The Napolitanos build a gelato empire
The Napolitano family opened their downtown gelato shop, Tre Palline Gelato Napolitano, in 2022. They have added two new locations this summer in Spokane Valley and Cheney. And on Thursday, the Napolitanos obtained a lease for another shop on the North Side.
“We keep in mind our guests,” Ashley Napolitano, the co-owner of Tre Palline said. “That’s the power behind our growth.”
Tre Palline Gelato Napolitano works to make their products accessible to everyone.
“We spent the first year investing in off-site events and coming to guests,” Ashley Napolitano said. “We wanted to make sure we helped our community. It’s about bringing everybody to the table. As Italians, that’s really important to us.”
Debbie Stoddard, a Cheney resident, has been to Tre Palline twice. She was visiting the Cheney location Thursday when she was convinced to try a new flavor: Mascarpone Pear. The gelato is a cheese and pear combination, said Marco Napolitano, co-owner and gelato expert.
“I created this flavor 15 years ago,” said Marco Napolitano.
Stoddard was delighted with the taste and the customer service.
“It’s really amazing,” Stoddard said. “Mocha brownie is so good, too. Also, he gave me a split scoop, so I could try two flavors.”
She plans to come back to Tre Palline in the future.
“They will be a destination for me,” Stoddard said.
Their gelato is as authentically Italian as it gets, according to the “tecnico di gelato” Marco Napolitano. He is from Italy and has been making gelato for 38 years.
“I started working at 15 in a gelato shop with my parents,” said Marco Napolitano. “I grew up in a gelato shop.”
A Tre Palline location has around 15 flavors every day that are created from scratch. It takes about four hours to make all the bases, according to Marco Napolitano. All of Tre Pallines’ flavors are made from two main bases: crema and fior de latte. One is egg-based and the other is more milk-based.
“The crema base takes 40 egg yolks for a gallon,” said Marco Napolitano. At Tre Palline, however, he said that he uses less eggs to fit the American palate.
After the bases are crafted, each flavor is created by adding in different toppings and sauces. For the pistachio flavor, Marco Napolitano said he buys pistachios and “roasts them to the level he likes” before mixing them in the gelato.
“I am very, very classic,” said Marco Napolitano. “I am classic when I put my clothes on and classic with my flavors too. The crazy ones are my wife.”
Ashley Napolitano runs the social media and business side of Tre Palline, while Marco Napolitano makes the gelato. They say that they make a great team.
“My husband’s technical gelato skills and my background in food and beverage work well together,” said Ashley Napolitano.
As Tre Palline expands, the Napolitanos have hired employees to help them run their stores. Still, they want to remain the main faces of Tre Palline Gelato Napolitano.
“I’m still heavily involved in working in all the stores,” Ashley Napolitano said. “We want the same service with the new employees as if it was just us.”
The Napolitanos will keep making gelato and reaching customers as long as they can, Ashley Napolitano said.
“For us, it’s such a close-to-heart situation,” she said. “It’s a big deal to hear customers say, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.’ It’s always a big deal, even after 38 years.”