Today we’d like to introduce you to Conor Goodman and Eric Levy.
Hi Conor and Eric, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We originally met the day that Eric was sent home from the hospital in 1991. I (Conor) was six months old at the time that Eric was born, and being next-door neighbors, our families were essentially one in the same. Family trips, shared birthday parties, elementary school – you name it – our families were together through it all.
We never stopped being friends, even though I moved to Mission Valley for high school. Every weekend, I was either on the Coaster from Old Town to Encinitas or Eric was doing the same down to San Diego. Throughout our early years, we shared interests and hobbies spanning from video games to making up “fake” businesses that only got us into trouble. The only constant throughout our decades of friendship was our absolute and unending love for food.
I moved away for college (Boston University), and Eric stayed home to attend Cal State University in San Marcos. Ultimately, this had zero impact on our friendship as the emergence of social media was in full swing.
After college, Eric was working in San Diego, and I moved to Florida as an active-duty member of the United States Navy. I moved back to San Diego in 2015 and haven’t left since.
Our friendship still thrives on constant bickering and the same jovial spirit that was fostered in our early years. We can’t agree on anything, which ironically has stemmed into a perfect partnership in business. We both have a separate sense of what “perfection” looks like in the culinary industry and combining those two (supremely differing) ideas, we genuinely believe that no detail gets missed in our processes.
Another version of our origin story is available on our website under the “About Me” tab: www.1022gelato.com
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
From Eric: A smooth road? No. We’ve never ran a business before, so all the moving parts had to be learned simultaneously, whether it was managing subcontractors during the buildout, hiring and managing employees, dealing with payroll, managing inventory, or the many other different facets of a business. Although it has been a bumpy road, it has lead to more learning opportunities than a smooth road would have.
From Conor: Nothing about building a business is “smooth,” especially in the food/service industry. We’ve really been through the ringer in opening. It’s been an incredible learning experience, but, in all honesty, if Eric and I weren’t so insanely passionate about our products, I don’t know how we could justify doing it on any ordinary day. The biggest struggles have revolved around staffing, contracting solid worker, and re-organizing our day-to-day to not suffer the financial consequences.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I would associate 1022 Cafe & Gelateria in the “Artist/Creative” category as opposed to the “Business/Practice” category simply because what we provide stems from vision, passion, and technical expertise in curating quality ingredients to create unmatched flavor in Gelato and Coffee.
Eric: My background is in marketing. I went to California State University of San Marcos and got my bachelor’s in marketing, and then spent the next five years managing the marketing department at DIG Corporation, a local drip irrigation manufacturer. After working five years in a corporate/office job, I realized it was not something I wanted to do forever. Entrepreneurship allows you the freedom to basically do whatever you want, although it can be very challenging monetarily. Combining my love of food with something business-oriented seemed like the logical thing to do, and I came into a situation which allowed me to pursue it.
Conor: I served in the United States Navy as a Helicopter Pilot for 10 years prior to opening 1022 Cafe & Gelateria with Eric. After college (Boston University ’13), I moved to Florida for two years of flight school to become a Naval Aviator. After three operational deployments and over five years away from home, I wanted to establish my roots in the city that I care so much about. There is so much to learn about food and culinary experience throughout the world, and my main goal is to bring that knowledge and flavor to the people that live here in San Diego.
We are most proud of how happy we make our customers. Our gelato is traditional and authentic, made in-house every day. Our coffee is brewed and extracted with precision and boasts traditional Italian flavor EVERY time. Every customer that comes into our shop can taste the passion and perfection that we try to curate in each bite/sip.
To date, we’ve impressed every single customer that we’ve had who has either lived in Italy or is originally from there. This simple fact keeps us going.
We are most known for our pistachio gelato, where we source our pistachios straight from Mount Etna, the volcano in Sicily. Although they are expensive to import, the flavor profile is unmatched. This recipe won awards internationally, and it’s about time that Oceanside gets the chance to experience REAL Italian gelato.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Everything we are doing is successful because of our supportive families, friends, and locals of Oceanside. The unparalleled amount of motivation, mentorship, and friendship that we have established in a short eight months is humbling.
Contact Info:
- Website: 1022gelato.com
- Instagram: @1022gelato
- Facebook: facebook.com/1022gelato
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/1022-cafe-and-gelateria-oceanside
