Decatur, GA — Here’s a quick look at business news in our community.

– Cremalosa, a gelato shop at 2657 East College Avenue owned by Meredith Ford, is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Feb. 21. 

The celebration will include, “new line of cocktails that feature the shop’s seasonal sorbetti.”

“Bellini, a refreshing cocktail that hails from the famous Harry’s Bar in Venice, is a mix of seasonal sorbetto and Prosecco whipped to a delicious froth,” the press release from Cremalosa says. “Cremalini, a pint of sorbetto and a bottle of Prosecco (packaged together for $30), is offered to-go, for those who want to whip up the luscious drinks at home. Cremalosa will also introduce French 75s, French 76s and margaritas – all made with the shop’s renowned sorbetti.”

Cremalosa will also be partnering up with The Lost Druid brewery in Avondale Estates to pair the brewery’s hard seltzer’s with the shop’s sorbetto to create floats.

Here’s additional information about Cremalosa:

Cremalosa showcases around a dozen rotating flavors of gelato and sorbetto, all spun in-house on a Campacto Vario gelato machine imported from Italy. Crafted from local cream and simple, farm-fresh ingredients, flavors include a mix of traditional Italian options, such as stracciatella and pistachio, and creative offerings uniquely inspired by Southern desserts and iconic American cakes, cookies and penny candy––think banana pudding, malted milk ball, gingersnap cookie, hummingbird cake, lemon mascarpone cheesecake and peach cobbler.

In addition to scooped gelato, layer cakes and popsicles, Cremalosa serves boozy shakes (like “The Elvis” with banana pudding gelato, peanut butter, bourbon whiskey, and whipped cream), adult affogato, canned beer and wine by the glass or bottle. Everything from the brownies in the dark chocolate fudge brownie to the caramel in the sea salt caramel gelato is made from scratch. Add-ins like local berries and fruits are preserved at the shop to create delicate and balanced fruit options, and special nut pastes are imported from two regions in Italy: pistachios from Bronte, Sicily and hazelnuts from the renowned nut-growing Piedmont region.

Located on the plaza level of Cortland Decatur East Apartments, the shop features a cheery and welcoming interior with colorful robin’s egg blue walls and rich chocolate brown millwork. The heated patio is lovely and expansive, with lots of room for social distancing.

Cremalosa is from owner and Atlanta native Meridith Ford, who started out as a pastry chef and earned her pastry degree from Johnson & Wales University, where she also taught for seven years. She served as The Providence Journal’s dining critic and head food writer for over five years, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critic and food writer from 2004 to 2010, where she earned a James Beard Award nomination for food criticism. She caught the gelato bug working in pastry for owner Riccardo Ullio of Sotto Sotto, Fritti, Escorpion and Novo Cucina, where she developed the latter’s gelato program and studied with Italian masters who taught her Italian techniques. The name “Cremalosa” is a play on “crema,’ the Italian word for cream, and the heart from the shop’s logo was Ford’s daughter’s favorite doodle to sketch as a child.

“It’s been an incredible year,” said Ford. “This community has been incredibly supportive. My dream was that Cremalosa would serve as a place where families and friends gather often to enjoy each other’s company and some delicious gelato. That dream has come true, even in a pandemic.”

– Emory’s Goizueta Business School is launching the Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

“The center will foster both entrepreneurship and innovation for the Goizueta community,” the announcement from Goizueta Business School says. “Born of critical inquiry, the center was developed to serve fundamental societal needs, executed according to sound business principles, and conceptualized in ways that open possibilities and spark imagination.”

Here’s a short video about the new center:

Here’s additional information about the project, provided by the Goizueta Business School:

“We are very appreciative of the generosity of the Goizueta Foundation for its investment in the expanded scope and elevated commitment to innovation as a central theme that all organizations must embrace,” shared Robert Kazanjian, Asa Griggs Candler Professor and Academic Director for the Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The idea behind the center is to provide student entrepreneurs with a multi-disciplinary approach to cultivate their ideas. Providing support to experiment and challenge themselves, students are offered co-curricular experiences, incubation, scenario testing, funding opportunities, and connections.

“The goal of the Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is to support current and future business leaders through education and experiences to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators,” says Amelia Schaffner, Director of Entrepreneurship at the Center.

For students with interests related to the center, they have access to more than twenty courses focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. The center also has a wide variety of entrepreneurial programs with more than ten entrepreneurs-in-residence supporting the programs. The entrepreneur-in-residence team includes Atlanta area business leaders, investors, and venture capitalists who provide inspiration and mentoring for the aspiring business leaders.

The multi-disciplinary approach includes programs that allow students direct feedback from their professors and other business leaders. These include:

– Pitch the Professors– Students are invited to pitch their startup concept to professors who provide feedback and recommendations. The top eight concept pitches of each semester advance to work at the Atlanta Tech Village incubator for six months (rent free) to start their business. The top eight also receive free consulting services, workshops and a meeting with an attorney.

– Emory Startup Launch Accelerator– Early stage entrepreneurs are able to test their ideas with customers with the goal of building a business model to advance the startup to the next step, over a three month period.

– The Annual Entrepreneurship Summit – A two-day event designed to celebrate and connect Goizueta student and alumni entrepreneurs. Students can also sign up for the “Pitch the Summit” competition.

– Advancing Healthcare Innovation in Africa – Supports scientists with short-term and medium-term innovations to help reduce morbidity and mortality in Africa through affordable and accessible healthcare.

– RAISE Forum – Creates funding for in-revenue companies across the Southeast needing an investment round between $500K and $5M. The forum has a life sciences interest because of its affiliations with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) and the Atlanta VA Medical Center, but is generally industry-agnostic.

– Apprenticeships and Other Ad-hoc Experiences – The Center has a dozen partnerships and collaboration with the ecosystem, ranging from incubators to angel networks, which open up opportunities related to entrepreneurship, investing, and innovation for students.

– The Brightstar Team | COMPASS has announced the opening of a new phase of the Vernon home community in Ormewood Park. 

Photo provided to Decaturish

Here’s the full press release:

ATLANTA, Ga. — The Brightstar Team | COMPASS is pleased to announce that construction is underway on Phase 2 at Vernon in Ormewood. This community offer new homes from the $600,000s built by Southwyck Homes in an excellent intown location.

“We are excited to begin sales in a new phase at Vernon,” said Michelle Jenkins, Principal of The Brightstar Team | COMPASS. “Vernon is an enclave of just 20 homes located in a fantastic area walkability to some of Atlanta’s most popular attractions and amenities.”

New homes are under construction in Phase 2 at Vernon, a community from Southwyck Builders in Ormewood. Priced from the low $600,000s, these homes offer an incredible location, unique exterior elevations, outdoor living spaces and luxury interior finishes. Vernon is located steps from the BeltLine, Glenwood Park and the Memorial Drive corridor.

The homes at Vernon offer three or four bedrooms and offer up to 2,400-plus square feet of living space. Luxury features found in these homes include gourmet kitchens with stainless steel appliances, open living areas with 10-foot ceilings and gas fireplaces, extensive hardwoods on the main level, and luxurious owner’s suites with dual walk-in closet and spa-like baths with oversized dual vanities.

The neighborhood HOA will maintain streetlights as well as common area landscaping.

Located at the intersection of Vernon Avenue and Berne Street, Vernon is truly a walkable community. Homeowners can utilize the Atlanta BeltLine via the Southside Trail to access many popular attractions including gourmet eateries, coffee shops, fitness centers, bars, grocery stores, Grant Park, Zoo Atlanta and Beacon Atlanta, to name a few.

Vernon is located at 636 Vernon Avenue SE in Atlanta. Interested homebuyers are encouraged to contact onsite agent Dawn Molnar for a private tour or additional information. Dawn can be reached by calling 404-229-7647 or visiting OwnVernon.com.

– Atlanta Music Education is offering new online classes for kids. 

“Atlanta Music Education is offering new online pod packs this March and we would love it if you shared this information with your readers! We have an acting class, a pre-k class for the little ones, and even a musical TikTok class inspired by Ratatouille the Musical,” the announcement says. “The pod packs are $100 each but we do offer scholarships to families that can’t afford it.”

You can learn more at https://atlantamusiceducation.wordpress.com/pod-packs/

– Alair Homes Decatur has won three regional Contractor of the Year awards.

Photo provided by Alair Homes

Here is the full announcement from Alair Homes:

DECATUR, GA — Alair Homes Decatur (www.alairhomes.com/decatur) has won three Regional Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards for remodeling work on homes located in two of Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods:  Grant Park and Little Five Points.  The winning projects competed against submissions from nine Southeastern states, plus Washington, DC to take home the honors from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).  The three winning Alair Homes Decatur projects will now be entered in NARI’s national CotY awards.

Alair Homes Decatur won in the following categories:

– Residential Kitchen $60-$100,000 (Little Five Points home)

– Residential Interior $100-$250,000 (Grant Park home)

– Residential Interior Element Under $30,000 (Grant Park home)

The CotY awards are NARI’s premier awards for the remodeling industry.  The annual accolades recognize excellence in remodeling across 48 categories.  NARI members throughout the nation submit their best work for consideration by a panel of expert judges, beginning at the local level.  Local winners go on to compete regionally, and regional winners enter the national competition.

https://www.nari.org/Awards-Recognition/CotY/2021-Regional-CotY-Winners

“Of all the home building and remodeling awards Alair Homes Decatur has won, some of the most significant are the CotY Awards, since they are judged by a panel of remodeling peers at the local, regional and national levels,” said Peter Michelson, Alair Homes regional partner and Alair Homes Decatur partner.  “I am so proud of the work our team continues to do for our clients, and we always enjoy the friendly competition between NARI members across the country as we vie for the CotYs.  We are grateful for the trust our client across north Georgia place in us to build or remodel the home of their dreams.”

Little Five Points Kitchen Remodel:  The outdated and cramped kitchen did not fit in with the home’s overall style, nor did it suit the homeowners’ needs.  Without changing the footprint, Alair Homes Decatur transformed the awkward and unattractive space into an open, airy kitchen that serves as the true heart of the home.  A large island with generous storage now anchors the space, which features counter-to-ceiling hexagon tile, rich walnut base cabinets, gold hardware and black plumbing fixtures.  The new kitchen provides space for family cooking, true connectivity to the family room, and a modern design and décor that matches the rest of the beautiful home.

Grant Park Major Home Remodel:  The homeowners were unhappy with the appearance, flow and functionality of their home’s first floor.  Alair Homes redesigned the space by moving walls and expanding key areas, while still maintaining distinct spaces open to each other.  The kitchen was opened up and flooded with natural light, with stylish upgrades, plenty of storage and a true pantry.  Special features include a new fireplace wall, custom peek-a-boo shelving, dining room cabinets and a stunning tile feature wall in the upgraded powder room.

Grant Park Residential Element:  Because the dining room is located at the entrance to the house, the homeowners wanted a show-stopping feature to greet visitors.  Alair Homes created a spectacular display and storage feature that even includes a home office area.  The focal wall was created with stained walnut shelving and countertop, Scandinavian-inspired wallpaper, deep blue custom cabinets and shiny brass hardware.  It has more than met the homeowners’ request for something both highly functional and eminently stylish.

About Alair Homes Decatur

Alair Homes Decatur was founded in 2001 by Peter Michelson as Renewal Design Build.  He and his brother, David Mchelson, who joined the firm in 2004, are fourth-generation builders, specializing in custom home building and home renovations and remodeling.  In 2018, their firm became part of Alair, the largest and fastest-growing premium construction management franchise in North America, and includes Partners Heather Shuster and Ken Carter.  Now, as Alair Homes Decatur, a partner in Alair Homes North Georgia, the Michelsons and their team of experienced and award-winning custom home builders and remodelers are serving local homeowners through personalized, detail-oriented residential construction services from small home renovations to designing and building multimillion dollar dream homes.  Every client receives the same premium service, and remains fully informed, involved and in control throughout the design and construction process.  www.alairhomes.com/decatur,

(404) 378-6962.

About Alair

Founded in 2007, Alair began franchising in 2012 and continues to grow across Canada and the United States.  Alair is in the business of helping individuals, families, and businesses overcome the obstacles they face to live a healthier, happier, more comfortable, and more productive lifestyle. Alair does this by attracting the most successful construction companies in each market and transforming them into the most valuable, lowest-risk, highest-reward construction companies in the world.  www.discoveralair.com

– Steven N. Alper, a licensed clinical mental health counselor, has announced the opening of his psychotherapy practice in Decatur, located at I-285 and Lawrenceville Highway. 

The address is 2785 Lawrenceville Hwy, Suite 108 Decatur, GA 30033.

“Life can be challenging but you do not have to remain stuck because of anxiety, depression, or uncertainty,” his Facebook page says. “You can experience life stage transitions and thrive. I will work with you as you discover the strengths you already posses for healing and growth.”

To learn more about his practice, click here.

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