ON THE MENU — Cool down on Boston Avenue with Legendairy Gelatos
Published 12:30 am Sunday, July 24, 2022
an Lee and Christopher Lee are part owners of Legendairy Gelato. (Chris Moore/The News)
Pistachio and salted caramel are a couple of the flavors offered. (Chris Moore/The News)
Legendairy Gelato is located at 1166 Boston Avenue in Nederland. (Chris Moore/The News)
Legendairy Gelato offers numerous flavors. (Chris Moore/The News)
The owners renovated the inside of the historic building, leaving the original hardwood floors. (Chris Moore/The News)
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NEDERLAND — Those strolling Boston Avenue will soon have a stop to help cool down from the scorching temperatures while enjoying some tasty treats.
Family owned Legendairy Gelatos is set to officially open in a week following a soft opening during Nederland’s Christmas in July event.
Christopher Lee and his wife Lan Lee own the store, along with Tony Nguyen, Kim Truong, Duy Nguyen, Amanda Nguyen, Ha Nguyen and Phong Nguyen.
“Our family is very close-knit,” Lan Lee said. “We like to do everything together. We still do everything together and we have always wanted to open up a gelato spot.”
With each family member having busy schedules, getting everyone together and finding the time proved difficult. When the historic building at 1166 Boston Avenue became available, the Lees knew they could not pass up the opportunity.
“This is where we wanted to be,” Lan Lee said. “This is the exact place, so we wanted to dive in. Gelato is not seen too much around here, and it is something we wanted to bring to the area. It has a creamier and smoother texture than ice cream. Believe it or not, it has less fat content.”
The owners kept the same hardwood floors and repainted the interior of the building. They also upgraded the plumbing and electrical work.
Lan Lee said she and her husband have learned a lot opening their first business.
“It is about communication,” she said. “With our siblings, we have differing opinions, but you have to communicate anything and everything.”
Legendairy Gelato will serve the cold treat in several forms, along with coffee, teas and lemonade.
“Gelatos and sorbets are our main niche,” Lan Lee said. “We also want to have affogato. Affogato al café translates to drowned in coffee. You might not have seen it around here, but it is a scoop of gelato and a hot espresso poured on top.”
The Lees want the shop to feel welcoming to all.
“We are going for a fun atmosphere,” she said. “We want kids and grownups to just come, hangout and chill. Southeast Texas weather is basically summer throughout the whole year, with a couple days of fall and winter. We want a place where people can come in, cool down and have an experience that they cannot get anywhere else.”
While the owners have some ideas of what they would like to add in the future, they are focusing on mastering what they are doing right now.
“We want to be in the community,” Lan Lee said. “We just want to give back to the community.”
While Lan Lee came up with the name Legendairy Gelatos, she said it was inspired by her husband.
“We became parents five years ago,” Lan Lee said. “He became a dad and took that role very seriously with dad jokes. Some are good, but they are really not that great. When we decided to fully open our shop, we bounced around ideas and I knew I had to come up with a pun to appease the dad-joke side of him.”
