By Sara Sirota
A new ice cream shop is arriving this May in Cazenovia.
Carter’s Creamery will tend to customers from the walk up windows of Dave’s Diner on Sullivan Street, and will offer soft and hard ice cream, frozen yogurt, sundaes, milk shakes, floats, slushies and avalanches, which will be similar to a flurry or blizzard product.
“There is definitely a hole in the community,” Debbie said. “This is something that people have been asking for. We have the perfect spot.”
The Tillisons decided a few years ago that they wanted to open an ice cream shop, but the idea did not come to fruition until this year.
Carter’s Creamery — named after the couple’s seven-year-old son who is “more passionate about the restaurant business than anybody else I’ve ever met,” Debbie said — will provide vanilla and chocolate soft serve ice cream made by Queensboro Farm of Canastota, which, Debbie specifically pointed out, does not feed its cows with growth hormones. “The ice cream is from cows in Madison County … it is locally owned and operated,” she said.
Carter’s Creamery will also provide Hershey’s hard ice cream in 20 different flavors, including sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free options, as well as frozen yogurt.
“The community keeps asking for gluten-free,” Debbie said, so 15 of the 20 flavors will be gluten-free. They will also provide gluten-free cones.
“We wanted a really great product,” Debbie said regarding their choice of Queensboro Farm and Hershey’s ice cream.
The new ice cream walk-up window will be operated by Debbie and Bill, as well as current staff of Dave’s Diner. The walk-up window is located in the back of the diner, where it has been sectioned off with walls. Customers may have noticed that tables previously placed there have been moved to the Common Grounds. “We wanted to make sure we could still take care of our awesome Dave’s customers,” Debbie said.
Carter’s Creamery already has the necessary equipment and machinery. Local artist Peter Levins designed their poster featuring an animated Carter. “He completely captured exactly what I wanted,” Debbie said.
Debbie also plans to hang up pastoral pictures that will tie in the aura of the local dairy community. “We want to keep it small and provide the very best that we can to the community,” she said.
Carter’s Creamery will be open in the evenings after Dave’s Diner closes at 3 p.m. It will be open for the weekends during the month of May, with a grand opening planned for Memorial Day weekend. After that, it will be open daily.
