Our story

the beginning

Jon Snyder’s lifelong passion.

ice cream runs deep… from the age of 9, Jon spent every summer working at his grandparents Antoinette and James Ceriales’ Carvel Ice Cream Shop in Cortlandt Manor, NY. [it’s also where Jon’s mom met his dad back in 1956, while she was working at that same shop.] at 18, he discovered gelato in NY’s Greenwich Village and then during a first trip to Italy, and never looked back. obsessed with bringing the unique Italian method to a 1984 Manhattan, he postponed college to start his own business: the Ciao Bella Gelato Company. he, along with his cousins Laura and Christine, built that into a small sustainable business over the course of 5 years, then sold it to someone who would take it to the national stage.

A PAUSE

newly freed from the workaholic days and nights of young entrepreneurship, Jon attended Columbia College and Columbia Business School where he received his BS and MBA. after a 7 year stint at a few Wall Street investment banks, it became clear that something was missing: the pride of small business ownership, and his love for frozen desserts.

A new opportunity for excellence

with passion and grit, in August of 2002, Jon single-handedly opened a new gelato company on Manhattan's historic Lower East Side: ‘il laboratorio del gelato’, a custom lab for New Yorkers to explore unique flavors, and where NYC area chefs could source frozen desserts for their menus. nearly 20 years after founding Ciao Bella, Jon recognized the scarcity of quality ice cream in NYC - and was also confident that those years had provided him a more matured and sophisticated palate from which to create whole new recipes. the mission was simple yet deliberate: bring to the world's greatest city the world's finest ice cream.

purity, Precision, perfection

today, il laboratorio del gelato is a close-knit team dedicated to the creation of world-class gelato.

we adhere to the original artisanal Italian method of gelato-making in order to create exceptional gelato and sorbet: dense texture, superior consistency, and absolute purity in flavor.

we source ingredients - when possible local and organic - to ensure only the highest quality. we then transform them: we juice and zest lemons. we peel avocados and peaches. we pit cherries. we core pears. we roast our own pistachios and almonds. we steep exceptional coffees and teas and spices to extract flavor. we seed vanilla beans. and so much more.

all of our products are handmade in small batches in our kitchen on the Lower East Side. we warmly welcome anyone to come by and enjoy!

il laboratorio del gelato and Jon Snyder are not affiliated in any way with the Ciao Bella Gelato Co., and have not had any such affiliation since 1989 when that business was sold by Mr. Snyder.