Meet Michael Buch | Gelato chef + owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Buch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always struggled with authority figures, so I knew I wanted to be my own boss. I wasn’t always sure what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to control my destiny and manage by my values, not anyone else’s. I love interacting with my customers and others in the food industry. I enjoy the hard work but wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What ultimately sets us apart from most other gelato and ice cream shops is the fact that we do not ever compromise our quality to save money. We use the highest quality chocolates, pure vanilla beans, pure pistachio, Farmer’s Market seasonal fruit, etc. to ensure our flavors are intense and true to nature. We take what nature has given us and transform it into a frozen dessert. It’s really a passion project. We are not driven by profits but rather flavor. I’m proud that we don’t look for short cuts. We make small batch gelato (dairy and non-dairy) and each flavor has it’s own recipe. It’s really not sustainable for a large business to do what we do. I love it! It’s more work and money but when customers taste our product and flip out, it’s worth it. I think the challenge originally was to not listen to all the people trying to tell you how to increase profits by using cheaper ingredients. We stuck to our values and 17 years later I certainly won’t change!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oooh, for sure I would start out with breakfast at Clark Street Diner on Franklin. I used to eat at that space as a kid when it was just a diner as part of the hotel. I love that it still feels the same. Diners are the best! After bfast I would take my favorite walk up Beachwood Drive in Hollywood (my old stomping ground as a kid) and loop around the hills to pop out around Chuck Berry’s old house (tourists love that stuff!). Depending on the time of year there would be a Dodger’s game one day. A trip to the mountains and then later the same day to the beach (love that you can do both on the same day in LA). Nothing like the Hollywood Bowl on a warm Summer night. Grab a drink at the Thirsty Crow. The city’s best burger at Cassell’s. A day at Zuma Beach. And of course, a gelato and coffee at Pazzo! I love Hollywood and Silver Lake (and LA overall). People are divers, free spirited and interesting.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For sure my family deserves credit here. My Mom and Dad have always been supportive of my choices and made me feel as if anything is possible if you work hard at it. Also, my Mom is an amazing cook. This certainly helped me establish a specific pallet and understanding of good food. Lastly, I don’t think I could talk about this business without mentioning my late Uncle Mark. He and I spent countless hours in my home kitchen perfecting recipes, scouring Farmer’s Markets for the best ingredients and basically just having a great time figuring out how to make amazing gelato!

Website: www.pazzogelato.net

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Image Credits
Stephen Quiroa