In the dog days of August, many of us dream of ice cream. But for gelato pro Paris Ahmed, it’s actually a dream come true.
This week Ahmed’s company, Dorée Gelato, is making its official debut on the North Fork with a frosty fête at Palmer Vineyards (5120 Sound Ave., Riverhead, 631-722-9463). But the little cart-that-could has been taking the fork by storm, cup and cone since her quiet launch this past spring.
“I’ve done about 12 events so far, and have another 10 to 12 private and public events lined up,” says the 23-year-old entrepreneur, originally from Bay Shore.
The name, Dorée, comes from the French feminine word for gold, combining Ahmed’s love for golden-hour sunsets and her love of the coveted dessert wine, Sauternes, from the Bordeaux region of France. In fact, gelato was not her first career choice; it was wine.
“I fell in love with wineries at 10 years old in Sonoma,” she laughs. “My family went there and we took a tour of the winery Benziger. They took us on tractor ride around the vineyards and into the caves and cellars – to a 10-year-old, it all looked so massive! But everyone there seemed so happy and I thought, wouldn’t it great to do something where you get to make everyone happy?”
Ahmed pursued and received her undergraduate degree in Enology and Viticulture from Cornell University, dreaming of opening her own winery one day. On the North Fork, she found places to work and learn her trade, at Sannino Vineyards and, most recently, Lenz. But while she studied and worked to saturate herself in wine education, she decided a little side hobby would be a good way to balance all her hard work.
With a dozen classic flavors and sky’s-the-limit options for custom versions, Dorée Gelato is bringing fresh, homemade gelato to a party near you. (Photo credit: Solqa Media)
“At Cornell, there’s the hotel school and the agriculture school; I was in the agriculture school, so it was a lot of science. I’m like three classes away from being pre-med,” she laughs. “But because I was in the agriculture side, I took a lot of food science classes. My first love is wine, but second love is ice cream.” So via a little YouTubing, TikTok exploration and books upon books, Ahmed mastered the art of gelato.
Her little side endeavor, though, became very popular, very fast. So much so, two weeks ago she left her job at Lenz and made Dorée Gelato her full-time pursuit.
Her ingredients are tip-top, and she is a big fan of sourcing locally and in-season whenever possible. For options like her pistachio, she sources directly from Sicily; for vanilla-based options, the beans are always either Tahitian or Madagascar, and organic if she can get it. She’s also adding her wine knowledge into the mix, too. One flavor she’s had a lot of success with is her chocolate with a red-wine reduction ripple, which will be on hand Wednesday night.
While weddings have become a specialty, with classic and custom flavors made for the betrothed, she also has been doing corporate and other private events, with packages starting at $15 a person, as well as public gatherings. Her cute little cart can hold 12 gallons of gelato and up to six flavors, costing $6 a cup or cone for one or two flavor scoops, and there’s a prolific toppings bar for both kinds of occasions. She’s also selling Dorée by the pint at Treiber Farms (from whom she sources some of her ingredients, like figs and duck eggs) and Flavor Fork in Greenport, where she uses the commercial kitchen to craft her creamy, dreamy offerings.
“It’s not bag-in-box mix; this is the real stuff,” Ahmed says. “It’s like wine — there’s a terroir to it. To me, I want celebrating to happen with ingredients that come from the place you’re celebrating in.”
The Dorée Gelato launch will be held at Palmer Vineyards on Wednesday, August 12, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 and include an evening full of gelato tasting, wine and spritzes, wood-fired pizza from Palmer’s on-premise pizza truck and passed hors d’oeuvres. There will also be a little makers market and Dorée merch for sale. Tickets are $75 and you can get yours here.
