Ignacio Gerson

Some people have the innate ability to predict what business trends will burgeon into something big, and Ignacio Gerson is someone with that kind of Midas touch.

The Bloomfield Hills resident grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, ”a very fast-paced city much like San Fransisco or New York City, where you walk out your front door and everything is right there. I came to the United States to pursue a career in technology and entered the creative side, that included design, animation and video gaming,” Gerson said.

He soon founded his own gaming company in the early 2000s, and had four different gaming patents, leading the company to success.

By 2010, he was ready for something new and sold his gaming business to start a totally new endeavor in Miami, as a travel executive with a brand new concept.

“It was a platform for tourism like Expedia, where technology was used for booking tours and professional tour guides for famous museums like the Louvre and Guggenheim museums.

“It was an exciting business that was really taking off and then the pandemic hit,” said Gerson. Leisure travel was virtually cut off, and the unstoppable entrepreneur made another bold pivot and moved to Detroit to start an Argentinian restaurant with his boyhood friend, Chef Javier Bardauil. “After traveling to downtown Detroit I saw an opportunity to take over one of the many restaurants that were closing and live my dream of bringing the first Argentinian restaurant to the city,” said the visionary businessman. His restaurant Barda brought Patagonia-style Latin American cuisine to Metro Detroit. The restaurant was nominated for a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2022, their first year in business.

Still keeping ties in Argentina, Gerson was continuing to build another business near to his heart – SHOCK Gelato – a popular artisanal gelato brand he founded in Buenos Aires in 2017, with over 10 locations there.

“After selling my interest in Barda several years ago, I was looking for an opportunity to have a more hands-on family life here,’ said the father of two. The answer was opening the first U.S. SHOCK Gelato a month ago with his cousin, Luciano Barosio, at 335 E. Maple Road, in downtown Birmingham. The company is known for its handcrafted, high-quality gelato made with authentic techniques and “farm to scoop” ingredients, with 36 gourmet classics like pistachio and Dulce de Leche, to bold creations like White Chocolate Passion Fruit and Lemon Ginger Mint sorbet.

“I’m passionate about SHOCK’s mission to deliver artisanal gelato, and to deliver this kind of craftsmanship to American customers for the first time,’ said Gerson. “We use local ingredients sourced in Michigan with no preservatives – not only guaranteeing a superior taste and freshness but also supporting the local economy,” he said.

Shock’s menu also includes Intelligencia coffee, and exquisite cakes and “masitas,” all created by pastry chef and gelato master Barbara Lafage.

Gerson has many plans for the future, including live music at the Birmingham gelato location, and the addition of up to seven new stores in Michigan. “I’m also setting up a home delivery service for customers who want to indulge in this special dessert in the comfort of their own home, all year long,” Gerson explained.

After the many businesses he has founded through the years, what does the energetic entrepreneur feel has been his key to success? Said Gerson, ”It means so much to me to have brought a bit of Argentina here and to continue to take risks to create total joy experiences for customers through my businesses – it’s something that’s my biggest priority and my real recipe for success.”

Story: Susan Peck

Photo: Laurie Tennent