Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Dorval.
Hi Eric, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started in Montreal about 10 years ago. I was relatively fresh out of pastry school and was looking for an apprenticeship to learn how to make gelato. But with my background, I was handed the reins, with a recipe book, and became the head chef. Soon after, I fell in love with the Art of making gelato. From there, I didn’t want to solely stick to the book and began experimenting.
After 2 years of being pretty decent at what I was doing, I felt I wanted to learn more about it. I found out there was a Gelato University in Bologna and that they had an English-speaking class in 10 months. I signed up right away. I also started planning my trip. I wanted to not only learn from the University but to also do a culinary pilgrimage, tasting all the best Italy had to offer, from South to North, first.
I arrived in Napoli, then did, Rome, Firenze, and Venezia before finishing in Bologna for the month-long intensive course. It was an amazing experience, and when I returned, my gelato game significantly improved. Soon after I got back, I was recruited by THE top gelateria in the country and traveled from Montreal to Vancouver to go work there. In my 3 years working for them, I worked my way up from Gelatiere to Head Chef.
After I left, I got recruited by the largest gelato-making company in the world as their Canadian chef/instructor. While I worked for them, my wife developed lactose sensitivity. I was seeing all the alternatives she was having to substitute with, and every time, I just felt it wasn’t it. She was either having to sacrifice taste and texture or suffer just to eat something she had always loved. I was missing the creative aspect of working at a gelato shop and missed making it for the public.
So I went back to experimenting, although this time it was on the dairy-free side. I made my wife a mango gelato, and it was so rich and creamy. She loved it and asked if I could make more flavors. So I did. And she loved them all to the point where she suggested “Why don’t we open up a gelato shop that caters to vegans and people with lactose intolerance!” And that’s how V gelato came to be.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not. I mean like any endeavor, there are always challenges to start and ongoing challenges every day. But no matter what, you try and stay focused on the goal and work through them. One of our big challenges was moving from Canada to the US. We had to go through a definite process to get our visa and work permits. Then there was the process of looking for a space, getting it, and acquiring all the permits to open up and operate.
Not being local and knowing the lay of the land, or how things operate in a new city, let alone a new country, were all things I/we had to adapt to, fast, to open the business. For sure there are still daily challenges that arise constantly, but we get through them by staying calm and taking on each challenge one by one.
We’ve been impressed with V gelato & cafe, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We opened V gelato & cafe in Wynwood, the heart of Miami’s art district, about 5 months ago. We specialize in authentic Italian -style gelato. We love to be creative and rotate flavors regularly. We use all-natural, clean-label ingredients, and everything is made in-house. The thing that sets us apart though, is that all of our gelatos are vegan and dairy-free but taste like a real thing. At V gelato & cafe, we only offer 2 things, gelato, and coffee, but we like to stick to what we’re great at.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you would like to support or collaborate with us, please reach out to us at info@vgelatomiami.com, add us on Instagram @vgelatomiami, or just pop by to say hi!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vgelatomiami.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vgelatomiami/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vgelatomiami
