Baton Rouge is adding a new flavor to its palate.
La Divina Italian Cafe is opening its fourth gelato shop and cafe Nov. 8 in the new Acadian Village Shopping Center on Perkins Rd. — its first store in Baton Rouge.
Currently, the shop has three locations in New Orleans.
While living in Italy, La Divina owners Katrina and Carmelo Turillo studied the artisanal method of making gelato and sorbetto from scratch and brought the flavors to New Orleans.
“We are looking forward to being in Baton Rouge,” Turillo said. “We have quite a few customers who come from Baton Rouge to our stores in New Orleans, so it seems like the next natural step to go to the Red Stick City.”
La Divina attempts to use as many local ingredients in its products as possible, and Turillo said being located near LSU is an obvious choice since many college-aged people are concerned with the environment.
“We offer local ingredients and farm-to-table ingredients, and I think that really appeals to young people,” Turillo said. “The people who enjoy the food here tend to be well educated and travelers concerned about the environment and the sustainability we bring to our cafes.”
She added that she and Carmelo are already talking to local farmers from the Red Stick Farmer’s Market.
Turillo said the company has a 100-mile radius of growers and distributors from which it gathers its ingredients.
With the opening of its new location, the store plans on concocting a couple of Baton Rouge-inspired gelato flavors including “red hot red stick,” “pink flamingo” and “sazerac.”
“Right now, I’m looking forward to the holidays coming up because of the pine-nut rosemary gelato and candy cane stracciatella flavor,” Turillo said.
In addition, Turillo hopes La Divina will serve as a place to socialize and study.
“We have a couple of different areas in the restaurant,” Turillo said. “So, if you want to come hang out and study for the day you can, and if you want to socialize, the front of the store is a more social area.”
Although La Divina is planting itself in a new city, Turillo said it’s as if the store is right at home.
“I’m really excited about the blend they have in the village,” Turillo said. “They have quite a few New Orleans businesses that are also our neighbors on Magazine Street.”
Turillo said she thinks Acadian Village Shopping Center, which includes Petco, Baby Bump Maternity and Trader Joe’s, has a good mix of local and national stores.
“My husband and I are really familiar with Trader Joe’s because we are from the Northeast,” Turillo said. “We love it. I think it will be a nice complement to La Divina because the people who enjoy the food that Trader Joe’s offers also tend to enjoy the same types of
ingredients and food we offer.”