Billy Van Creamy gelato food truck hits the road

About 18 months ago, brothers Alex and Mitch Wells were dreaming about opening a shop specialising in icecream and gelato. About four weeks ago, that dream became reality when their gelato van, Billy Van Creamy, hit the road in Melbourne's inner north.

"We wanted to bring Mr Whippy into the 21st century," says Alex, 31, who with Mitch, 25, converted a former rental van into a '50s-inspired ice-cream van and chose the playful name because "it had a European sound to it and the word 'van' fitted in well", he says.

They make their gelati from scratch, using organic ingredients where possible, in the Thornbury Bowls Club kitchen, which they lease a couple of days a week. The most popular flavours so far are salted caramel, made with Himalayan pink salt, peanut butter, and espresso, made with coffee from Fitzroy's Industry Beans.

Billy Van Creamy sets up shop in the northern suburbs with plans to explore further afield as permits allow. Details: billyvancreamy.com.au/2014/10/18/where-is-billy-van-creamy/