Talking Gelato with Matt Madison

By Donna Covrett

As if running one of his family’s markets (Madison’s Market in Glendale) and growing specialty produce on their farm wasn’t enough, Matt Madison took a leap from the turnip truck in June, creating Madisono’s, his own line of hand-packed gelato and sorbets. Available at Madison’s Markets (Glendale, Findlay Market, and Northside) plus several area restaurants, they are absolutely dreamy—and low in fat. In a city loyal to Graeter’s and Aglamesis, is there room for another frosty treat empire? The intrepid Mr. Madison thinks so.

Matt, are you crazy? Graeter’s practically runs this town! I love ice cream—my favorite is Graeter’s mocha chip—but I wanted to create a product that promoted the heart healthy, low-fat life style. The market was wide open. I really didn’t think I was crazy.

Why gelato? It’s rich, flavorful, and dense but lower in butterfat [6 to 7 percent compared to ice cream’s 10 to 18 percent] and lends itself to interesting flavor combinations.

How did you learn the art of making gelato? I’m largely self-taught—working with different recipes over the past year or so—but I did hire a consultant and studied with an Italian importer in New York.

Describe some of the process. I spend 70 hours a week with one other employee making it in our Glendale market, about five quarts at a time. We make about a dozen different gelato flavors, such as Madagascar vanilla, hazelnut, blueberry, pistachio, dark chocolate, and a half-dozen sorbets: pink grapefruit, lemon basil, and blackberry thyme, using blackberries from our farm.

I love the hazelnut. Just stay away from the mushrooms and radishes, OK? [laughing] You never know, everything is wide open!

FYI 27 Village Square, Glendale, (513) 772-3920, Mon–Thurs 10 am–7 pm, Fri 10 am–9 pm, Sat 9 am–9 pm; 110 W. Elder St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 723-0590, Wed–Fri 9 am–5 pm, Sat 7 am–5 pm, Sun 11 am–4 pm; Northside (4172 Hamilton Ave.) opens this fall.

Originally published in the October 2006 issue.