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Carson Vance enjoys a Winston Worm sundae at Twin City Sweets in Winston-Salem. It's made with cookies and cream ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, crushed Oreos, gummy worms and whipped cream and served with a shovel spoon.
The sun is high in the sky, and the familiar jingle is in the air – a neighborhood ice cream truck signals that summer is here.
The favorite frozen confection is not just for kids. The average American eats an estimated 45 pints annually, roughly 22 pound a year.
Americans’ fascination with ice cream is legendary and immortalized at the New York Museum of Ice Cream. Technology has increased our options to gelato, sorbet, chill nitro and traditional ice cream - but in the end, we all just want our ice cream to transport us to childhood and the joys of summer.
You’ll find the small Twin City Sweets ice cream shop at the corner of Clemmonsville and Stratford roads.
It’s the stuff of childhood dreams where the kid in everyone goes for a delectable delight in the form of a cone (waffle or traditional), scoop with fanciful toppings, sundaes and more. The miniature house and the happy owner, Eric McLaren, is reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz who opens his door to dreams and a fantasy land for those who dare to walk forward.
Eric McLaren, owner of Twin City Sweets, hands a cone to Marsha Gudger at his shop near the intersection of Stratford Road, Clemmonsville Road and Jonestown Road.
McLaren leans out of the window with a big grin; always smiling and ready to serve up the delight of the day. The ambassador of ice cream concocts an amazingly diverse menu that changes frequently and with fresh, inventive ingredients.
A Triad triple mint sundae, left, and cheesecake "sundae of the week" from Twin City Sweets.
He interjects history with specials like the Old Salem sundae made with either butter pecan or vanilla ice cream, crushed Moravian cookies from Mrs. Hanes Cookies, caramel syrup, whipped cream and gold sprinkles in a nod to the city’s first Moravian settlers in 1753.
The Camel City Cookie is made with cookie dough ice cream, crushed chocolate chip cookies, chocolate syrup and whipped cream.
McLaren keeps the vibe fun and laid back, with theme weeks like “Star Wars” and concoctions like the Winston Worm sundae, made with cookies and cream ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, crushed Oreos, gummy worms, whipped cream and a shovel spoon.
The rule is simple: If you want it, Tiny City Sweets will make it, including a regular vanilla cone if that’s your style.
A swirl of mango, lemon and berry sorbet at the South Hawthorne Road location of Café Gelato.
For others, gelato hits the sweet spot.
Café Gelato, like Twin City Sweets, is small in stature but big in personality. The little shop owned by Ciska Weber is inviting and squeezed in the trendy strip in West End where one-of-a-kind stores reside.
The colorful, bright walls welcome you in and match the fun flavors of gelato and sorbet in the pink display case. Sorbet flavors (pineapple, strawberry, lemon, and other fruit flavors) mix with gelato (Nutella, Chocolate Pistachio – that day).
Youngsters check out the flavors at Café Gelato.
Flavors rotate but chocolate and lemon are regular best sellers.
Weber is a risk taker and as playful as the shop she owns. The Dutch born woman opened the café in 2005 after moving from NYC and a career in the fashion industry. She learned the craft of gelato/sorbet making by educating herself and taking a class.
A stint as a bartender and owning a restaurant taught her the in-and-outs of the food and beverage industry.
Weber’s partner, Christopher Edwards, manages their Hawthorne Road location, which opened in 2018.
Weber opened Café Gelato almost on a whim and admits that some lucky breaks fell in her lap. For one, Carpigiani Corporation, maker of gelato/ice cream freezers, is headquartered here. She took a class with them and got a voucher for batch freezer floor model that is still going strong with careful maintenance. It was no small piece of luck as the equipment is expensive – $50,000.
Gelato – Italian for frozen – is distinctly different from ice cream. Gelato is served at warmer temperatures, has less air, fewer calories than ice cream and is more natural. Sorbetto (sorbet in Italian) is also different from ice cream in that it’s water based instead of milk based.
For a grown-up gelato experience, enjoy your frozen treat with a glass of wine.
Who drops into Café Gelato? Nearly everyone. School kids come after school when Reynolds High lets out, grandmothers bring little ones as well as new moms. Teenagers show up and, yes, even men.
Gelato is for everyone. And, if you want a glass of wine, Weber is happy to serve that, too.
Twin City Sweets: 2594 W. Clemmonsville Rd. twincitysweets.com
Café Gelato: 845 Reynolda Road and 1612 S. Hawthorne Road. cafegelatowinston.com/
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Carson Vance enjoys a Winston Worm sundae at Twin City Sweets in Winston-Salem. It's made with cookies and cream ice cream, chocolate and caramel syrup, crushed Oreos, gummy worms and whipped cream and served with a shovel spoon.
Youngsters check out the flavors at Café Gelato.
Eric McLaren, owner of Twin City Sweets, hands a cone to Marsha Gudger at his shop near the intersection of Stratford Road, Clemmonsville Road and Jonestown Road.
For a grown-up gelato experience, enjoy your frozen treat with a glass of wine.
A Triad triple mint sundae, left, and cheesecake "sundae of the week" from Twin City Sweets.
A swirl of mango, lemon and berry sorbet at the South Hawthorne Road location of Café Gelato.
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