I stepped out of the sultry Sarasota summer and into what Anthony Vecsesi affectionately calls “the humble temple of frozen deliciousness.” For me, it also turned into a trip back to Old World traditions in a very New World environment.
Vecsesi—the owner, creator, and producer of small-batch, hand-made, artisanal gelato at Gelateria Degli Angeli, in Gulfgate—offered me my first taste. Gelato alla Crema de Bologna is a lush lemon zest frozen custard with hints of Madagascar vanilla. I loved the immediate intense lemon flavor surrounded by the creamy, silky texture of this frozen elixir. Unlike ice cream, which is served at a colder temperature and has higher levels of butterfat, these flavors were unmasked at first taste.
Note to self: Don’t call this ice cream. True artisanal gelato is so much more!
Having entered the hospitality business at the age of 16, Vecsesi, spent many years in wine and spirits and is a certified sommelier who has worked alongside many great chefs. He learned quickly one fact every great chef knows: Use only the highest-quality, freshest ingredients.
While working as a mixologist, he entered a contest for a favorite recipe for a Manhattan cocktail.
“I’m old school,” he said. “There’s one recipe for a Manhattan that’s been around since the 1870s.” Not wanting to mess with this classic recipe, he decided instead to create a Manhattan sorbet. After a lot of research, testing, and buying a $6,000 used Carpigiani batch freezer (the premier gelato machine), he entered and won first prize.
But the real win was still ahead. Now he had this beautiful machine taking up half of his living room. Each night, after work, he would experiment, research, and test gelato creations. “A lot of applied math and science,” he told me. After 10 years, still obsessed with creating the most flavorful artisanal gelatos, he attended the Carpigiani University of Gelato in Bologna, Italy, where he learned from the very best.
Following his dream and his beloved father’s final sage advice not to give up on the gelato, he opened Gelateria Degli Angeli in 2025.
His gelatos and sorbets are made completely from scratch with only the finest ingredients: Tonda Gentile hazelnuts from Piedmont, Italy; Bronte pistachios from Sicily; Callebaut Belgian chocolate; Madagascar vanilla; the freshest, sweetest fruit. He is constantly sourcing the most globally revered ingredients.
Each week, he creates a new menu with both new and favorite flavors. I tasted seven of them. Each one I tasted was flavor-forward, creamy, and balanced perfection.
There are also two secret ingredients in every artisanal, slow-churned, heavenly batch of Degli Angeli gelato: tradition and integrity. He is not torn between the Old World and the New. He is bringing them together.
