Like many people in the Asian diaspora, I have an army of “aunties”in my life. Alongside my parents, they raised me. Anyone lucky enough to have an “aunty” in their lives can tell you that these three things are true: firstly, aunties fiercely care for their communities, secondly, they know how to do things properly (because laziness is a curse and shortcuts are sinful), and finally, aunties work bloody hard.

Aunty Tiff, founder of Delicioso Gelato, is emblematic of these three qualities.

When Covid hit Perth, Aunty Tiff was juggling her family’s flailing newsagency and her day job at a not-for-profit organisation helping migrant families and overseas students find their feet in the WA community. When the border began to close, Aunty Tiff decided to bring these migrants a taste of home.

Never miss a Perth moment. Make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter today.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

“The intention was … we can just make gelato for uni students so they have somewhere to go, so that they don’t miss home. We started with durian, pandan, taro and black sesame and, I think, some Western flavours,” Aunty Tiff tells Broadsheet.

After spending her savings on a gelato machine, Aunty Tiff rolled up her sleeves, rolled out a freezer’s worth of gelato and rammed it next to the small till in the front corner of the newsagency, sticking a gelato sign next to the Powerball posters. Since then, she’s steadily expanded from six flavours to more than 40 and moved from her closet-sized space in the back of the newsagency (“it was very sweaty!”) to the neighbouring storefront.

That’s all to say Aunty Tiff knows how to get things done, whether it’s re-creating soursop or reimagining Singapore chilli crab in gelato form. And like any good aunty, her standards are high. Only the freshest durians meet her rigorous standards – honed in childhood when she picked fresh durians on her grandfather’s farm in Vietnam – and end up being churned into durian gelato (the flavour she credits for putting Delisicoso onto the map).

“I was born in the middle of the Vietnam War,” she says, “so food was always scarce. After the war, it was worse … some days we had very limited food so I used my imagination to create things [using simple ingredients] like eggs! I can do like 20 versions of eggs; I can change it to anything … all these kind of flavours are through my imagination.”

Her imagination has helped fill multiple gelato cabinets with an arsenal of flavours that takes diners around the world. There’s gula melaka (the rallying ingredient of Southeast Asian desserts) next to tiramisu and cookies and cream.

She challenges the Westernised ideas of what Asian-flavoured gelato can be – with flavours like pei pa koa (a traditional Chinese herbal cough medicine that also combats ‘heatiness’, haw flakes (a childhood snack) and sweet corn.

Delicioso’s booming popularity (which includes selling tubs at local Asian grocers and a new line of sugar-free flavours) doesn’t mean Aunty Tiff can rest on her laurels. She’s still working as hard as ever, spending long hours at the store to test out ideas (“I want to try Vegemite next”) and revolving the daily selection of flavours to capture what kids and students are loving that month, whether it be that viral Dubai chocolate or the soft, smooth stretchiness of mochi-covered gelato.

It’s the customers and their families that keep her going. She’s noticed a pattern: it’s usually the second generation that comes through first (who she describes as the “students” and “foodies”), then their parents, who are then followed by the entire extended family – grandparents included. Just like any good family outing, really.

Delicioso Gelato
15A/342 Albany Highway, Victoria Park
0403 007 538

Hours:
Mon & Tue 6pm–9.30pm
Wed to Fri 6pm–10pm
Sat & Sun 1pm–4pm, 6pm–10pm

@deliciosovicpark