Two seasoned chefs are opening a small-batch gelato shop

The owners of soon-to-open Cono Gelato, chefs Jeff Kang and Tosh Agassiz, met while working at Vancouver’s Diva at the Met in 2012. Then Kang moved to Toronto to be part of the opening team at the Shangri-La, and Agassiz followed soon afterward.

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In 2016, they left the hotel together to open Canis, a highly acclaimed spot serving zhuzhed-up Canadian cuisine. When their restaurant became a casualty of the pandemic, Agassiz moved back to Vancouver and Kang stayed to open Oroshi Fish Co. and, more recently, Takja BBQ House. After a break from restaurants, Agassiz came back to Toronto and has been operating the Fare Food Co., a private dining room in the east end.

So what are these veteran chefs doing opening a gelato shop? “Tosh and I, we’ve talked about this since we met,” says Kang. “We always wanted to open an ice cream store together.”

After he moved back to Vancouver, Agassiz started working on an ice-cream-store concept. Meanwhile, Kang was developing one in Toronto. Eventually, they decided to open one together like they had always planned. They found a quaint takeout space at College and Dovercourt, with a window where passers-by can watch brown-butter waffle cones being made.

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As for the gelato, Cono guests can expect a rotating menu of up to a dozen flavours, including the classics as well as some unconventional creations that capture the super-seasonal spirit of Canis. “We used to do a dessert at Canis with chocolate, sunflower seeds and smoked maple syrup,” says Agassiz. “People can expect to find those same kinds of unique flavours here, but it’ll still be approachable.”

Also on the menu: waffle ice-cream sandwiches and eight-inch gelato cakes.

Cono Gelato is slated to open at 932 College St. in August.