A beloved Argentine gelato brand is introducing Utah County residents to an authentic taste of South America with the opening of Freddo, its first location in Utah.

Founded in Buenos Aires in 1969, Freddo has spent more than five decades building a reputation for premium gelato inspired by Italian techniques and Argentine traditions. Now, the international franchise is bringing that experience to Highland, offering customers the same gelato served in Argentina.

Freddo is a franchise over 50 years old that originated in Argentina, so its Italian in many ways, but with an Argentine heart, Antonio Macia, owner of the Utah location, said.

Macia said he recognized an opportunity to bring something unique to the area after noticing few gelato options in the Lehi and Highland communities. He also felt Utah Countys growing and diverse population would be eager to explore international flavors.

What sets Freddo apart is its authenticity. Rather than producing gelato locally, the shop imports its products directly from Argentina.

It comes directly from Argentina. We dont make anything here, Macia said. This is legitimately exactly what you would eat in Buenos Aires.

Since opening, the shop has received a warm welcome, particularly from members of Utahs Argentine community. According to store manager Bella Larrett, opening day drew large crowds.

On our opening day, we had two-hour-long wait lines, and it was everyone from Argentina, Larrett said. It was really cool to see everyone show up for Freddos.

Beyond serving gelato, Macia hopes the shop will become a gathering place where people can connect and experience a piece of the Argentine culture.

In Argentina, theres a saying, Ests en tu casa, which means Youre at home, Macia said. I hope people come here and feel that sense of community.

For longtime fans of Argentine gelato, Freddo offers a familiar favorite. For others, it provides an opportunity to discover a new dessert tradition, bringing a small taste of Buenos Aires to Utah County.

G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakery, a restaurant off 800 N. in Orem, hosted a grand opening on Sept. 12.

Although the restaurant had their grand opening in September, they actually opened for business on July 31, preferring to begin with a soft opening.

Soft openings are a common way for restaurants to test the waters and train employees before a grand opening. Some soft openings are exclusively for family and friends or smaller groups. In the case of G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakery, the restaurant simply opened quietly.

Part-owner Diego Lopez explained that they first relied on word-of-mouth for advertising.

We didnt do any publicity, we didnt do anything, we just opened," Lopez said. "The idea was to test the system, to train employees, to kind of get ready.

Lopez said that after the owners and employees felt prepared, they advertised for the official grand opening this month through their social media accounts.

Kimora Medina,18, was hired as a cashier and server at G.O.A.T. shortly before the soft opening.

We only trained for like two days because we were helping set up for everything," Medina said. "I was on the register for like maybe 40 minutes, and then we opened two days later.

For the restaurant's grand opening, the owners hosted a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m. with many attendees, including Karen McCandless, Orems mayor. Along with food from the restaurant and its food truck, the event included a DJ and dancing.

All day until midnight we had people non-stop, Lopez said.

Since G.O.A.T. Argentine Grill & Bakerys soft opening, Lopez said they have not spent any money on advertising, but instead relied on Instagram, TikTok, word of mouth and Google reviews. But despite the minimal advertising, Lopez said the restaurant is only getting busier.

Maddie Parkinson, who served a church mission in Argentina, said shes been craving authentic Argentine food ever since she got home. She heard about the restaurant on TikTok and double-checked on Instagram.

I was almost in tears because it was a straight blast to the past. It tasted just like the meals Id get on a daily basis, Parkinson said.

Lopez said happy customers like Parkinson are the real key to success and good reviews.

I guess people tend to do it when something is really bad or when somethings really good. So if you do a really bad job, for sure they will put a one star. If you do a really good job, almost for sure theyll do a five star, he said.

Lopez said while they have never asked people to leave reviews, theyve received over 90 in the nearly two months since opening. The restaurant has an overall 4.9 star rating on Google reviews.