ROGERS PARK — A new seasonal gelato stand is coming to Rogers Park this summer.
Black Dog Gelato is owned by long-time neighborhood resident Jessica Oloroso, who opened her first shop a few years ago in Wicker Park but also serves up gelato at two downtown locations.
Now she'd ready to bring her company "home," she said.
"It's always been a place I hoped to bring Black Dog Gelato to," Oloroso said. "That's my home."
The Far North Side location has been on Oloroso's mind for the last several years, and recently she's been working with Loyola and the Rogers Park Business Alliance to find a way to bring her plan to life.
This summer, Oloroso will set up a gelato kiosk at a community square along Sheridan Road and the Loyola "L" stop where the university holds summer farmers markets, live music shows and community events tied to its "Summer on the Plaza" programming.
The new gelato spot will serve to "enhance" what Loyola is already doing, adding some chairs and tables so patrons can sit and eat at their leisure. In the future, Oloroso said she would like to eventually have a more permanent spot in the neighborhood.
In the meantime, the Rogers Park Black Dog stand will operate similar to its Gold Coast location in Mariano Park, where last year the brand made headlines after local residents protested they were "deserving" of a higher-quality dessert.
Still, the brand's popularity is evident at its locations throughout the city, in particular a gelato-doughnut sandwich hybrid that's been known to sell out in just hours.
Black Dog's menu changes on a rotating basis and offers up unique flavors like goat cheese cashew caramel, sesame fig chocolate chip, Mexican hot chocolate, sour cherry root beer sorbet and more.
