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Italian gelateria crowned best dessert shop in Bristol
Panunzio’s Kitchen has won a major regional industry accolade.
The gelato shop was crowned the best dessert shop in Bristol at England’s Business Awards after seeing off some tough competition.
Panunzio’s Kitchen opened its doors two years ago during a sweltering summer that saw two heat waves.
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Since then, the popular gelato shop has been a mainstay of Cotham Hill where it is not unusual to see long queues outside the shop.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, owner Daniele Panunzio said: “Our shop is very busy, and all our customers say it’s definitely worth the wait.”
Panunzio, who grew up in Rome, was all too familiar with the sight of gelato shops.
His love for mastering gelato started from a young age where he worked in a part-time job while attending school.
The passion soon blossomed into starting his own business and by the age of 23, he owned two gelato shops on the Adriatic coast.
The homemade artisan Italian gelato maker Panunzio’s Kitchen opened its doors two years ago on Cotham Hill – photo: Cristina Pinuaga
“It’s priceless,” he continued. “It’s fantastic when people; English, Italians and from other countries, after being in Italy for holidays, say that they couldn’t find a gelato as good as ours.
“It definitely pays back all the hard work we put into it.”
The shop is run by Panunzio and his wife Thary along with the team who he hailed as “fantastic”.
He said: “All this it wouldn’t be possible without our fantastic team that works really hard to deliver excellent customer service and obviously, my wife who supports me constantly in every step of our business.”
Panunzio’s boasts of a vast repertoire of flavours – photo: Meg Houghton Gilmour
On the award, Panunzio said: “ It has been a fantastic experience and a great satisfaction to be awarded “Best dessert shop in Bristol”.
“There are plenty of options out there and being the best, it really means that all the effort, research and experience that is behind every scoop of gelato and products we offer, are being recognised.
“I have been developing my own recipes for more than 20 years and thousands of trials have been made to achieve the standards we have now.”
With more than 15 flavours on offer with carefully selected ingredients – including Lebanese saffron and rosewater, Sri Lankan coconut and Madagascan vanilla – Panunzio is eager to continue his food and drink journey on Cotham Hill.
“It has been a fantastic journey so far in Cotham Hill,” Panunzio added.
“People are fantastic and supportive with our small family business. It’s a pleasure to be surrounded by such a wonderful community.”
It is not an unusual sight to spot long queues outside Panunzio’s Kitchen – photo: Daniele Panunzio
Main photo: England’s Business Awards
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