Taranto’s was not the first company to make Italian-style ice cream – gelato – in Australia. Far from being the first Italian company to get into the frozen treats business, they were preceded by some 80 years by Giovanni Podesta, who founded his business in 1880. But Podesta called his products “ice cream” rather than gelato, except in Italian-language newspapers.

However, as early as 1922, the boys and girls of Mildura were being treated to “Gelato special ice cream and Mildura lemon ice”, thanks to Mr. G. Virgano. In 1940, a Perth establishment advertised “Special Cold GRANITA, 3d. per glass, and Cold Italian GELATO,  all sizes.”  Fast forward to 1958 and the New Chocolate Den at Bondi was claiming to be the “Most Modern and Ideal Espresso and Gelato Bar”. The post-WWII era saw increased Italian immigration and it’s not surprising that, as we discovered espresso coffee, pizza and parmesan, we also developed a taste for Italian-style ice cream.

Angelo Taranto began making gelato in 1957, to serve at his family’s coffee lounge in Russell Street, Melbourne. In 1960, with his new wife, Ernesta, he founded Taranto’s Continental Gelati and Ice Cream Company Pty Ltd, operating from a new factory in West Melbourne. As well as gelati in flavours including chocolate, mocha, nougat and pistachio, Taranto’s produced a range of desserts that were soon on the menu at Italian restaurants all over the city.

There are certain people who peruse the dessert menu before settling on the rest of their meal. One such was an art director I worked with at the ad agency in the 1970s. Our choice for lunch was often a cheap and cheerful Italian restaurant in Toorak Road, South Yarra, where Taranto’s products were always on offer. My colleague would weigh the attractions of the Forbidden Apple versus the  Spumone or the Cassata, generally deciding on the chocolate-covered, fruit and liqueur-filled sphere, the Tartufo.

Taranto’s catered for specialised markets as well. In 1963, the company announced its Kosher range. In 1986, the company launched its Tofu Glacé, made from natural soybean curd, with “no cholesterol, no lactose, no milk or dairy ingredients and few calories”. While Taranto’s focus was hospitality businesses, the range was eventually expanded into supermarkets beyond the Victorian market. Perhaps resources were too stretched, as the company went into receivership in 2003, two years after Angelo Taranto left the business. The Age reported:

Taranto’s Ice Cream went into voluntary administration last week after a series of setbacks, including the abrupt ending of a deal to supply Cadbury and a shortfall in funds needed to automate a machine making “choc-top” icecreams for cinema chains.

It seems attempts to find new owners were not successful, and the company was finally deregistered in 2013.

The Italian-style frozen desserts once made by Taranto’s are still available from other long-standing makers, including Everest (founded in 1958) and Aurora Foods (founded in 1970). While an Australian investment group now owns Everest, Aurora retains its Italian heritage and is run by the third generation of the Fisicaro family.

Today, gelato is no longer an exotic treat. Gelato bars are everywhere, with chains like Gelatissimo and Gelato Messina spreading throughout the country. And those frozen desserts have many rivals, even in Italian eateries. At Leo’s Spaghetti Bar in St Kilda, the menu now features tiramisu, strawberry crepes and sticky date pudding. But there, tucked away at the bottom of the list, you can still find Cassata and Tartufo. Plus ça change….