Keeneland, Investing in Racing's Future since 1936.
Issue link: https://keenelandmagazine.epubxp.com/i/681141
62 SUMMER 2016 K KEENELAND.COM getting the scoop natural and, when possible, local. Her production equipment is Italian. She makes about 50 gallons of gelato and sorbetto each week. Her most popular favors are gelati: whipped cream and pistachio and, for her youngest customers, cookies and cream. As a six-month-old business, La Sorella is doing well, Sulejmanagic said. "We're growing every day. And we haven't hit peak season, summer, yet." La Sorella 219 S. Limestone Lexington, Ky 40507 859-797-0085 Open Tuesday–Sunday L exington's only stand-alone gelateria, La Sorella is owned by sisters Selma Sulejman- agic and Alma Kajtazovic, who with their par- ents came to Kentucky as refugees from Bosnia in 1995. Sulejmanagic, who attended Lexington pub- lic schools and has a degree in psychology from the University of Kentucky, operates La Sorella — her title is "gelatiere." Kajtazovic (her mar- ried surname) has an MBA from Eastern Ken- tucky University and works as fnance and op- erations director for LexArts in Lexington. She isn't involved day-to-day in La Sorella. "My sister and I wanted to go into business together," Sulejmanagic said. "A restaurant was too much. We're from Europe, and gelato was our favorite ice cream. We needed it in Lex- ington. So we decided on this." They opened La Sorella (Italian for "the sister") in a historic North Limestone Street building last December. To prepare for La Sorella, Sulejmanagic went to Cervignano del Friuli, a town in northeast- ern Italy near Trieste and the Croatian bor- der, where she had been several times to visit a close friend. (She speaks some Italian.) She spent last February apprenticing at a Cervigna- no gelateria. "I got recipes, and I learned every- thing about the business." Gelato is meant to be eaten fresh, and Sule- jmanagic tries to make hers daily. She usual- ly offers six favors of it — with a base that's about 90 percent milk and 10 percent cream — and six favors of sorbetto. Her ingredients are Sisters Alma Kajtazovic and Selma Sulejmanagic (right) take pride in the authenticity of the gelato they make and sell at La Sorella. Ice cream and gelato are each made with a base of milk, cream, and sugar (eggs are optional), but gelato has a higher — often much higher — milk-to-cream ratio, making it less fat. Gelato also has less air churned into it, making it denser and creamier, and it's served 10 to 15 degrees warmer. Sorbets (sorbetti in Italian) are made mainly from only fruit and sugar and contain no dairy. Sherbets are similar, but contain some dairy.