Gelato for the holidays

Continuing our non-health care holiday theme, it's time to focus on food. I have lost track of the holiday parties during these last two weeks -- seemingly one for each department in the hospital, not to mention the various affairs around town. All these represent a difficult obligation for us CEOs. But with practice, you adapt.

In a non-institutional vein, I take pleasure in reporting on an intimate dessert party last night at the home of Eduardo Kreindel, Gelato Master of Giovanna Gelato. Eduardo gave up a career in architecture to learn authentic Italian procedures for making gelato and sorbet. He grew up in Argentina, which has a huge Italian population, and he is now fulfilling a dream designing and producing lots of flavors.

Here is a picture of Eduardo in his kitchen, where he explained the equipment and ingredients he uses. The cookies are not part of that. They are an Argentinian treat called "rumbas," which go very well with gelato.

Eduardo often conducts tastings at local grocery stores. Bostonians and Rhode Islanders can find samples next week at the Harvest Coop in Jamaica Plain on December 28 and the East Coast Market in Providence on December 29. Click on the photo to get details of the tasting list! ("DDL" = dulce de leche.)