When first moving to Arizona from Michigan, one of the first things I noticed was the ice cream. Or, better put, the lack of ice cream. For whatever reason, the further north you travel and the colder the average temperature becomes, the more ice cream shops there are. While in Rust Belt cities there’s seemingly an ice cream shop every few blocks, in the Southwest, you have to hunt them down. Maybe because in an Arizona summer the ice cream melts before you walk out of the shop. Whatever the reason, a classic Midwestern ice cream brand is making the move to Tucson with its first local ice cream destination.
Located at 7315 North Oracle Road, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream shop will bring all your favorites, as well as some unique options you’ll have to try. Back in 1945, Alice Handel began making ice cream using fruit from her backyard. The sweet, cold treat quickly caught on and became a Youngstown, Ohio staple. And now, 80 years later, many of the staple ice creams are made daily using Alice’s homemade recipes. Of course, there are additional flavors you can enjoy, but the method and practice used when Handel’s first started continue to be implemented.