Perth’s favourite gelato will today jump from wheels to bricks and mortar.

Sicilian gelato carts “Frank” and “Pina” have been dolling out lavender and honeycomb, matcha green tea, roast fig, mascarpone and balsamic caramel to discerning and flavour-daring frequenters of the Perth street-food scene for a while now. Now ChiCho Gelato can be sourced from an actual building as well.

Carly and Cesare De Bartolo’s open their flagship gelateria at 180 William Street today. The gelato experts will take their typicaly quirky flavours up a notch, as well as collaborate with chefs from within their new neighbour, Bivouac, and Scott Bridger at May Street Larder and Bib & Tucker.

For Cesare, the opening offers new possibilities. “When we started out we had more avant garde flavours, but carts limit you and while you innovate on flavours you have to be able to sell it, so there had to be that balance. The retail store allows for a bit more of this experimentation, as we’re less limited on how many flavours we can offer. It’s not just about pumping out vanilla.”

Bricks and mortar is an important step for the De Bartolos, but also the street food scene. For the ChiCho crew that time on wheels was formative, what Cesare describes as allowing for proof of concept and finding their feet.

The new home in Northbridge will have the gelato making at its heart. Known for their from scratch approach “it will be visible, but not like a museum behind a glass wall or anything. Come in mid morning and you’ll see us churning and then throughout the day as demand flows”. In the cooler months, when demand drops off, the plan is to host the gelato obsessed and curious, offering intimate sessions on the finer points of the gelato game.

ChiCho opens at 180 William Street on 22^nd January.