意大利移民为华盛顿带来意式冰淇淋

AS IT IS 2016-08-14 Italian Immigrant Brings Gelato to Washington, DC 意大利移民为华盛顿带来意式冰淇淋

Gianluigi Dellaccio operates three gelato shops in the Washington, D.C. area. Each shop is called Dolci Gelati.

Shoppers can find his products in local stores and supermarkets.

Dellaccio is living his dream of bringing gelato to the United States. But it was not easy to get to where he is today.

Delaccio grew up in Italy. Before he became interested in making gelato, he was a star athlete. He says that as a water polo player with the Italian national team, he developed a trait¹ of persistence². That drive was helpful when he came to the U.S. in 2000.

After his sports career ended, he spent years learning how to make gelato. He learned the business from family members in Germany.

Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream, but there are differences between the two frozen³ desserts. Like ice cream, gelato is made with milk and cream, but mixed together with eggs, sugar and flavoring.

Dellaccio perfected his method for making gelato while working in Milan. That is where he became a master gelato maker⁴.

He even taught young people in prison how to make gelato so they would have a skill when they were released.

It was one thing for Dellaccio to arrive in the U.S. with a dream. But it was something different to put the dream into action.

First, Dellaccio proved himself as a dessert-maker with a restaurant in Washington, D.C. He made pastries⁵ for an eatery called Galileo.

He tried to get a “green card,” the document that gives a non-citizen the right to work and live permanently⁶ in the U.S. But it was a long process.

“It was very tough,” he said. “Sometimes you have those days that you feel lonely and sad.”

It was not until 2006 that he received the important residency document. That was the same year he opened his first gelato shop.

But it took time for Washingtonians to learn about his product. Dellaccio went from restaurant to restaurant on an Italian Vespa motor bike. He carried samples of his gelato on a small trailer connected to the back.

That is how he gained buyers for the creations⁷ he makes in his gelato kitchen.

Now Dellaccio has a successful business, and on warm days, his stores are busy with people looking for a cold treat.

But he does not want to stop there.

“Once you reach a goal, you need to put another target to keep going,” he said. “Because if you reach one goal and you settle, that’s the day that you go down.”

So now Dellaccio is trying to become the best gelato maker in the world.

He is off to a good start. His flavor -- Saffron Pistachio with Candied Lemon Peel -- won a prize at the Gelato World Tour event in Chicago earlier this year.

The prize gave him a right to return to Italy in 2017 for a competition. The person who makes the best flavor will earn the world championship.

Words in This Story

gelato – n. frozen milk and cream mixed together with eggs, sugar and flavoring.

trait – n. a quality that makes one person or thing different from another

persistence – n. the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people

dessert – n. sweet food eaten after the main part of a meal

flavoring – n. a substance that is added to a food or drink to give it a desired taste

star – n. the most important and well-known performer in a movie, play, etc.

master – adj. highly skilled

restaurant – n. a place where you can buy and eat a meal

trailer – n. a long platform or box with wheels that is pulled behind a truck or car and used to transport things

1 trait   

n.显著特点，特性

参考例句：

• Creativity is a human trait.创造力是人类的一种特性。
• Repose of manner is an estimable trait in a horse.神情镇定是一匹马可贵的特质。

2 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

3 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 pastries   

n.面粉制的糕点

参考例句：

• He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分
• Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。

6 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

7 creations   

创造( creation的名词复数 )； 创造物； （尤指所述由上帝）创造天地； 宇宙

参考例句：

• This artist's creations are worth collecting. 这个艺术家的作品值得收藏。
• The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. 各民族的精神产品成了公共的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言