I remember when my husband’s mother Edna retired, and she and I were talking on the phone about what she had done lately. She babbled on like a 6-year-old about having gone out for ice cream the night before. You would have thought she had won a lottery or tickets to a Broadway show. She was positively giddy.
That’s what we want at our age. To escape climate change and sagging jowls, and be positively giddy over some sweet confection that takes us back to our carefree youth. Licking that last chocolate drop stuck to the stick of a Fudgsicle.
So when my social committee in our community announced that every Monday between 3 and 5 p.m., the ice cream truck was going to park itself next to the pool entrance, I wrote it on the calendar. No speakers tinkling “Jingle Bells,” but behold, a happy truck named Cup ‘R Cone and a handsome young driver named Vince who leans out the window and asks, “What flavor would you like?”
This was the most important decision I’ve had to make since the election, and there were 16 candidates. Butter Brickle! I brightened. I jumped up and down with the thought that I could come every Monday and try a different flavor.
As a journalist, I always want the scoop. “Can I write about you in the Cape Gazette?”
Vince Failla shared his story: “I began this business because in my hometown of Stewartstown, Pa., there was a little ice cream shop which my best friend’s aunt and uncle owned. When we turned 18, he asked if I wanted to move to the beach the summer before we left for college. Nine summers later I worked, managed, and learned how to make ice cream through a company called Bonkey’s. They are based out of Pennsylvania and have two locations in Bethany.
“In the beginning of February this year, I started doing a ton of research on food trucks, what power it needs and where to find them. In March when I began looking for the truck, I didn’t have any luck, so I just started with a tent, a freezer, sinks and a generator.
“On April 16, I had my first event at Big Chill Surf Cantina through the Second Swell event. Now I’ve served a good bit of communities throughout all of Sussex County, ranging from Rehoboth, Lewes, Milton, and Millsboro. I’ve gotten inquiries from Felton, Delaware and one from Elizabethtown, Pa.
“We serve many neighborhood communities, such as Senators, Breakwater, Bridlewood, Pelican Point, Aspen Meadows, Camelot Meadows, Beach Plum Dunes, Trails of Beaver Creek, Meadows of Beaver Creek and others. On Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m., we are at the Creative Market across from the Revelation Brewery in West Rehoboth. We also have done a few weddings and private events.
“I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from all of our customers,” Vince summed it up.
The Cup ‘R Cone Facebook page tells me, “All of our flavors are homemade, hand-dipped ice cream. We use a premium mix that is 14% buttermilk fat. All our milks are locally sourced and farmed here in Delaware. We will be showcasing 12-14 flavors daily! Vegan flavors will be available soon. We offer 50 flavors that will be rotated throughout the season! Come on by and get your favorite flavor while it lasts!”
I’m in line now and thinking maybe Blueberry Pancake, or Hawaiian Cherry Garden, or Lemongrass Basil? Wait, there’s one called Cookie Monster! Happy Labor Day weekend!
Contact Vince Failla at the website Cuprcone.com or email Cuprcone@gmail.com.
Reach Lisa Graff at lgraff1979@gmail.com. Find her on Facebook at facebook.com/Retirement101; on Twitter @#lisajgraff1 and at her website, lisajgraff.com.
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Lisa Graff's essays have appeared in Woman's World Magazine and the Washington Post. She resides in Lewes, Delaware. Reach her at lgraff1979@gmail.com. Find her on Facebook: Our Senior Yearbook: Cape Gazette, Twitter: @lisajgraff1 and her website: lisajgraff.com.
