Alissa Vieila was a stay-at-home mom of two six-year-old twins who enjoyed making homemade ice cream for her family and parties. That love for making ice cream gave her the vision of opening up her own ice cream shop: Swanky Scoops.
After seeing a chef she had worked with selling ice cream at an event, she decided it was time to do it. She purchased a large refrigerator/freezer as her first investment in her business. It was 2020, and soon after she bought the refrigerator, COVID-19 hit. Her plans for the business were put on pause.
But that didn’t stop her from her dream, as she decided to take the time during COVID to master the art of ice cream making from home.
She creatively studied various types of desserts and enjoyed making delectable flavors for her family. It was the perfect time to test her ideas, and she made the decision to carry forth these recipes that were favored among her family and friends to create a personal menu for the business.
She decided to also make her seasonal recipes that can only be made at certain times of the year and are only available when things are in harvest or ripe. One of her favorite seasonal ice cream experiences is when she goes and she picks the strawberries in Michigan and makes them into a delicious savory ice cream.
“Ice cream by the season is very popular, and you can only get so much of it, and then you have to wait until the next year,” Vieila said.
She started her business by sharing kitchens to make her ice cream and then decided to open up her store, Swanky Scoops, located in the heart of Downtown Toledo. Vieila feels blessed to have an ice cream store that cares about the quality and not the quantity it offers to Toledo.
Swanky Scoops is located in downtown Toledo on 130 10th Street in an adorable building with a beautiful black and white awning just around the corner from Culture Clash Records. It’s very easy to find.
Right now, she is just selling ice cream from her store, which can also be purchased at Walt Churchill‘s and The Original Sub Shop. You can also find her out and about with her ice cream cart that scoops up to 1000 scoops of ice cream at Levis Commons, Perrysburg Farmers Market and other events around the city.
She even does private parties. You can contact her personally by going to her website and find out what new flavors she’ll be scooping up. She’s going to be trying to make some bacon cheddar ice cream for the more adventurous eaters.
130 10th St. (419) 973-4787. swankyscoops419.com
