every flavour.”
Though Rizk is concentrating on gelato and sorbet for the moment, the plan is to expand her offerings to include crepes, waffles and mini pancakes.
Daniel said he looks forward to Divino becoming part of the community and supporting local events.
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