An Ottawa father-son duo is transforming a ByWard Market landmark this summer into a family-friendly spot serving what may be the city’s most recognizable gelato – for better or for worse.
In March 2024, Jonah Trevor-Deutsch, 31, purchased the Old Ottawa South location of Stella Luna Gelato Café with the help of his father, Lawry, 68, of Dreammind Hospitality Group.
It was the award-winning, “world-class” product that drew them in, and now the duo is betting on a ByWard Market summer pop-up at 101 York St., where Pub 101 used to operate. Despite a recent string of closures in the historic commercial district, the pair praised Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and the city for efforts to bring foot traffic back to the area.
“We really think that now is the time to invest in the market,” said Jonah Trevor-Deutsch, who has an engineering degree from Carleton University.
The city is currently conducting a feasibility analysis on a plan to prioritize pedestrians, enhance street life and revitalize the food market in the market.
Originally a family business opened by Tammy Giuliani in 2011, Stella Luna found itself at the centre of controversy in February 2022 after a data leak revealed Giuliani had made an anonymous $250 donation to the “Freedom Convoy” — the anti-vaccine trucker occupation of downtown Ottawa — through the platform GiveSendGo.
At the time, the café was forced to temporarily close due to threats from the public, and Giuliani told the Ottawa Citizen that she regretted the donation.
However, Lawry Trevor-Deutsch said the Ottawa café’s past is a non-issue, as business has been steady in recent months, possibly even exceeding pre-pandemic levels in Old Ottawa South.
“It is a free country. People have their opinions,” he said about occasional one-star Google reviews he receives due to the controversy under previous ownership. He added that he thinks if people knew the whole story around the situation, they would have a less visceral response.
The Giuliani family still owns another Stella Luna location in Merrickville, the historic village on the Rideau Canal south of Ottawa. Tammy’s daughter Erica Giuliani is a full-time, fourth-generation gelato chef who works out of an Ottawa dairy that supplies both cafés.
Serving families (and gelato cocktails) in the market
While sitting in a chair repurposed from the recently closed Clock Tower Brew Pub, Jonah Trevor-Deutsch said he’s relied on Ottawa’s “charitable” network of business owners to help get the pop-up ready to serve a diverse clientele. This summer, the partners say they hope to serve both the typical market crowd and local families.
“We need more things for families in the market,” said Jonah. “Lawry actually talks all the time about how you need to know that when you go down to the market, there’s something for you to do.”
Stella Luna is known for its labour-inducing chocolate cinnamon chilli gelato, which it offers for free to expecting mothers close to their due date.
Still, the pair plans to have the liquor license of Pub 101 transferred to the pop-up, allowing customers to enjoy gelato cocktails on the patio this summer.
One variation involves steamed gelato with a shot of rum in it.
“We encourage our staff to make stuff up,” Lawry said of the café’s evolving menu.
Heading into the expansion, the duo said the recognizability of Stella Luna has served them well.
“When you get into a business, people say, ‘Well, what are you doing?’ ‘Oh, well, we’re running Stella Luna.’ And people go, ‘Oh, I love that place.’ There’s always a reaction. Everybody knows it,” he said.
The Stella Luna pop-up officially opened on Saturday, June 14. The pair said the location’s lease runs until October, and they may consider making the ByWard Market outlet permanent depending on how the season goes.
