As the temperature rises, gelato starts popping up like dandelions—both Black Dog Gelato and a new Paciugo plan to open in the next few weeks. Now comes word that gelato will be sold at the third location of Palermo Bakery (1533 N. Wells St.; no phone yet), at the site of a former Cold Stone Creamery. “That will be our first place where we will be doing gelato,” says Paula Greco, a partner in Palermo, which currently has stores in Dunning and Franklin Park. “I’m sure it will work well, and then we will include it in our other two stores.”
The new Palermo will stock the same baked goods as the other two Palermos, including the bread. “Just some nice, down-to-earth bread. Nothing fancy. No 25 grains or multi this and that,” Greco says. The bakery’s cannoli will also be available. “Being a Sicilian bakery, cannolis are our specialty, and we make them ourselves here. We don’t buy the shells. We make everything here from scratch,” she says.
With some renovations and inspections still to go, Greco hopes to open within a few weeks, but she’s realistic about the delays that plague openings. “I’m thinking maybe by the 4th of July if all goes well, which it probably won’t,” she says.