Calgary is, without a doubt, an ice cream town – we eat the sweet stuff by the cone, the cup, and the pint and are willing to line up to get the latest and greatest frozen concoctions. Hometown heroes like Made by Marcus, Abbey’s Creations and Village Ice Cream all have multiple locations throughout the city, while the local Foothills Creamery has set a high standard for mass-market ice cream. Collectively, the city has developed a taste for unique flavours and high-quality scoops, opening the door for a new generation of dairy artisans.
There’s even an annual city-wide celebration of ice cream, the YYC Ice Cream Fest, running from July 19 to Aug. 5, in support of Calgary Meals on Wheels. Until then, here are a few new places to try this summer: When Vatsal Rana moved to Calgary from India in 2021, his background in computer science and engineering didn’t lead to as many job opportunities as he had hoped for.
Despite not having experience in cooking or food service, he took to learning how to make gelato under the guidance of a gelato-making friend, soon discovering he not only had an aptitude for the craft but also a knack for developing flavours. Last September, Rana opened the first location of his Gelato, Eh! Shop, at #3121, 380 Canyon Meadows Dr. S.
E. His first order of business was introducing ice cream eaters to gelato, which is denser and more intense than ice cream despite carrying less milk fat. “There is a lot of really good ice cream in Calgary, but not .
