Dining Pick of the Week: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt

10170 W. Tropicana Ave., Suite 150, 702-749-9299

Las Vegans are discovering the hard-to-beat flavors at Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt. The walk-up ice cream stand lists its flavors in the window — everything from the tried and true to those with candy flavors added in, such as Heath, Oreo, Nerds, Snickers and Reese’s Pieces. Then there are less traditional flavors such as Blue Moon, Snappy Turtle, Spouse Like a House, Graham Central Station and Elvis. Twelve are fat-free flavors with no sugar added. Inside the 1,616-square-foot space, the magic of ice cream making takes place daily. Handel’s product is hand-mixed, just as it was back in 1945 when Alice Handel began serving ice cream out of her husband’s gas station in Youngstown, Ohio. Her first batches were made using old-fashioned recipes with fresh fruit that she picked from the family’s backyard. Handel’s is made using fresh produce, special equipment and methods exclusive to the brand. Each batch is made in freezers specifically designed to enhance the smooth texture. From its humble beginnings, Handel’s has grown to include locations in California, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Now, there are more than 100 flavors of homemade ice cream and yogurt. The company stands by its pledge to never skimp on ingredients, blending in fistfuls of add-ins — nuts, caramel, dark chocolate, fresh fruits, candy pieces or fluffy marshmallows. For a town that sees triple-digit temperatures in the summer, it would seem a business risk to not offer an indoor area in which to order, but owner Patrick Frank said he’s not worried. “We began in Youngstown, where it gets negative 15 degrees in winter,” he said. “We have a line of people there, in spite of the cold, so I don’t see the heat being an issue.” For more information, visit handelsicecream.com.