5/5 Jason P. 1 year ago on Google
Shane
Carter
was
a
U.S.
Army
officer
working
at
the
Pentagon
when
he
married
his
wife,
Dulce,
27
years
ago.
He
was
an
American,
his
wife,
born
in
Mexico.
When
traveling
through
her
native
homeland,
he
fell
in
love
with
her
rich
culture
and
the
unique
form
of
ice
cream
store,
the
heladería,
which
pepper
every
major
town
and
city
throughout
that
country.
Mexicans
do
not
just
love
ice
cream
and
frozen
desserts
--
one
could
argue
that
they
worship
them.
Shane
and
Dulce
decided
that
Coral
Springs
needed
a
real
Mexican
ice
cream
shop.
But
not
just
any
kind
--
one
with
ice
cream
made
with
high-quality
dairy
products,
natural
flavorings,
and
real
fruit
ices.
But
there
just
wasn’t
anything
like
that
anywhere
in
Broward
County
they
could
compare
to,
nor
could
they
buy
pre-made
ice
cream
products
that
fit
the
bill.
They
learned
they
would
have
to
make
it,
by
hand,
from
scratch.
Cieladito’s,
on
Wiles
Road
in
Coral
Springs,
opened
in
March
2020.
Two
days
after
its
opening,
Florida
was
in
complete
lockdown.
The
business
has
been
slow
but
steady
for
the
last
eight
months,
and
now
it
is
finally
picking
up
again,
requiring
him
to
hire
additional
staff.
Shane
attributes
his
success
during
such
difficult
times
to
the
uniqueness
of
his
product,
the
overwhelming
support
from
the
local
Coral
Springs
Mexican-American
community,
and
savvy
Millennial
and
Gen-Y
customers
looking
for
a
more
adventurous
ice
cream
experience.
The
store’s
offerings
represent
the
full
spectrum
of
frozen
Mexican-style
desserts.
The
first
is
helados
(ice
cream),
which
uses
a
100
percent
natural
dairy
base,
all-natural
flavorings
(such
as
shredded
Broward
County
coconuts),
real
fruits,
hand-squeezed
fruit
juices,
real
cookies
and
baked
goods,
with
minimal
color
additives.
The
helados
come
in
unusual
flavors
that
are
very
typical
in
Mexico,
such
as
Maria
Cookie,
Ferrero
Rocher,
Coconut,
Flan,
Gansito
(the
country’s
favorite
snack
cake,
which
is
like
a
chocolate
and
cherry
Twinkie),
Mocha,
Strawberries
and
Cream,
Mexican
Hot
Chocolate,
Sweet
Corn,
and
of
course,
Mexican
Vanilla
--
a
much
richer
version
than
what
is
typically
eaten
in
the
US,
made
with
real
bean
pods,
imported
from
the
coastal
state
of
Veracruz.
Cieladito’s
also
specializes
in
various
water
ices,
which
are
a
favorite
of
Mexicans
and
what
draws
them
in
droves
from
all
over
Coral
Springs
and
Broward
to
the
small
shop.
There
are
Nieves,
Mexican
sorbets,
that
use
natural
fruit
and
fruit
nectars,
not
syrups.
Then
there
are
Raspados,
a
snow
cone
made
out
of
shaved
ice
and
topped
with
fruit
nectars.
There
are
Paletas,
frozen
ice
pops.
But
the
product
that
draws
more
customers
than
anything
else?
The
Mangonada
--
mangoes,
topped
with
mango
ice,
swirled
and
drizzled
with
Chamoy,
a
savory
sauce
made
with
spicy
chile
pickled
fruit
(such
as
mango
and
tamarind),
with
more
fresh
fruit
on
top.
“I
could
sell
just
these,
and
we
would
be
totally
successful,”
said
Shane,
beaming.
“But
people
love
everything
else
we
have,
too.”
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