Raised in a hospitality industry family that frequently travelled to Rome, Hallie has had a lifelong love of ice cream and the joy it brings. Following stints cooking in southern Italy and at the Rome Sustainable Food Project, the idea for Caffè Panna was first born when Hallie began selling her ice cream at a weekly popup in the South Bronx. She ran the popup while serving with City Year, a local program that deploys AmeriCorps members to provide academic and social emotional support in under-resourced New York City public schools. After completing her year of service with AmeriCorps, she took the Penn State’s legendary Ice Cream Short Course and returned to Rome to crystalize the concept for Caffè Panna while working at new school Roman gelateria Otaleg. Opening its doors in September 2019, Caffè Panna is an all day ice cream and coffee shop located in Manhattan’s Gramercy neighborhood. Combining elements of both the Italian gelato and American ice cream traditions, Caffè Panna scoops ten flavors of ice cream each day, all churned in-house, along with offering composed sundaes, affogatos, and pastries. Ingredients for the creative and ever changing ice cream and sundae flavors are either made in-house or sourced from a combination of local farmers and producers, specialty Italian purveyors or favorite artisans around the country. Caffè Panna has been featured in The New York Times, Eater, People and INSIDER Food. New York Magazine’s Grub Street named their affogato sundae the best new dessert of 2019, calling it “weirdly, extraordinarily great”. www.caffepanna.com, @caffepanna
