Team behind Toronto Italian restaurant launching new gelato venture

The restaurateur and chef behind a buzzy Toronto Italian joint are taking a turn towards la dolce vita with a new gelato shop they're opening later this year.

Toronto businessman-turned-restaurateur Michael Marshall tells blogTO that, over his many travels to Italy, the gelato he ate along the Amalfi Coast always stood out to him.

In the country of gelato's inception, it's only fair that the milk-based frozen dessert is a whole different calibre there than anywhere else in the world, of course, but it was also how the gelato shops create inventive ways to serve it: atop a warm brioche bun with a generous dollop of whipped cream or served with edible spoons.

Toronto's own gelato shops, however quality-focused and plentiful they may be, simply have yet to catch up. He, along with collaborator chef Graziano Totora, decided they would accept the challenge of pushing the Toronto gelato scene along, and this fall, with their new gelato concept, Crema Gelato, that's precisely what they plan to do.

After establishing themselves with their Dundas West Italian restaurant, Carolina, in 2024, where they serve savoury staples, the dynamic duo decided it was time to move forward with a gelato shop — a turn that, as fate would have it, was somewhat written in the stars for Totora.

"Crazy thing is, [Torota's] first job when he immigrated to Canada was making gelato at a very popular place in Woodbridge," Marshall tells blogTO, "so it's kind of like naturally progressed into this."

When the pair discovered the up-and-coming Mirvish Village development and learned of the impressive swath of other food and drink concepts — including several other Italian spots — that were also setting up shop there, it felt like a total no-brainer.

"I know there's only a couple spots open now, but it's a beautiful street, like those old homes are so nice. Once it gets hustling, bustling, and everyone's in there, it'll be like, kind of like the equivalent of a piazza in Europe, you know? Somewhere where you can hang out, and afterwards you have a nightcap at Crema, have a gelato. I think it really has that vibe," Marshall explains.

A lot of places in Toronto serve good gelato, Marshall concedes, and, of course, Crema will be no different, but he hopes to set his shop apart with a playful, vibrant atmosphere reminiscent of those shops in Totora's hometown of Naples.

"It's going to be not just a gelato, but an experience, and we want to make it a fun, playful place," he says.

Crema Gelato is expected to open in early fall 2026 and will be located at 597 Markham St.