CHICAGO — Start the countdown — Stan's Donuts & Coffee in Wicker Park plans to offer house-made gelato along with its version of doughnut-gelato sandwiches beginning in May.
Rich Labriola, owner of the Stan's at 1560 N. Damen Ave. that is a partnership with the Los Angeles-based original, said the shop would serve 10 to 12 flavors of gelato starting May 1.
Customers might have to wait a few weeks before Stan's offers three or four varieties of the doughnut-gelato sandwiches, hopefully by the end of May, Labriola said.
Some might remember when competitor Glazed & Infused teamed up with Black Dog gelato to create the much-clamored for treats and sold out quickly. But Labriola said his plan is to keep up with demand.
He's keeping details of the sandwich varieties under wraps for now but said he had "some ideas."
He said he plans to sell them ready-made so the gelato doesn't melt and the sandwich stays cold.
For Labriola, it's somewhat of a marriage between his Stan's Donuts and the Oakbrook spot he founded, Labriola Bakery Cafe, which will provide the gelato recipe. The process includes a base that takes two hours to make, he said.
"It's really high-quality gelato," Labriola said. "We take every step and do it the way it should be from start to finish."
Flavors that he's offered at the cafe include Belgian sugar cookie, pistachio, hazelnut, chocolate pretzel and lemon sorbet, among others. Gelato and sorbet will be $4.29 per serving, but he has not set a price for the sandwiches.
The shop opened in February in the midst of the city's doughnut boom and counts Glazed & Infused as its neighbor right across the street.
Labriola said he didn't know how long the gelato would be offered, but that it would likely be a seasonal feature.
"If people love what we do with doughnuts, they're going to love what we do with gelato," Labriola said.
