Fosters Old-Fashioned Freeze

Gelato Bar, the popular venture in Studio City owned and operated by Gail Silverton and Joel Gutman, has upgraded their coffee program to complement their artisanal gelato selections. The re-branded Gelato Bar and Espresso Caffe has introduced the highly acclaimed Ecco Caffe coffee roasts and espressos expertly prepared with a new state-of-the-art coffee brewing system from Seattle-based Synesso. Silverton and Gutman have replaced their coffee library with award-winning reserve lots from coffee expert Andrew Barnett's small roasting company, Ecco Caffe, based in Sonoma County. Ecco is a boutique roaster gaining notice among coffee experts around the country for its direct from origin, certified fair trade and organic beans roasted in small quantities and fresh-shipped. Owner Barnett is highly respected, serving as judge for the World Barista Championships in Copenhagen as well as Brazil's Cup of Excellence Awards. Gelato Bar and Espresso Caffe features Ecco premium roasts from Brazil and Ethiopia including Taste of the Harvest reserve, an heirloom variety from Gabriel Carvalho Dias, coffee producer and owner of the Fazenda Cachoiera farm in Brazil. I'm excited about what Gail and Joel are doing for coffee Gelato Bar. They truly understand the art of making good coffee and are committed to training their baristas in the craft of brewing. Gelato Bar uses the Synesso Cyncra espresso machine, manufactured in Seattle, Washington. The machine is a highly engineered product developed from years of espresso extracting research. It uniquely enables trained baristas to pull shots to the maximum effectiveness by delivering and maintaining pinpoint water temperatures throughout the entire extraction process, producing a superior cup of coffee. Gelato Bar is among the few cafes in greater Los Angeles that use the Synesso machine, including Urth Caffe, Intelligentsia, and Caffe Luxxe, all known for their coffee artistry. In addition, Ecco drip coffees are being ground and manually brewed by the cup, with a pour over drip system, promising the absolute freshest cup of coffee possible. Andrew is a recognized leader in the vibrant coffee roasting business and we've noticed that there is a growing base of customers seeking out the independent caffe for their coffees. says Silverton. Even with challenges of today's economy, Joel and I feel that Gelato Bar's beverages and quality premium gelato allow our customers to treat themselves to the small indulgences that we provide.