The Fort Walton Beach entrepreneur earns two 2026 distinctions from the Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women.
Simona Faroni, co-founder of G.S. Gelato & Desserts, Inc., has earned two honors from the Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women (OCCSW) in 2026: recognition as a Woman of Honor and selection for its Hall of Fame. She joins a small group of honorees to receive both distinctions in the same year.
Faroni and her husband, Guido, arrived in the United States from Italy in 1996 with a dream of sharing authentic Italian gelato with American customers. They spoke no English and had no roadmap for building a business. What they shared was a belief in their vision and the determination to see it through.
The years that followed demanded persistence: learning a new language, getting the business off the ground and continually stepping beyond their comfort zones. Today, G.S. Gelato operates a 70,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Fort Walton Beach, supplying restaurants and grocery retailers nationwide with gelato, sorbetto, non-dairy frozen desserts and soft serve.
The OCCSW Hall of Fame recognizes women whose contributions to business, public service and community life have made a lasting impact on Okaloosa County. For Faroni, the recognition is also an opportunity to reflect on the perseverance behind the company’s growth.
“Nothing about this journey was easy, and nothing about it was given to us,” Faroni said. “Every step forward meant doing something we hadn’t done before and trusting that we could figure it out. I’m humbled and thankful to be chosen for this, and I hope to pass that same spirit on to my family, to our team, and to anyone else who’s willing to bet on themselves.”
