For more than twenty years, Ti and Jeff Gauger have owned and operated a small coffee chain, Beans n Cream Coffee, with two locations in Sun Prairie. Last year, development brought a new bookshop and hotel to the city’s downtown, which inspired the Gaugers to fill a gap in community spaces that welcomed children and families.
“In the last few years, [downtown Sun Prairie] has just boomed into this vibrant community, and we feel like an ice cream shop will be a really perfect fit,” says Ti Gauger.
Asteria Ice Cream, a whimsical ice cream shop named after the goddess of falling stars, is set to open at 111 W. Main St. on June 5. In addition to rotating ice cream flavors and sundaes, Asteria will serve dirty sodas, which combine traditional and name-brand sodas with add-ons like syrup and cold foam.
The Gaugers hope to offer 12 different house-made ice creams at a time, with at least one rotating dairy-free option. Besides four permanent flavors — vanilla bean, chocolate, blue moon and Calico Coffee (caramel and coffee ice cream with swirls of espresso fudge and salted caramel), Asteria’s ice creams will rotate on a seasonal basis for a “fun, playful mix” of flavors, according to Ti…