The popular Delini Gelato shop in West Roxbury was closed all winter but recently reopened, to the delight of the neighborhood and fans that come from afar. Owner and gelato maker Viki Petkova took time away not for a respite, but to study pastry in Paris, which fueled her with ideas for new flavors. “I closed to educate myself and bring something new people have never tasted before,” says Petkova, who named the store for her young daughter. In Paris, she says, she fell in love with chestnuts, so now, if you’re at the sunlit shop with its raspberry wall and mint green counter, at the right time, you might experience the full-blown flavor of her chestnut gelato she churns with espresso. Try it with the jet-black cone Petkova creates adding activated charcoal powder to her mix. There are usually 12 selections here, all organic, with concentrated flavors that are not too sweet. Crème brulee gelato is sprinkled with house-made crunchy caramel. The berry yogurt flavor is churned with organic fruits and a light, sour yogurt that Petkova has made since she was a young girl growing up in Bulgaria. The berries’ sweetness offsets the yogurt’s tartness. She works with dark Valrhona chocolate and mixes it with her own hazelnut paste, yielding a rich flavor she calls gianduja, named for the Italian dessert spread. Expect choices whipped up with seasonal, local fruits. Cardamom and saffron will likely crop up in new flavors. Don’t fall in love with any. When you come back for another visit, they all may have disappeared. “People say, ‘When did you change the menu? I was just here three days ago,’” Petkova says. ($5.85 for a cup with two flavors; $7.35 for three). 5 Bellevue St., West Roxbury, delinigelato.com.
ANN TRIEGER KURLAND