Allora means “back when” in Italian, but Lalo Fuentes and Ciara Jarosch were decidedly focused on their future as they dreamed of opening a gelateria. Lalo brought the passion to recreate the magic of getting ice cream as a child, while Ciara brought the drive to make it happen. Together, with no exaggeration, they put everything on the line to make their dream a reality.
Ever since a transcendent gelato moment in Capri in 2014, Fuentes, a private chef and fitness trainer at the time, had dreamed of opening a gelateria. After dating for just eight months, he convinced Jarosch, who didn’t even have a passport yet, to join him in quitting their jobs, selling their possessions, and traveling the world to learn from master gelato craftsmen while absorbing the flavors, culture, and rituals of other lands to bring the best of the world to Allora Gelato.
Global Inspiration
With just a backpack, carry-on, and a dream, the couple started their adventures in Morocco in April 2022. While the country doesn’t have a strong gelato scene, it does have unique spices, flavors, and culture.
“The way they serve tea is a whole production, and somehow it makes the tea taste a lot better,” said Fuentes. “We saw how something simple becomes an experience by how it’s presented. We translate that in our gelato by how we scoop it, place the cookie, wrap the cone, and present it to you. We like to think we bring the hospitality of a five-star resort with the welcoming, fun vibe of Universal Studios to what we do at Allora.”
A chic gelato shop in Bratislava inspired the music at Allora, a gelateria in Bali influenced the soft, inviting lighting, and Bologna’s famous Cattabriga Effe machine, which revolutionized gelato in Italy over a century ago, supports a rotating menu of 15 flavors.
At gelato shops worldwide, the couple earned what amounted to an advanced degree in gelato by talking with the owners over a cone. “As I ate cone after cone, I would ask all these questions about making gelato, and people helped transcribe generations of making gelato into me,” said Fuentes.
Each destination offered something they learned through experience. In Greece, they stumbled upon a special Greek yogurt flavor, in Croatia, they found figs that were sweeter and smoother than any they’d had before, and a pistachio gelato they tasted at Dolce Capo in Palermo led to the Salted Sicilian Pistachio on the Allora menu.
Overcoming Doubts
Traveling the world sounds romantic, but the journey wasn’t all Instagram moments. Fuentes continued to train clients virtually to keep the couple in the black, and he was often plagued with doubts when he saw gelato shops with a slow trickle of customers.
Jarosch shared, “He continued to make business plans for other ideas, but I said, ‘Let’s stop talking and make this happen, your true passion is gelato.” The couple was in Turkey when Fuentes asked her why she believed in the gelato idea so much. “I said it was because with his passion we couldn’t fail, and I wanted gelato every day,” Jarosch said with a laugh.
Setting up in Scottsdale
After seeing the world, the couple decided Scottsdale was the place to make their gelato dream a reality. “We could’ve picked anywhere, but we loved Scottsdale,” said Jarosch. “It’s such a great place to live, the people are warm and welcoming, and it was easy to make friends.” As any business owner knows, the road to Allora Gelato’s November 2024 opening was rocky. Shady contractors and recipe development topped the list of stressors.
From their travels, the couple created a list of gelato flavors they wanted to offer, but then had trouble getting the recipes right. “We originally met with a chef to help us, but what she created was awful, and I was like, ‘OMG, what are we going to do?’” said Fuentes. “Ciara reminded me that with my culinary background, I could create the recipes, so I was making like four flavors a day, and quite literally our granita recipe was finished two hours before we opened our doors!”
Meanwhile, Jarosch, who loves baking, went through a lot of trial and error to perfect her gluten-free cone recipe. “The old me would’ve been so stressed, but our travels and this journey taught me to roll with the punches,” she said. “We’ve been through so much that could’ve broken us, but we stayed the course.”
Sweet Success
Thanks to a social post that went viral, Allora Gelato opened to a line out the door, and the shop hasn’t looked back. Flavors like Ricotta & Croatian Fig, Argentinian Churro, Greek Yogurt, and Mexican Coffee created a local following.
“You can get ice cream anywhere; we wanted to create a dessert experience,” said Jarosch. “My goal is to create lasting experiences and memories. I love it when someone tells me that this is their family’s favorite place.”
By focusing on traditional gelato made with the highest quality ingredients available, Fuentes is committed to building something that lasts. “We want to bring you that old-world Italian experience,” he explained. “Our mission is to create something that looks like it’s been here for 20 years and will be here 20 years from now.”
It certainly looks like the couple is on that path. With the success of the Scottsdale shop, they decided to open another location in Gilbert this spring. “Every day I wake up with a smile on my face,” said Jarosch. “He’s put in so much hard work, and I was his support, telling him that this was his dream and he had to do it. It’s so amazing how it’s all come together.”
written by: dena rochè
photographed by: luke irvin
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