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Sandro Paolini

Pinolo Gelato

Sandro Paolini, Pisa, Italy native and founder of Pinolo Gelato, is widely considered an artist in gelato making. Paolini came to the United States with a degree in agriculture and forestry, learning English while working in kitchens and on farms, which brought his love of agriculture and good food together. His passion to open a gelato shop drove him back to Italy to learn the craft at a gelateria near his childhood home. There he learned to make the kind of gelato he grew up eating as a boy, reviving a tradition of handmade artisan gelato and bringing it back to the states. At his SE Portland gelateria, Paolini works with farmers to select the best varieties of fruits - often hand-harvesting his own ingredients - to create gelatos that sing with freshness.