Baltimore-based Pitango Gelato officially opens its first D.C.-area location today. Located across from the P Street Whole Foods, it is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. And Virginians, don’t fret, as another Pitango will be opening soon in Reston Town Center.

It all started with Pitango Gelato owner Noah Dan. During his childhood, he would take frequent trips from his home country of Israel to Italy. And every day during these trips, he would head to the local gelateria for a treat of gelato. As he grew older, the former software programmer and his family noticed that the gelato of his childhood was no longer the same. Too many gelaterias were going for convenience and low prices, using pre-made mixes to make gelato.

For his grandmother’s 80th birthday, he decided that he would make crema, a simple custard-flavored gelato, for her. It was then that he realized that the key to great gelato was to get the basics right. For several years, he dreamed of opening a gelateria, spending three years trying to figure out how to get the right ingredients and scale up his processes.