It all started as a game of “Lawnmower Men.”

“Lawnmower Men” was a simple game, created by two four-year old boys by the names of Conor and Eric. The rules of the game were to pick up two landscaping tools and attempt to mimic Pancho and Domingo, the professional landscapers who beautifully maintained the neighborhood of Quail Gardens in Encinitas, California. Neither Conor nor Eric had any sort of rhyme or reason to their mimicry, let alone any kind of experience with real work. While most children would be playing this game for fun, Conor and Eric were not. This was a mission to them, thinking that their labor was worthy of compensation. Unbeknownst to most, Conor and Eric took it upon themselves to rake mounds of gravel into larger, prettier mounds of gravel, causing quite a stir in the neighborhood. To nobody’s surprise, they were not compensated for their actions, and in fact, got into a lot of trouble.

“Lawnmower Men” evolved into multiple other failed business ventures for the boys, such as “Sky Cards,” where they convinced gullible parents and friends to buy poorly drawn pictures of creatures for $.25 cents per pack. Nobody liked the drawings (not even their parents) but they actually made $13.00 dollars net profit in this weak endeavor; not bad for two 10 year-olds.

Fast forward 15 years, Conor and Eric who remain best friends, begin traveling the world to experience culture, adventure, and flavor. 1022 Cafe & Gelateria is a culmination of this lifelong friendship, unconventionally developed entrepreneurial spirit, and a deep love of good tasting things.

With the help of Eric’s cousin, Nimrod Ayzic, a renowned pastry chef in Israel, the 1022 Team wants to bring San Diegans locally sourced, high quaility, hand crafted gelato at a neighborhood-friendly price.