our story
Before there was Via Gelato in Kaimuki, there was a truck, and before there was a truck, there was Melissa Bow, Owner, who just loved food. That’s where it all started. “I can replicate any flavor I’ve ever eaten so combine that with ice cream and that’s pretty amazing!” Having moved from New York City, back to Hawaii, the place where she grew up, missing foods in Hawaii was definitely an inspiration - a Fukuya shiso musubi, a black sesame Chinese dim sum dessert, and of course all the tropical flavors like Pirie mangos, haupia and lilikoi. These flavors of all the cultures in Hawaii became the menu of gelato and sorbetto at the Via Gelato truck and it lit a spark with local people.
“Lihing amped up with fresh locally grown herbal shiso, mango that tasted really like our local sweet and tart florally nuanced mangos, black sesame…at that time when I started, no one was making flavors based off of locally inspired foods. All the ice creams out there were very standard, typical Mainland American flavors. I figured, I personally would prefer to eat something a little closer to the heart”.
So, Via Gelato began as a food truck serving artisanal quality gelato with unique flavors inspired by local Hawaiian tastes and people came out to the side of the road and farmer’s markets in lines. One year later, Via Gelato opened a store in Kaimuki with even more flavors than the six that could fit in a truck, and a brightly-lit, family-friendly ambiance.
Each day the gelato makers make twenty-one flavors that create joy. A board in the store lets customers pin up their ideas ranging from kalbi to lemon crunch cake (another obsession dessert). Not all of the suggestions make the cut, but everyday Via Gelato makes something special that speaks to our best memories.
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience”
Artisan Handmade EVERYTHING
Yes, we do things the inefficient way. We never buy what we serve pre-made or processed. That means yes, that fudge is made from scratch with a french handmade caramel base. Yes, that mango ribbon is made from scratch from yes, real mangoes, and yes when it’s mango season, we peel and de-seed them one by one. Yes, lychee season only happens once a year and we literally de-shell then de-seed thousands of lychee just to have enough to make one fabulous week’s worth of that flavor. Yes, we think that you can taste the difference between machine and handmade!
Sustainability
Our team uses their time to work on the things that we value most. Besides our commitment to making things by hand, we value sustainability - not using and throwing away single use items if at all possible. That means we wash A LOT of dishes! That takes time and definitely changes the dynamic at the counter from fast food disposable to a slightly slower pace because we want to not only connect with you but also do right by our Earth.
Connecting
Part of what makes a local shop so endearing is the connections we make with YOU! We take it a tad slower than “fast food”; after all, what we are serving took us literally hours to make from scratch - we want to share with you what went into it! We also love it when you taste and sample. Discovery and curiosity is what we are all about. We can’t wait to hear your questions and chat with you! Our connections with each one of you is what makes us truly special.
