History
In order to understand the passion behind Benito’s Gelato, one has to know a bit about the company’s founders, Cecily Hoffius and Judy Bellos.
Ces and Judy are entrepreneurs in the truest sense of the word. No strangers to adventure, having operated a number of successful catering and restaurant establishments in the St. Louis area since 1981, they are celebrating their 25th anniversary in business by embarking upon a brand new venture: bringing one of the “coolest” food trends in the country to St. Louis - gelato.
An “Event-ful” History
As businesswomen, Ces and Judy have experienced great success in the food service industry. Currently operating out of Le Chateau Banquet & Conference Center their excellent food is well known in St. Louis from the Opera Theatre of St. Louis dinner boxes to the Frontenac Hilton’s ice cream bon bons. Operating the restaurant and catering at the Missouri Botanical Garden called upon them to feed thousands of people every day.
Ces & Judy's has grown to be one of the largest caterers in St. Louis. They cater 70 to 150 events a month, each with 30 to 1,800 guests. Their first venture was CJ's restaurant on Maryland Plaza in the Central West End. The restaurant offered continental cuisine from 1981 until 1986. Richard Gaddes, the former Opera Theatre director, was a restaurant patron. He asked if they would be interested in selling box suppers and cocktails to opera-goers on summer evenings. Twenty five years later, they're still providing picnic suppers for up to 250 people each night during the opera season.
Bellos said the Opera Theatre experience inspired her to seek out other catering opportunities and food service contracts. Ces & Judy's growing catering commitments and contracts led them to close CJ's in 1986. By that time, they were running the Missouri Botanical Garden restaurant, which served more than 800 people on a busy day. The company ran The Painted Giraffe at the Zoo's Living World building from the time it opened until 1999. In 1994, Ces & Judy's got a home of its own at Le Chateau Banquet & Conference Center.
The Sweet Taste of Italy
Judy distinctly remembers her first gelato experience on a trip to Italy. The taste and texture was like nothing she had ever experienced. Bringing that passion home started a project that would eventually manifest into Benito’s Gelato. Ces and Judy researched gelato for two years, purchasing the proper equipment and attending a gelato training school in Charlotte, NC to learn more about specialty Italian desserts. They’ve selected three suppliers who import directly from Italy as the sources of Benito’s ingredients.
Today, Benito’s Gelato is a flourishing gelaterie with several locations. With time-tested artisan methods and a family recipe tweaked by Judy Bellos, Benito’s handcrafted gelato is made fresh daily in small quantities, assuring that each flavor lives up to its original, exacting standards. Our 100% natural gelato focuses on simple, quality ingredients delivering big tastes!
