Getting The Scoop In Sandy Hook Center

By Nancy K. Crevier

Kurtis Lena wears two hats. During the day, it is a hard hat, as owner and operator of Kurtis Lena Masonry. Come evening, he dons a baseball cap and settles in alongside his six employees scooping ice cream at his new business, Sundaes, located at 4 Riverside Road in Sandy Hook Center.

The light and airy 600-square-foot storefront has indoor seating for 12 customers and an equal number of ice cream fans can be seated outdoors at the three tables that line the sidewalk. Plenty of parking is available in the lot adjacent to the store.

Sundaes opened in mid-April and has seen steady business despite the cool and rainy spring, said Mr Lena. “We’re seeing a lot of families in the evening.”

The ice cream store serves up more than 20 flavors of hard ice cream, as well as chocolate and vanilla soft-serve ice cream, supplied by Double-Twister of Danbury and Bethel, owned by Tony Cortereal. “I’ve been friends with Tony for a long time,” said Mr Lena, “and he has a great product. My favorite dessert is ice cream, so what better business to open than one you crave the most?”

Mr Lena, who is from Danbury, selected the Sandy Hook Center location for a number of reasons, but most importantly, he said, because it reminded him of the little villages in Albania, his parents’ native land. “I like this area and I’ve always come to the Villa, next door.”

All of the ice cream is handmade every day at the Double-Twister store on White Street in Danbury. “The varieties change weekly,” said Mr Lena.

“We use a premium ice cream mix and get our milk from various farms in the area,” Mr Cortereal said. “We like to joke that our ice cream is so fresh, two days ago it was grass.” He added that only fresh fruit is used in the making of Double-Twister ice cream.

What makes Sundaes stand out from the competition, said the two men, is the number of unusual flavors offered. Italian Kiss, which is a chocolate hazelnut combination, mango, strawberry shortcake, and black raspberry truffle were a few of the special offerings the week of May 22. Rum raisin was brought into the shop at a customer’s request, Mr Lena remarked, and a special flavor with kid appeal is Spiderman Cake. Blue and red sprinkles swirl around in vanilla ice cream blended with vanilla cupcake pieces to create a treat that children find as super as the superhero for which it is named.

“We make all of the usual flavors for Kurtis, too,” said Mr Cortereal. “There’s vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, Snickers, M&M, pistachio, all of those.” Sundaes also serves Italian ices and will soon add fresh fruit sorbets to the menu, Mr Lena said.

“Cup or cone?” is not the only question at Sundaes. Ice cream can be ordered in an edible waffle bowl, sugar cone, wafer cone or waffle cone, some edged in chocolate and sprinkles. The ice cream store also makes any flavor of milkshake.

For customers who like a little something extra with their ice cream, Sundaes provides more than 20 toppings. Sprinkles, shots, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, candy bits, and fresh fruit are among the offerings to top off an ice cream sundae.

“We will be supplied with ice cream cakes and novelty ice creams from Double-Twister this summer,” Mr Lena said. The store will carry cakes ranging from 6 to 16 inches round and sheet cakes as small as 7 by 9 inches or as large as 12 by 16 inches. “No matter how big the party, there is always a solution,” said Mr Cortereal. Custom cake orders must be placed three days in advance by calling 426-6683.

Sundaes is open every day from noon to 10 pm. A grand opening is planned for early summer.

“I think it is one of the best products in Newtown,” Mr Lena said. “Customers will have to judge for themselves.