Maria Liliana Biondo is the owner and head gelatiere at uGOgelato on Elm Street. She has a rich cultural heritage that has informed every decision she’s made concerning her business. From location scouting to flavor creation and the level of hospitality she offers to her guests,
@ugogelato is truly an extension of Maria.
“The four times that I visited Cincinnati before moving here, I always told my husband, ‘if we open a gelato shop, it has to be near Findlay Market.’ Because Findlay Market is the most European-style market we have in the city,” she says. “Growing up Italian, when you have gelato, it’s a family moment. When you go to a place, you spend the day there, you walk around and discover the city. Findlay Market is that.”
This community is a patchwork quilt of business owners who laid a foundation for other entrepreneurs to start their own businesses; a ripple of kindness that will affect generations to come. Even prior to opening uGOgelato, Maria has experienced this kindness from the community firsthand. “Cincinnati is really special to me in many ways,” she says. “We have a very good sense of community here, and we feel loved in so many ways.”
uGOgelato features a variety of rotating gelatos and sorbets as well as cannoli, semifreddo, and
@urbanacafe espresso. Maria loves experimenting with flavors, and will go to great lengths to achieve the taste and texture she’s gunning for. It’s this tenacity that landed her a gold medal at
@gelatofestivalworldmasters in 2019, and placed her in the running for the North American finals next year.
Beyond her achievements at Gelato Festival World Masters, Maria has been recognized locally for her entrepreneurial spirit. Earlier this year, she won the Young Entrepreneur award at the OTR Awards. It’s clear that our community, as well as a larger global community, have eyes on Maria’s work and recognize it as not only outstanding, but worth uplifting.
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