Chet's Italian Ice is an Italian Ice vender and brand that launched in New Britain, Connecticut in 2007. It was founded by Concetto "Chet" DiMauro. From an early age, DiMauro had a passion for baking. In 2000, he graduated first in his class from Johnson & Wales University and received the Edward D. Fuller Award. Afterwards, DiMauro spent several years working in the hospitality industry: from hotels and resorts to restaurants, confectioneries and bakeries. In 2007, he saw the need for healthy frozen desserts since there are very few places outside New York City that had authentic Italian Ices. That same year, he launched his own Italian Ice brand where he produced authentic small-batch Italian Ice crafted from fresh, high-quality ingredients. All flavors are fat, dairy and cholesterol free. In addition to classic Italian Ice flavors, DiMauro also crafts specialty flavors such as Lemon-Basil or Pear-Cardamom. The signature Chet's Italian Ice pushcarts can be found at various festivals and farmer's markets throughout Connecticut, as well as private events such as weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs or fundraisers.
My family and I recently sampled some of Chet's Italian Ice when we were attended a "Touch-a-Truck" event in Madison. After eating a pizza from another food truck that was there, Italian Ice sounded like a nice option for dessert. My wife had previously seen a Chet's pushcart at the Wallingford Garden Market. Customers are allowed to combine flavors, so my wife and sons all had "Watermelon" combined with "Blue Raspberry" , and I had "Lemon" (made w/ Meyer lemons) combined with "Chocolate Fudge" (made w/ premium French chocolate). Of my choice, DiMauro remarked, "That's a classic flavor combo!" I told him that I love to pair lemon with chocolate because it reminds me of chocolate lemon pie: a specialty at New Haven-area Italian bakeries. We were all very happy with our choices. We hope that we run into Chet's Italian Ice again because it was exceptionally delicious! read more