New gelato cafe set for Elton Park development in Corktown - Crain's Detroit Business

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Gelato is coming to Corktown.

Momento Gelato Cafe will open in the $150 million Elton Park development this fall, developer Soave Real Estate Group announced Monday.

The cafe, which owner Tom Isaia said is slated to open Sept. 2, will make its home at 2120 Trumbull Ave. at the entrance to Checker Alley, Elton Park's outdoor gathering area. It is believed to be the first Italian-style gelateria in the historic Irish-founded Detroit neighborhood.

Isaia in 1971 as a senior at the University of Michigan helped establish The Blind Pig music venue in Ann Arbor and now owns wholesaler Coffee Express Roasting Co. in Plymouth. The idea for Momento Gelato Cafe was hatched when he took two trips to Bologna, Italy, in 2017 to learn the craft of making gelato.

"I got good first-hand knowledge," said Isaia, who has owned and operated Coffee Express for 39 years. "I wanted to put a place in Detroit, not in the suburbs. I think this type of project needed a bigger audience. I grew up in Detroit. I think I have a pretty good feel for the city. I haven't lived there in a while, but I never moved out of the area. I feel like this is going to be a nice concept."

When construction is complete, patrons will be able to identify Momento by its large outdoor dining enclosure designed with folding glass windows for year-round use. All seating will be on a 525 square foot indoor/outdoor patio that will seat 30-40 customers. The cafe's 975-square-foot indoor space has room for its kitchen, serving units and an espresso machine.

The cafe will offer a wide variety of handmade gelato and sorbet flavors, European-style pastries, freshly roasted Italian coffee and more. Fresh gelato will be made on site, Isaia said, and the cafe will also sell pints brought in daily from the Coffee Express warehouse.

The cafe will employ 10-15 people, including three managerial positions.

The $500,000 project was originally intended to open in The District Detroit, a 50-block area downtown that includes Little Caesars Arena being developed by the Ilitch family. Isaia said he worked with Olympia Development for about two years before turning his attention to Corktown.

"(Olympia) couldn't deliver me a space to suit a gelateria. Everything was too big," Isaia said. "I'm really glad I looked at Corktown. It's got more residential space. It's not as dependent on events. Luck went my way. I'm happy about that."

Isaia first sold his made-from-scratch gelato in freezers inside Coffee Express. The business quickly outgrew the single gelato-making machine that sits in a rear room of the coffeehouse.

"We are very excited to bring Momento Gelateria Café to Corktown," Anthony Soave, president and CEO of Soave Enterprises, said in the release. "We look forward to announcing additional tenants in the future that will add entertainment and amenities to this thriving neighborhood."

Elton Park Corktown broke ground on the Elton Park project in 2017, welcomed its first residents in spring 2019 and officially completed the first phase that summer. It has 151 residential units among six buildings, as well as 11,400 square feet of retail.

Isaia, who grew up in the Bagley neighborhood of Detroit, is excited to see the idea come to fruition.

"I've been pushing for this for more than four years," Isaia said. "I stayed with it and stayed optimistic. Now here we go."

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