Before we moved to NYC, I had the pleasure of interviewing Morgan Moran, Gelato Chef and owner of Morano Gelato. In the world of gelato, Morgan is a big deal. In 2011, her creamy, Italian-style gelato was named “the best gelato in America” by Forbes. Her shops in Hanover, New Hampshire and Chestnut Hill in Boston have enjoyed a devout following since opening in 2010 and 2015, respectively.
I’d love to share this interview with you today, in light of the news shared in a statement on the shop’s website last Friday.
The statement announced the permanent closure of both Morano Gelato locations and explained how the new restrictions limiting the number of guests allowed inside establishments — especially those that “depend on heavy foot traffic and lines to generate revenue” — will create even more economic hardships beyond what her business has already endured. You can read the whole statement here, and here’s my original interview with Morgan Morano…
Nicolle Moore of Plainfield, NH (her current favorite flavor is cookie) working the gelato bar, and a sample of the rotating gelato flavors posted outside.
If you’re anything like us, you’re pretty serious about three things: dessert, pizza, and wine (not necessarily in that order and we strongly believe in dessert at any time of the day…pizza too…wine maybe wait until after lunch…or not.) We were lucky enough to sit down and chat with Chef Morgan Morano, another person who is very serious about dessert—specifically of the gelato variety.
Morano, chef and owner of Morano Gelato in Hanover, New Hampshire, makes roughly 16 flavors of authentic, Sicilian-style gelato goodness every single day! Flavors like chocolate and red pepper, yogurt, amaretto, raspberry, Florentine cream, sweet milk, almond, mango, pistachio, hazelnut, and dark chocolate are often in rotation, but the selection changes depending on what ingredients are in season.
Using the freshest ingredients sourced from local farmers, artisans, and craftspeople is one of Morano’s primary focuses. “I do it because it really is the best…it’s supporting the community and it tastes better,” she told me. Morano credits McNamara Dairy in Plainfield, NH: “I think McNamara significantly contributes to the success of the gelato. The creaminess. The flavor.” McNamara also supplies Maple Syrup for Morano Gelato that is collected from local trees and boiled on McNamara’s traditional wood fire arch.
Another exciting collaboration for Morano Gelato is with Red Kite Candy in Thetford, VT. “They approached us in 2011 about selling their caramels here. Then we ended up doing a collaboration of a hazelnut caramel.”
Before even tasting the gelato, you’ll see and hear an Italian influence in Morano’s shop. From the decor to the music to the employee’s aprons and the Italian candies and espressos, which are also available daily, the Italian influence is palpable.
“It’s completely, 100% me,” Morano says of the interior decor which is elegant with clean lines and sans wood-anything, which is very much unlike other Hanover, NH stores. The distinctive black and gold fixtures, which conveniently happened to be in the space before Morano began renovations in 2011, and the bold gold stripe that flows through the space was not originally part of the Morano Gelato brand, admits Morano. A bold pink and white color palette were intended, but Morano shifted towards a more “clean but warm and welcoming, authentic Italy” feel with gold, black, and white.
Katticus Metallicus (left), from England, currently loving the salted caramel gelato, works with Nicolle Moore (right) to serve up the daily batch of gelato.
Another distinctive quality of the shop is the gelato bar. Instead of purchasing a gelato bar from Italy, Morgan worked with local designers and builders. Scot Christiano of Christiano Construction North, Inc. in Norwich, Vermont, designed the unique bar and Peter French (also based in Norwich) built the bar.
During our interview, Morano answered some light-hearted questions with a set of Mr. Sketch smelly markers, just for fun…
(Last answers read, “Dark chocolate-because I love it and I love black things and I’m a minimalistic person.” [Hanover?] “Pistachio, it’s green and sophisticated.”)
Thank you so much for chatting with us, Morgan, and the rest of the Morano Gelato crew. We had a blast hanging out!
P.S. The career path of a D1 Women’s Soccer Coach.