Does This Woman Have The Best Job In The World?

The world of authentic Italian ice-cream makers is shrouded in secrecy, just ask British ice-cream maker Kitty Travers.

“It’s quite a secret, private business. I was told I could never learn how to make real ice-cream because they’d been doing it since they were five-years-old – I didn’t stand a chance.”

Aged just 21, Kitty moved to the south of France on a whim for a disastrous stint in a French bakery where the highlight of her day was breakfast.

“I had a really terrible time working there,” she admits. “But I discovered this beautiful ice-cream parlour that was nothing like anything I’d ever seen back in London. I ended up going there every morning before work!”

The spark was lit and Kitty set about learning everything she could about making ice-cream, which naturally took her to Italy.

Travelling around the country for six weeks, Kitty tried and tested everything – from granitas on the Amalfi Coast to rich creamy gelatos in Turin – but no-one was willing to let her in on just how they made their desserts so good.

“It wasn’t until we got to Palermo that we found out anything. We met these boys who finally revealed that the secret ingredient was this powder stabilizer called neutron that everyone uses. It turned out that a lot of the stuff was quite fake.”

This discovery, along with the incredible natural ices she also sampled up and down Italy were major influences on her eventual ice-cream business, La Grotta.

“I have a very deep respect for Italian cooking and ingredients but when you try to copy a native dish like ice-cream you often end up with something inferior.”

“My slant is to be as natural as possible because there are too many hidden, weird ingredients in food these days.”

“I prefer doing quite bright, clean and simple flavours that can’t hide behind anything.”

After ten years of research and mastering her ice-cream making skills, Kitty started La Grotta, which operates out of a stall at Maltby Street Market in Bermondsey, south east London every Saturday and she doesn’t regret it.

“There’s a lot of pressure on people these days to become a huge success by the time they’re 30, which is great if it works out.”

“If I were talking to my younger self I would say don’t worry about it, let it build slowly and really know your craft. There’s a lot to be said for sticking with something for years and becoming an expert in it.”

It’s a route that’s clearly worked for Kitty, who has just created two mouthwatering sundaes for Zizzi’s Italian restaurants that are available now across the chain’s 125 stores.

Before she heads off to whip up a batch of blackcurrant leaf and lemon sorbet, we have to ask her: what’s your favourite ice-cream flavor?

“That’s tough! I do like the fruity ones the best so my dream flavor would probably be fresh peach. I’ve heard they’re the best in Texas.”

Kitty Travers might have the best job in the world.

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