DINING Destinations
Stefano Fabbri is the owner of Luna Gelateria & Caffetteria, which opened in February 2018 but the name is a nod to the restaurant his father opened 50 years ago in Italy. (Kimberly Carrillo/ Progress Staff Photographe
Luna Gelateria owner displays his Italian roots
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By Kristine Cannon una Gelateria & Caffetteria may have opened its doors last February, but owner Stefano Fabbri’s family history in the food and restaurant industry dates back 70 years. In 1949 — and over 9,700 miles across the pond in Rimini, Italy — Fabbri’s carpenter grandfather opened the very first bakery in the village of 1,500, where Fabbri grew up and his family still lives to this day. His grandfather hired a professional baker to teach his two sons, including Fabbri’s father, Amadeo Fabbri, how to properly bake bread. Twenty years later, man took the first steps on the moon and Amadeo opened Luna Gelateria, naming it specifically as
a nod to the momentous lunar landing. Amedeo sold the restaurant 10 years ago, but Stefano firmly planted his Italian roots in Scottsdale — specifically in The Shops at Gainey Village where he owns both Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana and Luna Gelateria next door. “Luna is back to my roots,” he added. Luna Gelateria opened in February 2018, replacing Forno Fabbri, Fabbri’s former Italian market and mozzarella bar. “We decided Forno Fabbri and Pomo Pizzeria were competing against each other because they both sell panini and pizza. So I decided to open the gelateria,” Stefano said. Luna Gelateria has garnered positive reviews, so far boasting a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating on Yelp.
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Luna offers two types of gelato, a slow-churned gelato that’s much softer in texture, and pre-made gelato harder in texture with various fruits, sweets, seeds and other ingredients folded into it. The latter, Luna’s Ciao Case flavors, includes hazelnut cremino, amarena cherry, mint cremino, blood orange sorbetto, coffee granita, passion fruit pistachio — a customer favorite — and more. What makes Luna’s gelato unique is two-fold: the gelato features ingredients imported directly from Italy, including pistachios, hazelnuts and chocolate; and the fresh, churning gelato on display at the ordering counter is made in a machine imported from Italy called the Frigomat GX8 batch freezer. “That’s what makes a difference for