Elena Rastelli was born into a culinary Italian family, and developed a passion for ice cream at an early age, learning how to make delicious and authentic Italian Gelato from her father, who had made it his livelihood.
Elena left Italy for the island of Saint Lucia in late 1998, and opened the first Elena’s Ice Cream parlour four months later. The genuine Italian Gelato was well-received, bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to the Caribbean.
In 2002 Elena opened Cafe Ole with her sister-in-law, Charlie, at the Rodney Bay Marina, and a couple of years later moved into her own unit next door.
Keen to bring more of Italy to the island Elena expanded the Marina location to include a Pizzeria on the waterfront, and subsequently added coffees, salads, pastas and other Italian dishes.
Today the Marina location serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week to a wide cross-section of locals and visiting sailors, while the ice cream parlor at Baywalk Shopping Mall in Rodney Bay provides welcome respite for the many shoppers that flock there every day.