SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Lake Tahoe Basin is bustling with activity during the summer season, and there’s truly no better way to end a busy day in the alpine sunshine than with fresh, Italian gelato; and local business Art of Gelato has been scooping it and serving it up to the South Lake Tahoe community for years. 

Purchased in 2018 by longtime Lake Tahoe locals Josh Zinniel and Robert Perry, the business partner duo embarked on owning and operating a gelato shop after working in the hospitality industry for years. With a passion for customer service, positivity, and their local community, Zinniel and Perry took a chance on gelato.

“I’ve been up here for 15 years now, and I’ve always had a ‘meant to be’ feeling living in South Lake Tahoe,” Zinniel said. “I’ve always wanted to own my own business, so when the Hard Rock closed, we took a chance on this impossible opportunity to own this local business.” 

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Once the duo purchased the business, they did an overhaul, having Art of Gelato properly reflect their brand, emulating a colorful theme of overall positivity. 

“Originally the shop was just a freezer, a gelato case, and the soda machine – it was very simple,” Zinniel said. “Since we took over ownership, we used a lot of Tahoe locals as inspiration for the new design, implementing tie-dye as our color scheme and that ‘peace and love’ attitude that ultimately carried throughout the shop.” 

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While in the Ski Run Marina, Art of Gelato is deeply rooted in the South Lake Tahoe community, participating annually in local events and fundraisers. 

“Every year we participate in Little Pink Houses of Hope, a charity organization for breast cancer survivors,” Zinniel said. “We’ve also supported our local community fundraisers, such as the South Tahoe High School football team fundraising sale for their football gear. We value the relationships that we’ve made in this community, we are even catering our first wedding for a Tahoe local later this year.” 

Expanding the Art of Gelato’s local partnerships, the gelato shop also sources their coffee products locally from the South Lake Tahoe area, and their gelato is Northern California local, coming in directly from the Bay Area twice per week and is made-to-order. 

“Along with our gelato, we offer Italian-based coffee drinks, such as affogatos, double shots of espresso, and Americanos, and all of our coffee is sourced locally from Bare Roots Coffee Roasting Company,” Zinniel said. “Our gelato is as authentic as you can get. All of our gelato is small-batch, has no preservatives or additives, and they deliver directly to us on a weekly basis.”

Art of Gelato’s menu offers 18 gelato flavors, ranging from fresh fruit-based flavors like Caribbean coconut and strawberry swirl, to richer flavors such as maple roasted butter pecan and sea salt caramel, along with Italian classics such as Old World spumoni and Sicilian roasted pistachio. 

Since opening under new ownership, Zinniel reflects on his favorite part of being a business owner in the South Lake Tahoe community. 

“The local community is what gets me out of bed everyday,” Zinniel said. “I’ve worked at a lot of places and for us to execute our creative ideas at Art of Gelato, we are incredibly grateful for those who have shown up and supported us over the years, and look forward to what’s to come ahead.” 

Looking forward, the gelato shop is eager to continue expanding in the South Lake Tahoe community, aiming to grow into attending farmers markets in the area, as well as attend more events as a vendor in the future. 

With Lake Tahoe’s infamous “shoulder season” only weeks away, Art of Gelato is eager to be a hub for the community to come out, support, and enjoy Art of Gelato during every Tahoe local’s favorite time of year. 

“Come on down and hang out with us,” Zinniel said. “We are all about our local community, are motivated by creating authentic experiences for our guests, and we’ve got great flavors for everyone to try.” 

Art of Gelato is located at 900 Ski Run Boulevard Suite 122 at the Ski Run Marina in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. For more information on Art of Gelato, call 530-600-3766 or visit https://www.restaurantji.com/ca/south-lake-tahoe/art-of-gelato-/