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Community Corner

Downcounty Sweets: Gelateria, Creperia Opens in Stamford

Volta in downtown Stamford offers both sweet and savory options with the same Italian flair as its big brother.

Ten years ago, Giovanni Gentile opened a modest little café steeped in Italian cuisine, atmosphere and ambience. Today, is a favorite dining spot for many Stamford residents. Ten years later, Gentile opened a second Itallian café, but with a slightly different focus. 

Don't let the name fool you. Volta Gelateria Creperia on Spring Street is serving up more than just gelato — sixteen flavors at last count — and plating up more than just crepes. The crowds that showed up for the soft opening just before Father’s Day had an opportunity to try the salads, sorbetto, waffles, desserts and pastries, juices, coffee and espresso, teas, cappuccino, and even wines and spirits from a full bar.

The look of Volta — with a seating capacity of up to 40-45 inside and 45 al fresco — is crisp, clean and inviting with an array of round and rectangular marble-topped tables, backlit photos of adorable children enjoying tasty treats adorning one wall, speckled tile flooring and a moving mix of world/Italian/jazzy music emanating from the overhead speakers. The indoor/outdoor space magically becomes one when the front doors open to give way to Volta’s patio.

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So why gelato café?

“There’s no other place like this in Stamford,” Gentile, a resident of Stamford, said. “Nobody was doing gelato like this, making it this way. People have been asking for it.”

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And as the old adage goes, ask and you shell receive.

Gentile takes great pride in having both of his cafés in the neighborhood that he calls home. “I love Stamford,” he says enthusiastically. “The people of Stamford have embraced Capriccio Café, and I hope they feel the same way about Volta. I wanted to bring Italian-style gelato here.”

And just how is Volta’s gelato made?

“Gelato Master” Salvatore, who hails from Lecce, Italy and speaks very little English, uses the freshest of ingredients on equipment imported direct from Italy. Customers can sneak a peek at the gelato-making process by stealing a glance through the window of the Il Laboratorio del Gelato located at the rear of the café.

It’s not just the gelato that is made with fresh ingredients, either. The menu includes fruits and produce sourced from local farms. Gentile strives to make Volta a destination not just for the warm-weather minded. He wants to create a balance for all seasons with dishes that support diners year-round.

The menu includes a mix of sweet and savory from Smoked Salmon with horseradish cream, shallots, chives, radish and mixed green nestled in buckwheat crepes ($9.50) and hearty salads, such as the Surf and Turf, with marinated chicken, shrimp, avocado, grapefruit and bean sprouts ($12.50) to dessert crepes filled with dulce de leche ($6) or baked apple and cinnamon ($7.50).

Volta is open seven days a week, including brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.

Volta Gelateria Creperia
30 Spring Street
Stamford, CT 06901
www.volta.us

Hours: Mon-Thur 11a-11p; Fri 11a-12a; Sat-Sun 10a-12a

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