Today was a very exciting and fun day for coconut Kate and I. On this great fall day, we loaded the tour truck and headed into NYC for the grand re-opening of Dagostino’s on Lexington Ave. With 500 single serve cups ready to be consumed, we scored a prime location outside the store. It took only minutes for people to swarm the truck and spread the word about our delicious treats! The most requested flavor by far was Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato. New and old fans got a little taste of indulgence with Ciao Bella for this grand event! Keep checking our facebook fan page to see where you can catch us next.
Posts Tagged ‘Free’
Grand Fall Day
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009West Coast Bella Girls’ Day Off!
Monday, August 17th, 2009
A perfect day for sampling!
Today, the West Coast Bella Girls sampled at two Safeways down on opposite sides of Renton, WA, and we had what was probably the prettiest weather of our entire summer. It was sunny and beautiful – warm, but not hot, with an occasional nice cool breeze – literally the perfect weather for gelato and sorbet sampling.
As such, our events went off without a hitch: great products plus a good setting to enjoy them in equals lots of happy samplers! But it also means there’s not much else to tell you about the day – in a word, it was perfect!
So instead, I’ll fill you in on our plan for tomorrow, our day off! First, we’re going to hang out with Otis, the dog of our friends whose house we’re staying in, and probably take him for a walk around the lake near their house! For our morning coffee, we’ll hit Uptown Espresso, where the foam really is as thick and velvety as they claim – I have no idea how they do it! I made some pretty good foam in my barista days, but it doesn’t compare… Next, we plan to hit University Village for some shopping (or at least window shopping) before heading to Pike’s Place Market and Beecher’s for some cheese making viewing, and some of the most delicious mac-and-cheese I’ve ever had for lunch. After that, we’re headed to the downtown library, which reopened recently after being rebuilt – we spent hours in the old library on family trips to Seattle, and the new one is even more impressive! Whenever we get hungry again, we’ll probably venture over to Serious Pie for a pizza. And at that point, I think we’ll be ready to call it a day!
Happy Monday to you all – we’ll be back with more adventures on Tuesday!
Lightening and Rainbows!
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
Look closely - can you see the double rainbow reflection?!
So, I’m beginning to think I might have jinxed myself, with my blog post about sunny Seattle, because ever since that post, the weather has been more, well, typical, of the area, or at least typical of Seattle’s stereotype.
Now, I don’t know if rain and gray skies are actually typical for the summers in Seattle. After all, in all the summer trips we took here, it really was sunny every time. I think I’ve heard that August in Seattle is generally sunny and warm.
And of course two weeks ago, Seattle was part of the heat wave that hit the Pacific Northwest, with temperatures in the 100s across the region. We missed the heat by a week, which is either good (our AC in the truck doesn’t really work, so we would have been dying of heat) or bad (samplers sure would have been happy to see us!), depending on how we look at it.
But of course Seattle has the reputation of being overcast and/or rainy a good part of the year, and we saw some of that the past couple days. The best was a period of about 15 minutes, where there was a torrential downpour, combined with lightening, and a rainbow! I’ve never seen lightening and a rainbow at the same time, but it was pretty awesome. The rainbow was actually a full one, with a full, though pretty faint, double image. I snapped a picture (or seven), but it really doesn’t do it justice, and of course, I couldn’t capture the lightening too. So, you’ll have to take my word for it that it was really cool.
I also didn’t get a picture of her antics, because I was too busy congratulating and serving her, but definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far was the woman who was undeterred by the thunder, lightening, and rain, and who came over in the middle of the storm for her free Ciao Bella sample, using the sunscreen for her windshield as an umbrella!
Thankfully, the storm passed as quickly as it came on, but take the woman as proof: Ciao Bella’s samples are worth wading through a little water for!
The Other Side of Wine Country
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
I’ve lived in San Francisco since college, so it’s been over 8 years. And in those 8 years, as I went from a post college gal to a newly wed one, I’ve spent my share of time up in wine country. When I first moved to the bay area, a day in Napa or Sonoma was just a fun way to spend a weekend day. More and more lately, we find ourselves headed that way for weddings (in fact the next wedding we attend, next month, will be at a vineyard in Napa).
But I have to admit, I’ve never actually been to a grocery store in Napa. There is this the one strip of road, on which the vast majority of the vineyards sit, and off of which very few people ever venture.
But for our events up in Napa today, we spent time at a Raley’s in the morning and a Whole Foods in the afternoon, and we were able to meet some of the people that are lucky enough to actually call wine country their home!
Not surprisingly, those people fortunate enough to actually live up in Napa seem to be a very happy crew. This didn’t come as much of a shock to us – if you look at the photos, even their grocery store parking lots are simply gorgeous. And on a beautiful warm summer day, with a delicious and free Ciao Bella gelato or sorbet sample to enjoy, well, life was good in wine country today, I can tell you that for sure! It’s official y’all – the good life is definitely being lived in Napa, CA, and we were happy to share a bit of that today. Thank goodness we like San Francisco as much as we do, or we might not’ve left today!
We’re headed to the East Bay again tomorrow – check in with us on Facebook and Twitter for our locations in the morning, and til then, good night, and sweet dreams of the good life and great sorbet and gelato!
Bella Boys!
Saturday, July 11th, 2009Northern California seems to be pleased that the West Coast Bella Girls are back in town – we were graced with another stunningly gorgeous day today, this time down in the South Bay – Cupertino and Palo Alto were both happy to see us!
Enjoying sample #1!
These two cuties came for samples at our second event in Palo Alto. Their mom had to run back to her office to pick something up, and so left them busy with their treats. But when her trip inside took longer than expected, they took matters into their own hands, politely asking for two more samples, this time Tahitian Vanilla for both. After making quick work of sample #2, they moved on to happily climbing into a tree, and waiting for their mother there.
Upon her return, she was looking around for her boys while standing in line for her own sample, and I pointed out their legs, dangling from a tree, to her. She seemed quite impressed with our services: free samples, coupons, and child monitoring services! We can’t do it all all the time, but these Bella Boys (or is Bella Fellas better? I can’t decide!) made good company this afternoon.
4th of July, West Coast Style!
Sunday, July 5th, 2009The West Coast Bella Girls would like to echo the East Coast team in wishing all a very happy and safe 4th!
I’ve always been a big fan of the 4th of July. Growing up, our family used to pack a picnic and head to the beach for dinner followed by the fireworks, which were often enjoyed floating in the ocean on a boogie board in the swaths of light on the water that the explosions would create.
Customers eagerly awaiting a tasty sample!
At first, I thought that working today wouldn’t be much fun, and that I would miss the good food and family that I usually enjoy on the 4th. I was wrong. At the Whole Foods in Venice, we set up shop right next to where the marketing team was offering samples of their all beef hot dogs (straight off the grill!) and sparkling lemonade. Followed up by one of our gelato or sorbet samples, those lucky customers had themselves a pretty fantastic meal or hearty snack today, and it was all for free! Plus, everything being sampled was also on sale at the store, so you could pick up and take home all of your new favorites without breaking the bank! So, good food? Check!
Family? Well, my hubby flew down to join us for the weekend, we were treated to a fantastic dinner by one uncle, and we’re staying the night with another uncle, so we’re covered on the family front too!
Hope your 4th was as great as ours. And if it wasn’t, come to one of our last LA stops tomorrow (Whole Foods at 500 Wilshire Blvd from 11-2 or Albertson’s at 2627 Lincoln Blvd from 4-7), so that we can make your 5th fantastic.
The Best Job
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
These ladies know a good gig when they see one, or so they say!
There’s one conversation that we, the West Coast Bella Girls, have with customers probably two to three days a week. On gorgeous days, when we’re having a good event and it’s clear everyone is having a great time, this discussion may occur two or more times in the course of one day.
Sometimes it takes the form of a question. Sometimes it’s a statement or a discussion. But the consensus is clear that we have “the best job”.
As they stopped to enjoy their samples, we had that discussion with the ladies pictured in the photo to the left. And both emphatically agreed with my assessment that our job is the opposite of the dentist (no offense to any dentists!) – everyone is thrilled to see us, and can’t wait for their turn!
Today, at the Gelson’s in Dana Point, we were asked if we were hiring. It wasn’t the first time we fielded that inquiry. Once, we were asked if we needed an assistant – I’m pretty sure the lady was volunteering! We’re often asked how we got the job. But most common of all is just being told we have the best job in some phrasing or another. We don’t disagree. 
Come visit us tomorrow, to see if your job is as cool as ours. We’ll be hitting Albertson’s near So Cal beaches tomorrow: Long Beach from 11 – 2 (450 Long Beach Blvd), and Huntington Beach (16600 Bolsa Chica St) from 4-7.
Perfect Pairings
Monday, June 29th, 2009I am a food person. I love to cook (I’m actually considering cooking school after the tour ends!), I love going to farmer’s markets wherever I find myself on a Saturday morning (we found some great treats at the La Canada Flintridge market earlier this month before an event – good enough that we went back the next week), and I love thinking of tasty new ways to use old favorites.
So naturally, thinking up pairings for the gelatos and sorbets that I’m becoming so familiar with this summer has become a fun hobby.
When we have couples come to the window together asking for one sorbet and one gelato without a strong preference on the gelato, we usually encourage two things: 1. the vanilla gelato and 2. that they share, because the vanilla combines so deliciously with any of the three sorbets we also sample.
Yesterday, a clever Whole Foods employee came out for his sample on his lunch break, looking for something to complement his planned meal of a banana with fresh ground peanut butter, and once again, the creamy cool vanilla was a perfect fit.
Another of our customers asked for a sample of our blood orange, explaining how she had just had a great blood orange margarita the day before. After her sample, she headed into the store for pints and tequila, planning to repeat the refreshing drink for the friends she had invited to her place.
Although it’s not one of the flavors on our tour this year, one of my favorite Ciao Bella gelatos is the plain hazelnut. Fantastic on its own, it’s stunning when accompanied by fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries – pick a berry and it’s great.
Mango-rite: totally yummilicious!
So today, in the nearly 100 degree heat at our event this morning at the Sprouts in El Cajon, I came up with a new winning combo. It was hot. Naturally, all I could think about between customers was what icy cold drink I would enjoy on our way to our second event. Once we started packing up, I pulled a mango sorbet from the freezer and put it on the dashboard of the truck to let it melt as we were reloading the truck. Once on the road, we pulled into a fast food restaurant where I ordered a large lemon/lime soda, leaving a little room at the top like you would for milk in coffee. I poured in my now well softened mango, gave a good stir, and then took a sip of what has to be the tastiest drink I’ve had in a good long while. If I do say so myself, it was a pretty ingenious move – refreshing, sweet, fresh and just completely delicious. The beautiful color in the photo was of just one mango cup in an extra large soda and the ratio was fantastic. I can guarantee I will be serving this to friends at meals at my house for years to come.
Give it a shot and see if you enjoy it as much as we did. Or share your recipes for perfect pairings of Ciao Bella and…you tell us – we’d love to try yours out too!
Feeding Firefighters
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Two La Jolla firefighters, enjoying an Alphonso Mango and a Blood Orange sample
The West Coast Bella Girls have identified another pattern that we’d like to share with you, involving the brave men and women who serve in fire departments in towns up and down the California coast.
We’ve had the honor to serve 4 or 5 different groups of firefighters so far on this tour, and each time, they’ve been some of our favorite customers of the day!
Today’s firefighters fit into our pattern perfectly. First one or maybe two members of the crew show up for a sample. They walk off with their samples, and then, later, maybe 2 minutes, maybe 10, the rest of the crew arrives for their treat! One day, a truck left with only the driver as the solo sampler…but they drove right back about 5 minutes later and the whole gang piled out. For being willing to bring his buds back when they realized what they were missing, we gave him a second flavor!
Sometimes the firefighters have the time to eat their samples standing outside their truck. Today’s fellows enjoyed their cool treats inside their truck, but were kind enough to let me snap their pic before heading out on a call.
It’s a really great feeling to do something nice for the men and women who work so hard to keep us all safe!
Back to Blogging!
Saturday, June 27th, 2009
Violet sure likes her mango sample!
The West Coast Bella Girls are excited to make our return to the blog today!
You may have noticed we went missing for about a week. It was a busy 6 days for us. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
1. Tori (I) had to make a surprise trip back to San Francisco to help my hubby with an unexpected issue for about a week.
2. Tiff took the GRE she’d been studying for during our breaks/days off/at night, and did pretty darn well!
3. Tiff had a birthday!
All the commotion didn’t stop the tour – like a champ, Tiff was able to handle the events I had to miss on her own! But she’s not much of a blogger, so that was the one thing put on pause in my absence.
It’s good to be back together again, bringing smiles to the west coast, and sharing our stories as we do so. Like this one about the family pictured above: Violet is the little doll with the precious red ringlets. This shot was snapped early in her mango sample – by the end of the cup, she had a yellow ring around her smile, and had shared tastes with her cute dress as well! She was also thoroughly enjoying our music, swaying her little hips and shaking her arms like a pro!
Come out and join us tomorrow – we hope you’ll enjoy your visit as much as Violet did hers! We’ll be in La Jolla tomorrow for our second to last day in San Diego. Come see us at Vons at 7544 Girard Ave. from 11 am – 2 pm or at Whole Foods at 8825 Villa La Jolla Dr. from 4 – 7 pm!
