Thursday’s downpour may have kept a few customers away, but Sweet Treats manager Sandy Parker and her staff of five knew the show must go on. They happily celebrated the ice-cream shop’s transformation into an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, bake shop and coffeehouse.
Parker and her husband, John, also own Heid’s, Liverpool’s world-famous hot dog stand right next door to Sweet Treats at the intersection of Onondaga Lake Parkway and Old Liverpool Road.
Sweet Treats has traditionally closed at the end of summer, but this year the Parkers decided to open it year-round and expand its menu to include fresh baked goods, bagel sandwiches, soups, pastries and a half-dozen types of Paul de Lima coffee from French roast to caramel cream.
“We’re opening at 7 o’clock every morning,” Sandy Parker said, “so we’re hoping to do plenty of breakfast business.”
Breakfast will be served daily until 10:30 a.m.
On its grand opening day, Sweet Treats offered a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich served on either a bagel or an English muffin for less than $3. But Parker’s most proud of the warm and tasty pastries created by head baker Christie Grubbs.
On Thursday, Grubbs baked scones, cookies, muffins, cinnamon rolls and three kinds of pies – apple, pumpkin and pecan. “And her sticky buns are awesome,” Parker said.
Grubbs’ assistant baker is Amanda Wintzens supported by front-of-the-house staffers Kris Sims, James Smith and Karee Grubbs, Christie’s sister.
“We have the nicest staff in the whole world, both here and at Heid’s,” Parker said. “If they’re not the nicest, they’re not here very long.”
The Sweet Treats staff welcomes customers to sit and visit at the shop’s tables, to chat with friends or business colleagues over coffee or just to enjoy some time alone reading the Star-Review. More than a dozen historical photos of the Heid’s property adorn the caf ‘s walls, including several that remind us that the Sweet Treats building once housed a four-lane bowling alley.
“We think this could evolve,” Parker said.
For instance, she’s learning to operate an espresso machine and Grubbs plans to bake biscotti, those crunchy almond biscuits first popularized in Italy.
While the shop sells soups, bagels and cheesecake, those particular items are not yet prepared on the premises, but Parker said that could change soon.
“We’re still growing, but we’re still serving ice cream, milk shakes and floats too,” she said.
Sweet Treats prices are pretty sweet too. Cookies cost 85 cents, muffins are 95 cents and coffee ranges from 65 cents for a flavor shot to $1.85 a cup. Cinnamon buns cost $1.50, a slice of pie is $2.25 and a slice of lava chocolate cake tops the menu at $3.79.
Customers who stop by soon will receive a 50-cent coupon for future Sweet Treats purchases. For information, call 453-9545.
