Nutty Squirrel Gelato: You’ll Go Nuts!

Nutty Squirrel Gelato Maple Valley: Fresh, Artisan Gelato

Located just east of Rt 169 on 264th St, you’ll find a real treat: freshly made artisan gelato.

Courtesy of Amy (of Maple Valley) and Alev (of Seattle), Nutty Squirrel Gelato is Maple Valley’s only gelato vendor. You can read the interesting story of how it all began here, but essentially: Amy would drive all the way to Seattle on weekends for a gelato fix. She soon realized Maple Valley needed its own gelato shop. Amy says she knew that gelato “would be a perfect fit” in Maple Valley.

So far, Amy has been right. Nutty Squirrel Gelato already has almost 500 likes on Facebook. Nutty Squirrel Gelato Maple Valley has over a 4.5 customer rating on Yelp – and not a single review below 4 stars. We don’t think we’ve ever seen that before… Even in the relatively-happy hills of Maple Valley.

Back to the story: Amy studied Carpigiani Frozen Dessert University to learn the art of gelato-making. Alev is passionate about gelato – it is a family treat: Alev’s family recently opened a gelato shop in Seattle – and is excited to bring gelato to Maple Valley.

“Isn’t ‘Nutty Squirrel Gelato’ kind of a weird name for a gelato shop?” you may ask.

They explain on their site, and it actually makes a lot of sense. They took a look at a bunch of those Italian names that most gelato vendors use to honor gelato’s Italian heritage, and none seemed to fit. So they went with something original.

“Nutty” refers to many of their flavors, which are made with hazelnuts, pistachios, and peanuts. And “Squirrel” elicits the sense of wonder in the beautiful forests in and around Maple Valley. And “Gelato”… well… that one’s obvious.

“Our name is like our shop – fun, friendly, and a little bit ‘nutty!'” – Amy and Alev

Each day they feature 18 gelato and sorbetto flavors – you can see a full list of fantastic possibilities on their site, but the actual selection varies depending on season.

Check out Nutty Squirrel Gelato Maple Valley’s website, or visit them on Twitter or Facebook.

Know any other great local eateries we should check out in Maple Valley? Contact us or leave a comment below! Thanks!