Spreading across the globe like a frozen-treat phlox, the Paris-based gelato shop Amorino (838 N. State St., Gold Coast, no phone yet) plans to festoon Chicago with its signature flower-shaped desserts, beginning this winter. After a 2011 outpost in New York, the Chicago expansion of Amorino comes alongside plans for locations in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston, and Beverly Hills.

Among the 24 flavors available at any given time, standards such as vanilla, pistachio, hazelnut-chocolate, and stracciatella scoop alongside a flavor of the month, which for September is fig sorbet. Waffles, crêpes, the sweet Italian breads called focaccine, Lavazza coffee, and gelato-filled macarons will also beflower the menu.

Lisa Gasparian, Amorino’s local franchiser, says the flower-shaped gelato presentation isn’t easy. “I myself did two weeks of training with Amorino,” she says. "The process of creating the flower took days to learn." But it's worth it. "Everyone leaves smiling and takes pictures.”

At first blush, it seems risky to open a gelato place in a Midwestern winter. But the flower might be genius—it reminds everyone of spring.