Pagliacci co-owner Matt Galvin recalls that when he initially proposed the idea of pumpkin gelato to Gelatiamo’s founder Maria Coassin, she was struck by the audacity of his idea. A gelato traditionalist, Maria did not see how there would be a demand for this very non-traditional flavor.  In Italy, pumpkin is not really used in desserts. As Maria was not very familiar with pumpkin pie, she did not know how traditional it was in the US. Matt persisted and they had a friendly argument over it for a couple of years. One time when Matt was visiting her store in downtown Seattle, Maria marched him outside and pointed to her sign.  “See what that says? ITALIAN ice cream! Pumpkin is not an Italian gelato flavor!”  She finally relented and made a test batch. “I didn’t think it would go anywhere” she remembers. To her surprise, everyone who tasted the batch loved it. It debuted as our seasonal gelato flavor in 2003.  Maria admits that she totally underestimated the demand. We quickly sold out of our supply in the first two days. Pumpkin alone doubled our gelato sales and became a best seller at Gelatiamo as well. The warm flavors of ginger, cinnamon and clove are perfect for the holidays. It remains one of our top seasonal gelatos and opened the door for other non-Italian flavors like blackberry, salted caramel and Whoppers.

Many people can name the classics of Italian cinema, such as The Bicycle Thief, La Dolce Vita and Nights of Cabiria. SIFF presents an opportunity to say “Buongiorno” to contemporary Italian film at their Annual Italian Film Festival.  Pagliacci is proud to be a sponsor of this event, now in its third year. This year’s festival features ten films exhibiting the best of modern Italian cinema including Terraferma, which is Italy’s official Academy Award submission. You can also see the winner of the Italian Critics Award for Best Film, Habemus Papem. The festival, held at the newly renovated Uptown Theater, runs Wednesday through Sunday.  In conjunction with the festival, enjoy Taste of Italy Nov. 19 – 20 for a sampling of Italian food, wine, art and more. Ticket information and show times can be found at SIFF’s website.

The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a very wet winter for the Pacific Northwest, with temperatures described as “average”. Many of us will miss the snow, but not to worry, our current newsletter has some great ideas on how to survive the short days and long nights of the coming winter. See our tips and ideas for surviving the season in warmth or thriving in the snow, from recommendations for a hot chocolate crawl to suggestions on nearby winter activities like dog sledding or heli skiing!

Read about our recent mushroom foraging experience with our friends at Foraged and Found Edibles, as well as Jim Tanguay’s award winning entry to Seattle Weekly’s Annual Home Brew Competition. We hope that you enjoy our current newsletter, which can be read here. Stay warm!

Every so often we’re asked to take part in a casting call. We don’t always know the name of the movie. Sometimes it’s called “Working Title” or “Untitled Production.” Sometimes we know who will be starring in the film. Sometimes we don’t. Regardless of what we know about the production in advance, the part we are asked to play is always the same. It is the role that lends authenticity to a film set in Seattle. That’s right. We’re asked to play a prop. It may not be the most glamorous role, but we love representing this city. You could call it typecasting. We call it the role we were born to play. Our performance may not make it past the cutting room floor. However, when we do get some screen time, like we did in Singles (we’ve changed our look a lot since then), it’s a little exciting…whether anyone aside from us notices or not. Our most recent film credit is 50/50. Inspired by a true story, it is about relationships while coping with cancer. There’s still time to catch it in theaters. And watch for us at the end of the movie.

It’s been a busy month for 85^th Street Delivery Kitchen General Manager Jim Tanguay. Fresh off of celebrating his 20^th. anniversary with Pagliacci, Seattle Weekly awarded his entry into their Annual Homebrew competition as the Best In Show. Coming out ahead of 55 other entrants, Jim’s beer was praised by the judges for “its balanced malty sweetness and nutty finish.”

It’s a rather far cry from his first effort nearly fifteen years ago. His mom had given him a beer making kit, but his first attempt tasted more of chemicals then of beer. He decided to give the beer making a rest until his wife Lilli planted a hop plant in their yard. As it would be a shame to waste the hops, Jim decided that he would dust off his kit and has been brewing beer ever since.  Part of the appeal for him is being able to tinker with the different beer recipes making each beer unique. He is especially proud of the fact that he has made a lot of his own brewing equipment.

Jim’s “Best in Show” finish has provided him the opportunity to showcase his talent to a larger audience then the lucky few who have had the chance to taste his beer so far.  Part of the prize is that Big Al Brewing is distributing his prize-winning beer as part of their “Local Hero” line. Lucky imbibers as far away as Alabama are enjoying the fruits of Jim’s labors. We are pleased to be featuring it at our University, Broadway, Queen Anne and Bellevue pizzerias during this month or as long as supplies last.  Congratulations, Jim! Cheers!