Oggi Gelato Opens First U.S. Location In Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — Oggi Gelato, an authentic international gelato shop with locations in Italy, Greece, Spain and Chile, recently opened its first U.S. location ever in Norwalk.

Tucked away in a shopping center at 250 Westport Avenue, Oggi is located next to the popular Italian restaurant Romanacci, offering diners a chance to enjoy pizza and pasta dishes for dinner, then walk next door for a scoop or two of authentic Italian gelato.

According to Romanacci Group Co-Founder Maurizio Ricci, the synergy between his restaurant and the new gelato shop, which officially opened to the public in early June, was no accident.

Ricci and his brother, Graziano, are the founders of both Romanacci and the nearby Osteria Romana restaurant. The brothers, who have been in Norwalk for over 15 years, first met Oggi founder Carmelo Chiaramida at a food show in Italy.

"When [Chiaramida] told us that he was looking to open a location in the U.S.A.," Ricci said to Patch, "we thought that would be a great collaboration between our two restaurants."

The new gelato shop is the result of investment and partnership between the Ricci brothers and Chiaramida, as well as James Ricci, Massimo De Paola, Erik Blomberg and Ector and Daniela Velez.

"In the past, a lot of people approached me and my brother asking to partner with us," Ricci said, "but we didn't want to just collaborate with anybody, because we worked so hard during all those years to bring our restaurant up to our expectations. So after trying Carmelo's gelato, we knew right away that could be a great addition to our family."

While Norwalk already offers a number of places where customers can enjoy gelato and other frozen treats, Ricci said the authenticity of the products served at Oggi helps it stand out among other area businesses.

The store has already been met with an enthusiastic response from customers, many of whom have taken to social media over the past month to share high praise for Oggi and its products.

Oggi has also enjoyed consistently long-but-fast-moving lines during peak times of the day and night, especially on weekends when lines of customers can often be seen flowing out the door.

Ricci said he and his partners were extremely pleased with the response Oggi has received since opening. He also noted Chiaramida has already made trips from Italy with more ingredients to meet the high demand in Norwalk.

"People already approached us asking if we are interested to open new locations," Ricci said.

Oggi customers can sample and enjoy a number of enticing flavors of artisan handmade gelato, including cheesecake, salted pistachio, biscotto al cioccolato and tiramisu, among other options.

Guests looking for something more exciting than cones and cups can also order two scoops of any flavor served on fresh, signature Sicilian brioche bread, which Ricci noted is "unbelievable."

For Ricci and his brother, the opening of Oggi has made a lifelong dream of theirs a reality.

"Me and my brother's dream was to bring a piece of Italy to Norwalk," Ricci said, "and now seeing the plaza full of people eating a great pizza at Romanacci or a homemade pasta at Osteria Romana, finishing with an unbelievable artisanal gelato, lets us feel like a plaza in Italy. Our dream came true."