Rexburg welcomes Gelato to Rexburg

photo credit- Brittney Large

A unique new Ice cream parlor, Dolce Vita, has come to Rexburg.

The family-owned Dolce Vita specializes in a frozen treat called gelato. Gelato is a kind of all natural European ice cream made with milk instead of cream. Dolce Vita also serves sorbet, which is water-based ice cream.

Owner Shelli Lazalde has had many questions about how she will be able to sustain such a risky business when the "extras" in many peoples budgets are being cut.

She answers that the unique nature of the business will ultimately be their success.

“Everything we use to make the gelato is imported from Italy; the only thing we get in the States is the milk and sugar,” said owner Shelli Lazalde.

Dolce Vita has over 100 all natural gelato flavor possibilities, including white chocolate cheesecake, nutella, pistachio and wild strawberry. 12 of these flavors are available daily.

“Dolce Vita presents a unique authentic experience,” said sophomore Holly Thompson. “From the moment I stepped in the door I felt like I had been transported to Italy for a little treat”

Seasonal flavors include chocolate covered pear, cream caramel, cinnamon, blueberry cheesecake and chocolate covered strawberry.

Crepes, organic soups, Panini’s, a triple layer chocolate cake, Italian sodas and hot drinks of all varieties, including caramel apple cider, are among some of the other offerings. They will also be offering cookie dough frappachino’s in upcoming weeks. Side bar???

Freshman Jenna Cabe said “the flavor explosion” they she experienced at Dolce Vita was unlike any other gourmet experience that [she] had ever had.

Several “gelato experts” (missionaries recently returned from the Rome Italy Rome Mission) were pleased with their experience at Dolce Vita.

Sophomore Kyle Lombardo said “It’s just like Italian gelato,” said sophomore Kyle Lombardo.

The “experts” said that not only is the gelato authentic, but the ambiance is very Italian.

“It’s as Italian as you will get here in America; it reminded me of my sweet Italian home,” said sophomore Kenny Aycoc.

Dolce Vita is open Monday through Thursday 3-9 p.m. and 3-10 weekends. It is located next to Taco Bell on Main Street.

Enough to Spare

In spite of the national economic recession, citizens of Rexburg are finding a way to give back.

As an African history professor, Dr. David Pigott, a professor of African History, could spend his time reading and researching; instead, Pigott has decided to make a difference.

He founded Enough to Spare after visiting Uganda in 2005 and observing the construction of a library at Nkumba University.

Enough to Spare is a unique foundation that focuses on providing school fees and educating as many young people as possible in Uganda.

According to Pigott, an education is fundamental to the success of any nation and currently 42 percent of African youth do not have an opportunity to attend school.

When asked how he expects to make any difference when so many are in need, Piggott related the parable of the Starfish:

Once upon a time a grandfather took his grandson walking along the beach. As they walk along the beach the grandson notices many hundreds of Starfish drying up along the shore. He begins to toss them back into the ocean. After many hours of this, the Grandfather finally tells the grandson to give up because there is no way he can save the Starfish. The grandson then looks up and tells his grandfather “I can’t save them all, but I can save this one” as he tosses another into the ocean.

The main goal of Enough to Spare is to bring as much education to Africa as possible, one student at a time.

Sponsors of Enough to Spare pay about $250 for a whole year's worth of primary and secondary school education. However, Enough to Spare encourages donations of any size.

“[Education] starts not by governments, not the United Nations, not the World Bank or any multi-national. It starts one to one, on the personal level. This is where Enough to Spare comes in. We have trustworthy contacts in Uganda who oversee your donations towards paying for the education of orphaned, impoverished, and destitute children who otherwise would have no chance in life,” according to www.enoughtospare.org.

Enough to Spares name originates from Doctrine and Covenants 104:17, which says, “The Earth is full and there is enough to spare.” The foundation hopes to involve BYU–Idaho students as much as possible.

Along with a textbook donation drop box available at the entrance to the Joseph Fielding Smith Building, the foundation is currently holding a backpack drive. The charity is asking students to bring their used backpacks to the Smith Building, room 452, to help African children make school more productive. If possible, donate your used backpack full of school supplies (pencils, pens, markers, erasers, notebooks, etc.).

Guests enjoy atmosphere at new Marriott

Marriot grand opening represents a turn in the Rexburg Economy

Students, faculty, and Rexburg community members gathered Friday to witness the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Marriott located near the West Yellowstone Highway.

Guests to the grand opening were greeted at the door with a “passport” and were encouraged to visit various locations within the hotel, including the pool, Jacuzzi, conference rooms and several suites.

Donna Benfield, a city council member, kicked off the ribbon cutting ceremony with a speech describing the effects of the new hotel on the Rexburg economy. Benfield said the Rexburg economy is a three legged stool of BYU-Idaho, agriculture, and the travel and tourism industry.

She is optimistic about the future of the Rexburg economy and is excited about the new hotel.

Benfield said 90 percent of the visitors to Idaho last year drove, which “plays right into the hotel industry.”

Hotels are a key component of the economy, she continued, adding that for every bus or motor coach that stays over night in a city four to five thousand dollars will be spent in that town.

The overall reaction to the new tourist destination was favorable. April Spaulding, the area director for the Heber J. Grant program and an attendee at the event said the new hotel’s theme was “an interesting mix of time periods but still [maintained] a very contemporary design; the non- traditional rooms [were ideal for a comfortable stay].”

Many guests noted the unique layout and design of the hotel. Savannah Jagielski, an assistant in the admissions office at BYU-Idaho who also attended the event, said the design was “light, refreshing and clean.”

The students who attended were also impressed with the new hotel. “It would be fun to host an event or a dance party here,” said Leah Chiriboga, a sophomore studying political science.

National recession effects seen locally as several local business close their doors.

Many local businesses are struggling in light of the recent recession. Local eateries Hogi Yogi, Gandolfo’s (pictured below) and Uptown Bagels all went out of business in December. Although Idaho’s unemployment rate is 9.1 percent Rexburg’s unemployment rate is approximately 8 percent as of December 2009.

Idaho unemployment at 9.1 percent

The Idaho Department of Labor released a revised unemployment statement on Jan. 20 stating the unemployment rate in Idaho is 9.1 percent.

In spite of an increasingly negative national economic climate of 10 percent unemployment, Idaho’s total number of employed remained at just over 685,000.

The Idaho Department of Labor determined that was nearly 200 more people than originally anticipated were unemployed.

However, the newest numbers report the least amount of unemployed citizens since January 2005. The gap in total jobs continued to close in December.

It was only fractionally smaller than in November at a year-over-year loss of 5.3 percent.