Roni Schneider, has undertaken several businesses in the world of gastronomy throughout her life. However, with Nero Gelatería he claims to have found the raison d'être of all the laps he has taken through the immense world of flavors.
The story began when, having graduated from high school, instead of going straight to university as is common for someone his age, this young entrepreneur chose to set up a restaurant. At that time he did not know anything about drinks or gastronomy, but what he did know was how passionate he was about everything that happened in the dining rooms of the great places that he had visited with his parents since he was a child. “In The Mood”, as he baptized his first venture, soon became one of the leading sites in the haute cuisine scene in Caracas; the mix of Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as a party atmosphere with live music, was quite an experience ahead of its time. Unfortunately, with the arrival of the economic recession in 2001, his business was greatly affected and had to close. To mourn, he moved to New York, a paradise of haute cuisine, seeking not to completely disconnect from that passion that he already knew he carried inside. In the Big Apple he studied arts, he worked as a DJ, he got to know all the restaurants he could and most importantly, he fell in love with what is today one of his greatest passions: the drink of Bacchus.
After his adventure in the capital of the world, Roni spent a season in Miami during which he studied graphic design and later returned to Caracas to take charge of one of his father's businesses; a successful brand of artisanal breads with potential for international expansion. With this intention he traveled to Bogotá to look for business opportunities and the gelatero tells that as soon as the plane put its wheels on the runway in El Dorado, he knew that he had come to stay. Without thinking twice, he settled in Bogotá and a few days later his brother arrived with whom they soon set up the “Swedish Bread” production plant, the name the company had in Venezuela. The Schneiders couldn't be happier, they were starting a new business adventure in a city that for them was simply spectacular. Roni says that they had such a good time that she decided to record all her experiences in a personal blog that she titled “Bogotá Divina”. Like all of her ventures, as well as those of her father, from whom she inherited the ability to materialize ideas into profitable businesses, the blog soon evolved into an online gourmet store; then, in a gastronomic boutique with attention to the public and later in what is perhaps one of the most special and renowned mixology places in the city: the exquisite Ocho y Cuarto.
At this point in history, the name "Roni Schneider" was already considered a brand in the world of Bogota gastronomy and perhaps for this reason the luxury hotel group "W" was quick to notice it and to propose that it be part of its equipment. It was the perfect profile that this company was looking for to enhance the W experience in the capital. He spent two years with the organization, during which time he took the opportunity to fine-tune details of what had been a very successful career in the world of gourmet pleasures until now. Then came the unexpected cessation of activities of the industry in 2020, the Hotel temporarily closed and days of silence and reflection followed in which the restless gastronome wondered what his next feat was going to be.
It was at a dinner at his compadre's house, the Colombian-Italian chef Sergio Martin, where the light bulb went on. That night they had prepared a gelato for dessert together and during the process, Roni had felt how the universe of aromas, colors and flavors that he had navigated during his career, was presented in a phenomenal way before his eyes. That frozen ancient product, suitable for the consumption of beings of all ages, genders and nationalities, was not at all different from the drinks that he had designed for his diners during countless afternoons. That night he went to sleep with the firm conviction of wanting to set up the largest artisan gelateria in Colombia.
The next day, following the tradition of when a great idea comes to him, he called his brother at six in the morning, told him about what he had visualized the night before and in a matter of forty-five days Nero Gelateria was already a reality. In record time, he got the equipment, the location and developed, just as if he were making pairings, an unusual collection of recipes with which he has been surprising his followers since he opened his doors to the public last December in the north of Bogota. In the display case, which he assembles himself every morning with freshly made products, Roni exhibits his peculiar formulas, among which the Old Jack stands out, a dark chocolate base with caramelized macadamia nuts; ask me, a mascarpone cheesecake and strawberries with white chocolate; the Soy Caramel,
More than a gelateria, Nero is, in Schneider's own words, the thesis of his 20-year career in the gastronomy industry. A dream come true that is about to open its second point of sale in the new restaurant area on Calle 90 with Carrera 11.
Credits: This article was written and published for the Diario El Tiempo edition of Sunday, July 10, 2022.
BLACK ICE CREAM
85th Street No. 16A–26
Bogota Colombia
Instagram @nerogelateria
