For weeks, a sign saying “so close you can almost taste it” hung in the window of the storefront vacated by Le Petit Paris last year, and on Tuesday, Sacramentans got their chance to go in and sample authentic Italian gelato in Midtown when Devine Gelateria & Cafe opened.

“The opening went really well,” owner Elizabeth McCleary said Wednesday morning as she prepared to make gelato and sorbetto from scratch for the upcoming day.

Originally planning to close at 8 p.m. on the opening day, there was a line of people as late as 7:45 p.m., and McCleary said she might adjust her hours to stay open another hour if the trend continues.

Flavors include roasted almond, pistachio, dulce de leche, biscotti, stracciatella (chocolate chip), dark rich chocolate, hazelnut and marscapone.

Image by: Brandon Darnell Other flavors are being created as well, including blackberry sorbet and chocolate peanut butter.

“There’ll be more as time goes on and things start to run a little more smoothly,” she said. “I’ll even be doing some flavors from wine around the holidays, a champagne gelato or something.”

Sorbetto flavors include blueberry, lemon, Bartlett pear, cantaloupe, kiwi banana and caramelized pineapple.

Prices are $2.50 for a 2.7-oz mini, $3.50 for a 4.5-oz small, $4.25 for a 5.75-oz medium and $5 for a 7.1-oz large.

After working in advertising for more than 15 years, McCleary jetted off to Italy to learn the art of making gelato from scratch.

Unlike ice cream, gelato is denser and creamier, and McCleary said it is lower in fat as well.

“People have been blown away (by the gelato), which is the reaction I was hoping for,” McCleary said.

One of the people who was blown away by the taste and authenticity of the gelato was Curtis Park resident Patricia Moses, 53.

“It’s the real thing,” she said. “I don’t need to buy a plane ticket (to Italy).”

Eating a roasted hazelnut and chocolate-flavored scoop Wednesday afternoon, Moses said she’s glad the shop opened.

A longtime lover of authentic gelato, Moses said gelato is differentiated from ice cream by the intensity and precision of its flavoring.

“She’s making it the way you’re supposed to,” Moses said.

McCleary said she had to get a pasteurization license to be able to work with the materials in the way she learned when she studied the process in Italy.

“The Milk and Dairy board was here for five hours on Friday,” McCleary said, adding that she had to pass a written test as well as a practical test and show that she knew how to properly use the machinery.

That certification allows McCleary to make her own gelato base from scratch, so she is not relying on anyone else and can work with the flavors to make it consistent every time.

Once the business hits its stride, McCleary said, she plans on rolling out a mobile cart to sell gelato at farmers markets and also wants to find restaurant customers.

Also on offer at the gelateria and cafe are paninis for $6.99, which are prepared by local caterer Mark Mitchell, owner of Mitchell and Sons Mobile Eatery.

McCleary said she knew Mitchell from a restaurant he worked at, and it was during a chance meeting at Mulvaney’s B&L when she learned he was catering and could provide her with paninis.

Panini options include chicken, turkey, roast beef, prosciutto and a vegetable option. Different combinations of cheese and vegetables are available on each sandwich.

“They’re made on a couple of different types of focaccia bread,” Mitchell said. “They’re fresh every day. We’re not wrapping them holding them in the fridge for several days.”

He added that he enjoys gelato, and he is happy to have Devine Gelateria & Cafe as a place to eat as well as a client.

McCleary said she buys local products, from her dairy products to the Temple Coffee she uses to make lattes, Americanos and espressos.

Roz Nice, a 57-year-old Auburn resident, said the opening of the gelateria and cafe is part of a trend she is seeing in Sacramento.

“Sacramento is really coming of age with its gourmet restaurants and cafes,” she said Wednesday.

A fan of Italian gelato as well as traditional ice cream, Nice said she feels satisfied by a smaller amount of gelato than ice cream.

“It’s delicious here,” she said. “It’s just like the gelato I had in Italy.”

Devine Gelateria & Cafe is located at 1221 19th St. Hours are 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon - 6 p.m. on Sunday. The business is closed on Mondays.

To read more about McCleary and the differences between gelato, sorbetto and ice cream, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.