Splendora's Gelato

saddest little baby in the room club. it’s a rainy tuesday and splendy’s is closed. gotta get ready for a couple events this weekend, one y’all can get in on and one personal.

Animal Connections at the IX is celebrating their twenty-fourth anniversary, and we’re invited. Saturday 21 Sept, catch us inside the shop 11-2 with $4.25 scoops and $6 half-pints to go. (if you’d like to do a larger order to pick up after you hit the markets, reach out through messenger or text 757-408-0719.)

on a personal note, i’m packing gelato for and attending a dear one’s wedding this weekend. your celebrations are important! but a little less to me this time around. apologies if i’m not able to prioritize any custom orders. the good news is, a couple of our wholesale partners are doing the things. Ethos put in for another round of GF vegan cupcakes. i’ll be working on The Beautiful Idea scoop restock today and hope to deliver tomorrow. and BakerNoBakery is posting up at Cville Sabrosa with gelato sandwiches.

new flavor list tomorrow. but if you’ve waded past the blather this far, here’s a preview. doing three midautumn flavors: fish sauce caramel, black sesame, and plum oolong. autumn solstice is this week too so witchiness flavors of an oatmilk apple, pomegranate sorbetto, and more cinnamon gelato. xoxo

ANNOUNCING OUR BIRTHDAY PARTY DETAILS!
GET READY FOR BIG FUN WITH YOUR PETS!
🎉THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19🎉
BIG DAWG BLONDE ALE LAUNCH PARTY
Bring your dog to party from 5:00-7:00 at Three Notch'd Craft Kitchen & Brewery - Charlottesville A buck a pint will be donated to Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA who will be on site with adoptable pets. Free popcorn bar for humans, Free bark-cuterie cups for dogs.
🎉 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20🎉
PARTY IN THE STORE, 9:00-6:00
Build a dog or cat's goodie box with biscuits, treats & chews. Spin the wheel for prizes & deals, Enter to win raffles.
🎉 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21🎉
THE BIG PARTY, 9:00-4:00
FREE $100 CURATED GIFT BAGS with min. purchase, featuring a custom made toy and full size bags of treats & surprises.
SPLENDORA'S GELATO POP UP! (11:00-2:00 in the store)
FREE gelato scoops for first 24 humans, pints and scoops in cups also for sale thereafter
RESCUE GROUPS (9:00-1:00 on the patio)
Visit with The HOWS Project and Almost Home: Nelson Co SPCAwith info and adoptable pets.
SPIN THE WHEEL for prizes & surprises
ENTER TO WIN raffles

the important bits are: splendy’s is closed monday, tuesday hours tbd so please check ahead. schmoopiness afoot

there’s a content creator in new york called rob martinez who makes a series called ‘i like this place,’ shouting out the mom-and-pop spots which do not and will never get hype but do form the fabric of the restaurant world. i don’t have the editing skills or desire to make a video like that, but i am going to apply his concept to my shop’s regulars.

i like these folks.

i like that i didn’t get my to-do list done because i had conversations about making peach ice cream from scratch and someone else’s resting ‘tell me everything’ face. i barely pushed a wedding order out but i got twenty minutes of real humanity. there’s more to running a shop than productivity.

i like that a hispanic family came in without their more english-proficient daughter, suffered my horrible spanish while i served them, and i love that their younger daughter looked at me and said ‘it’s okay. better’ about my spanish. she was being kind; my verbal skills are negative aura. diversity has a way of keeping us humble though, amiright.

i like that many, many people clock when adelaide’s hats change with the season.

i like that a few people got multiple containers, but i found out second hand that some of those were not for hoarding and were small tokens of ‘hello, i see you.’ i like thinking of a spark between humans that stays in the air with the lifting of a pint lid of a food i made. i like that multiple someones brought in their parents this week. it’s a delight to see faces across genetics, the spark between lives lived, over cones of gelato.

i chat so much sometimes that i worry if i shouldn’t repack some folks’ pint orders. but what i don’t worry about is whether they’ll let me know with kindness when things should be replaced. it’s tenderhearted and possibly foolish, but i like that i have customers who give me safety to be a screwup.

i like these folks, the folks that come through and my day is better for their popping in. there’s no point to splendy’s otherwise

We are looking for volunteers for a few of our busier stops in Charlottesville, Virginia: Westhaven on the first Tuesday of the month at 3:30, Timberland Apartments on the second Wednesday at 4:30, and potentially a recurring city school stop at 10am on Tuesdays. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more!

not working with the World’s Best Brain this week, nor have i hopes for next week either. but we got some gelato made. please always check the top right sheet of paper for other flavors. there’s sneakyboots extra flavors in a freezer in the back, waiting for their turn in the display case so perhaps your favorite is there, quietly knowing you want, nay, *need* a scoop.

saturday and it’s a stunner. hope to see ya. 12-9. shops at stonefield. xoxo

PSSSSSST: mark your calendars. 21 sept. next saturday. in front of Animal Connection. holler if you want to do a larger order of pints for pick up but we’re helping them celebrate their 24th anniversary with scoops.

branching out into non-fruit dairy-free options has been a ride. splendy’s oatmilk based formulation doesn’t work for every flavor profile. it’s hard to escape the oatiness of it all. but! oat! milk! gian! duia! a blend of 70% dairy-free hazelnut and 30% chocolate sorbetto that y’all know and love, the fattiness from the hazelnut paste creates a moment where maybe you don’t miss the dairy. pair with one of the fruit sorbettos (gianduia and raspberry is mfeo) or go ten toes down with more chocolate.

friday the 13th. pet or adopt a black cat! splendy’s is open for scoops 12-9. shops at stonefield, quiet sign saying
‘gelato cafe.’

ps if you’re seeking gluten-free vegan cupcakes today, call ahead or check in after 2pm. xoxo

Marianne Chan: Leaving Biddle City – in Conversation with Sylvia Chong – New Dominion Bookshop Join us for an evening with Marianne Chan, who will read from her new poetry collection, Leaving Biddle City. A conversation with Sylvia Chong will follow. This in-person event will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.

carbohydrate corner: gf pizzelle. pandan ensaymada. friday/saturday vegan cupcakes tbd

Dairy-free
Chocolate
Mango
Raspberry
Lemon
Strawberry
Apple Cider
Strawberry Calamansi
Oatmilk Gianduia

Dairy-based
Vanilla
Cookies and Cream
Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Coffee
Coffee Heath Bar
Stracciatella
Salted Caramel
Hazelnut
Pistachio*
Peaches and Cream
Blueberry Lemon Zest*
Kabocha Ginger*
Cinnamon*
Coconut*
*production day today and not immediately available

so. my favorite holiday is christmas. when whisper hill made a post using ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year’ i was already primed to feel magical. layer onto that brielle’s delight that summer crops were overlapping with autumn’s and the magic-by-proxy was complete. it’s the hap-hap-piest seassssonn of allll.

going to bring back random summer flavors like peaches and cream and blueberry lemon zest alongside fall hitters like kabocha and ginger, maybe maple? definitely apple cider sorbetto.

it’s tuesday. i’m toodling around the kitchen. doors are open for scoops and limited snackerels until 8pm. xoxo

monday and splendora’s is closed. photo by

seems there’s some work to be done today. thanks for a Nice Saturday™️. wasn’t expecting that and quite grateful. let’s make it a Nice Sunday™️ too. open 12-8. xoxo

smallish flag on the play for the flavor list this week. the peaches and cream, once i spun the flavor, ended up not celebrating the peaches. i roasted the fruit in the oven with brown sugar so it became more about the cooked notes. it appears on the list in the shop as ‘brown sugar peach’ now.

been a weird week for that sort of alchemy, actually. when i’m being unkind to myself, i’ve been telling people it’s a neither flavor. the brown sugar peach is good but neither flavor really sings. the same with the chai plum sorbetto. a lovely flavor, the spice notes of the prana kitchens chai masala offering a peppery sharpness with cardamom lingering alongside the tart notes of roasted agriberry black plums. but if you’re a huge fan of plums, will you feel like the flavor suffices? probably not. weird week for neithers and somehow delicious.

friday. gluten-free and vegan cupcakes today. thai tea + cinnamon. chocolate + chocolate. if i get through the production list for pride and some larger individual orders, i might make some wheat-flour vegan options. open for scoops and treats 12-9.

double post. first of the season is here. pawpaw (asimina triloba) is a native plant whose breadth of availability speaks to indigenous cultivation as stewards of this continent’s largest fruit tree. tropical in taste (banana mango is the most common and apt descriptor), the custardy green-skinned fruit makes a nifty gelato. might muck about some. last year had done a pandan pawpaw gelato that i was pretty proud of. but keeping this first batch simple. pawpaw gelato. held back a little on the fruit as it can overwhelm. but still a nice little flavor.

pleasant reminder: if you forage your own, pawpaw fruit ripen on the branch, not your counter. they won’t develop much after you’ve picked them. best to check the ground near a tree for freshly fallen babes or *gently* shake some branches for fruits. be respectful of the tree and creatures that might come after you for fruit.

PS what to know more from experts? powhatan state park hosts a pawpaw festival 21 September 11-3. xoxo

hello! it’s going to be a hecking week. weather looks like it is winding down to autumnal feelings, but still quite lovely. you can eat a cone outside without it being a race against time. come through!

btw, The Beautiful Idea invited splendy’s to be part of their Pride festivities. snag some locally made art, gifts, or pick up a curated book downtown and get a scoop of gelato about it.

carbohydrate corner: gluten-free chocolate pizzelle. italian butter cookies with blackberry jam. pistachio baci di dama. friday vegan cupcakes tbd.

Dairy-free
Chocolate
Mango
Raspberry
Lemon
Strawberry
Apple Cider
Plum Chai (agriberry black plums and prana kitchens’ chai blend)
Oatmilk Cardamom* (prana kitchens single origin cardamom pods)

Dairy-based
Vanilla
Cookies and Cream
Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Coffee
Coffee Heath Bar
Stracciatella
Salted Caramel
Hazelnut*
Pistachio
Pawpaw*
Peaches and Cream*

*production day today and not immediately available

kicking myself for not being open yesterday but still quite needing the rest. closed today but ring up if you plan on coming by since i’ll be in the kitchen anyway. i’ll unlock the door but i won’t commit to a set of hours since i intend on going back to sleep after this angel’s morning walk.

still with me? cool. splendy’s off-site upcomings:

-The Beautiful Idea is doing an ice cream* social (*actually it’s gelato) for Pride 7 September. and they tapped us to provide the goods. free scoop with purchase in their shop, which means your dollars are supporting local q***r makers and then you get a snack about it.

-celebrating Animal Connections’ 24th anniversary at the IX this month. we’ll be vending officially. details to come; mark your calendars for 21 September 9am-1pm or sell-out on the patio in front of Animal Connections.

-if you want to see another Belmont pop-up, let me know. mandy would love it but the last two in July were a wash (literally in one case).

okay. i’ll be around the kitchen this afternoon. ring up to check or i’ll unlock the doors. xoxo

gypsy, in her dotage, has chosen to become quite picky with her food. i’ve switched things up every few months for the past year, which is more than somewhat annoying. but i think it’s been a long con because she will always, always, always share french fries with me. fingers crossed reid super saver is open today because i’m out of the oreida in my freezer.

monday and splendy’s is closeddddddddd. we’ll be closed tomorrow as well but if you want to schedule a pick up or scoops just ring up. i’ll be bopping around. xoxo

the gelato case is a sneaky little minx. on the customer’s side, it is deceptively empty empty. not so on the scooper’s side. the angle of the case doesn’t really allow for people to see that there are sometimes scoops aplenty.

but also sometimes not. the good news, however, is that it turns out we make everything on site. so my today will include the generating of mint syrup for mint chocolate chip, the burning of honey for burnt honey fig, and a myriad of other prep. (but if you’re looking for a mess of pints for a labor day cookout, please do ring up ahead so we can pack it for you.)

speaking of labor day, we’ll be *closed* monday and tuesday. it’s my only sleeping days and boy howdy do i ever need them, despite also needing to pay rent. what a push pull.

saturday. football season opener for the hoos kicks off at 6pm against richmond. GO HOOS GO 1*15*41. splendy’s open for scoops and treats 12-9. xoxo

someone having a bad day yesterday came in for a pick-me-up, knowing the burnt honey fig was going to be her move. she liked it so much she told a friend who came in later that night to share some with her family, who seemed to have a lot of discourse choosing a sampler. i like that someone chose gelato like a rock to hold back a wave of grief, a small delight to stand behind and not be swept away in an outgoing tide. and i like that she faced outward in case other people needed gelato-like-a-rock too. and i like that, instead, her friend’s family turned it into gelato-like-a-pebble to be dropped in a pocket, a memory of very serious sampler flavor choosing while a grandma bopped around her grandchild and then their family gathered around a tasting flight. the weird flavors can do that, i suppose.

thursday. very tired. open for scoops and memory abatement or creation, up to you and your day. 12-8. xoxo

hello! oh my lands, snuck them in at the death. august is virginia craft beer month! made a couple of flavors using virginia brews. ardent cucumber lime gose in raspberry sorbetto. wheatland springs american pale ale in blackberry sorbetto. really loving the tart of the former and how the hop profile expresses in the latter. there’s a gelato of a black narrows stout with salicornia but it didn’t translate well. you’re still welcome to nosh on it. hope you had a tipple of something local to celebrate . (shout out to matthew at wine warehouse. he’s a great resource of knowledge and easy to talk to, even when beer options overwhelm me. one day when i have my head on straight, i’ll pull beers from breweries in town. couldn’t make it happen this month is all.

carbohydrate corner: amaretti. italian butter cookies. haldi doodh white chocolate macadamia nuts. vegan cupcakes friday/saturday tbd

Dairy-free
Chocolate
Mango
Raspberry
Lemon
Strawberry
Passionfruit
Calamansi
Ardent (RVA) Cucumber Lime Gose and Raspberry
Wheatland Springs American Pale Ale and Blackberry

Dairy-based
Vanilla
Cookies and Cream
Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Coffee
Coffee Kahlua
Stracciatella
Salted Caramel
Dulce de Leche*
Milk and Cherry
Hazelnut
Pistachio*
Thai Tea
Black Narrows Stout with Salicornia
Burnt Honey and Figs*
production day today and not immediately available.

doing prepwork and toodling around today, tuesday. door is open 2-8 while i work but please understand the flavors are from last week and depleted. if your favorite is a *need*, ring ahead to check in.

splendy’s provides Ethos Wine and Tea on West Main with dessert. grateful they chose to use the calamansi cream tart that i love making. excited to see the space they have created grow. i hope you take a bit during their expanded hours this week to pop through and experience what tiffany and kylie are building as a community-centric space. ps: if any commonwealth crush is on as a by the glass option, give it a try!

monday and splendy’s is closed. did you know when your brain is telling you many lies about your self-worth, that drawing eyebrows on your dog fixes nothing but can help pull you back from a dark place?

new folks around this here platform. i’ll do a proper introduction post once my brain chemicals let me up again. hey that’s a nice start: i’ve got a brain that’s less than kind to me now and then. but the great bit about that is the same brain creates gelato flavors that focus on representing its own story within the context of this place we share together. meaning you’ll see splendy’s flavors that come of being my being filipino. there’ll be flavors celebrating the holidays my neighbors share with me, like midautumn festival is coming up next month so gonna bring back lotus seed salt yolk which tastes of mooncake filling. when the seasons are high, loads of flavors are inspired by local producers, like being nonplussed around goats to get caromont farm chevre for the cult favorite goat cheese honey fig. the gelato display case will always have classics, italian and american. but there will also always be tastes with a little bit of a story, the story of not only me but the story of a me within an us of this place.

okay. go team. xoxo

firstly but backwards in the photos. doggo photo because we’ll be open a little late today. small delivery to thistlerock AND my baby comes back from her minivacation in snackland, or a couple days with her lolo and lola. 1-9 today.

and now gelato. delight can come in small bites. the bambino cone is perfect when dinner you made choices that didn’t account for dessert you. sometimes dessert you is an immovable force but can be placated with the nibble that a bambino size ($3.15) affords. hooray for wee snackerel options!

open 1-9 today, saturday. scoops and treats. gypsy stays home though. xoxo

spicebush is a native understory tree. in the spring, it’s an early bloomer, soft yellow bloom clusters on widespread branches of trees not much taller than 8’. charming when the name is the thing since the leaves are reminiscent of curry while the berries are peppery and near to allspice. it’s a small poetry in my noggin to do spicebush strawberry gelato. the trees bloom at the time i do strawberry pink peppercorn to celebrate the start of ingredients-from-local-ground season. and now that resource richness is winding down when spicebush themselves are fruiting. the gelato is very much an obstinate version of the spring version: stubbornly peppered, slightly perfumey with strawberry really playing second fiddle.

tis friday and vegan cupcakes are on deck for carbohydrate corner. flavors tbd but at the very least there will be gluten-free coffee cardamom and regular thai tea ginger as someone special ordered. ha.

open for scoops and treats 12-9. xoxo

carbohydrate corner: mocha amaretti (gf). haldi doodh macadamia nut cookies. ensaymada thursday.

Dairy-free
Chocolate
Mango
Raspberry
Strawberry
GF Oatmilk Cookies and Cream
Pineapple Thai Basil

Dairy-based
Vanilla
Cookies and Cream
Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Coffee
Coffee Kahlua
Stracciatella
Salted Caramel
Peanut Butter
Hazelnut
Gianduia
Pistachio
Strawberry Spicebush
Thai Tea
Concord Grape

somewhat hilariously, i rarely eat dessert except around breakfast time. while a morning gelato is currently just an owner’s perogative, we’ll be open today 2-8 should you require a sweet treat. xoxo

monday and splendy’s is closed

sorry. not making extra gelato today as i’ll be honoring and matching my own freak*. flavors might dwindle (i’m looking at you, chocolate sorbetto). sunday open 12-8

cheers to scrappy elephant for having us out yesterday. congrats in two year plus EXPANSIONS in the mcintire spot. absolutely brilliant asset in the creative community. do check their class schedules posted monthly. or make it a makers’ holiday season and see what you can create while diverting art supplies from landfill. xoxo

*understanding that urgency culture is a construct and slowing down is imperative to my experience as a full human worthy of care.

sweets and treats at the shop 12-9 today.

vegan cupcakes:
gf vanilla + vanilla
gf coffee + chocolate vanilla
vanilla + vanilla
lemon + lemon

still rocking all the gelato in the land but wait a minute, the scrappy elephant is having their birthday celebration today. and it says splendy’s gelato will be posting up. we’re splendy’s! going to be vending with limited flavors today at mcintire plaza 11-2, assuming adelaide doesn’t wander from the table to shop the scrappy elephant’s amazing inventory of reuse materials. flavors in stories once i pop into the shop.

saturday. hope to see ya. xoxo

the accustomed affogato for splendy’s is two scoops, two shots. get one scoop, one shot if that’s your bag. two scoops of vanilla or go rogue with a mix of your favorites. it’ll do you regardless of your choices. jbird El Jefe roast pulled as espresso lends exactly enough bitterness with notes of molasses and caramel to counteract gelato’s sweetness. if you need that midday ‘hey how are ya here’s caffeine,’ we’re open 12-8 today. shops at stonefield, across from the regal and next to burger bach. xoxo

i did the thing where i said yes to too many things without asking for help. flavor list reflects that bullheadedness. flavors marked * for production tomorrow, ** production day today. please ring up for availability.

one of the yeses this week is posting up Saturday at the Scrappy Elephant for their second birthday! bringing limited scoops only, no larger containers. come on out and check out artist vendors plus maybe spark your own creative flow at mcintire plaza.

carbohydrate corner: chai amaretti. ensaymada thursday. vegan cupcakes friday/saturday flavors tbd, they’re gonna have gluten in them this week!

Dairy-free
Chocolate
Mango
Raspberry
Strawberry
Lemon
Pineapple with Soss Reaper’s Blush
White Peach
Calamansi*

Dairy-based
Vanilla
Cookies and Cream
Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Coffee
Espresso Chip
Stracciatella
Salted Caramel
Dulce de Leche
Coconut
Peanut Butter**
Hazelnut
Pistachio**
Pandan Corn*