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Sweets lovers, gear up for gelato, chocolate, pastries and more.
There’s people who like ice cream, and then there’s local Sean Dill, a bona fide ice cream lover who’s opening the first Raleigh locale of Tifa Chocolate & Gelato in the Captrust Tower in North Hills this August. After spending his childhood making homemade ice cream with his family using the old-school ice and salt bucket method, Dill always joked ice cream was going to be his retirement plan.
Now, after buying his own professional-grade ice cream maker during COVID and later leaving his job in health care occupational management, the frozen dessert connoisseur is making that dream a reality via Tifa.
When I was in grad school getting my MBA, I had a professor say, ‘If you want to make people happy you don’t go into management, you sell ice cream,’” recalls Dill. “That’s really stuck with me—and having spent seven years in operational management, I can confirm at least half of that statement.”
Dill and his wife were introduced to the Tifa family and immediately hit it off, eventually signing with the franchise in June of last year. He says the Raleigh locale—complete with indoor and outdoor seating on a loungey mezzanine—is one of multiple stores he plans to open in the greater Raleigh-Durham market. “I don’t think there’s any better place we could’ve picked for our first location than North Hills,” he emphasizes.
Like all Tifa establishments, the City of Oaks outpost will feature a dozen standard flavors of gelato—think your staples like vanilla, chocolate, and cookies & cream—plus 11 other rotating and seasonal ops churned out of a gelato machine built-to-order in Italy. Additionally, the menu will boast its own signature flavor, which Dill is still fine-tuning.
Confections fans will also be able to relish in artisan chocolates, cookies, desserts and “any type of pastry you could think of when you sit down for coffee,” says Dill, who hopes to source those from as many local suppliers as possible. With rise, grind and unwind in mind (read: 10am to 7pm), locals, Captrust office regulars and North Hills neighbors can hit pause on the grind with espresso, tea—or a well-earned sugar fix.
Dill’s main mission, though? Crafting a community staple where all walks of life—friends, family, etc.—can gather, connect and vibe. “You never see anybody unhappy at an ice cream shop,” he says. “It’s just a place filled with joy and happiness—and the idea of being a real part of that is really exciting.” Naturally, Raleigh could not be more excited too. @tifaraleighnc
Fun fact: Gelato is whisked with less air, producing a smoother scoop than traditional ice cream. It also has fewer calories, less sugar and lower fat content.
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