PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Here’s the “scoop” on the reopening of Dave & Andy’s Homemade Ice Cream.

After the beloved Oakland business closed in April, a Baldwin family purchased it and are expected to begin churning out ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt by Sept. 7.

“It was hard to see something that was such a staple, such a legacy close,” says Sarah Kasten, a University of Pittsburgh junior who now owns the Atwood Street shop with her parents, Jason and Laura.

The couple had their first date at Dave & Andy’s.

Over the years, relatives of the Kastens have worked at the store, so the family got to know original owner Andy Hardie, who retired after four decades of hand-churning sweets. Other than a fresh coat of paint, the 1,000-square-foot space will stay the same. Sarah says it still smells like waffle cones.

There are more than 200 recipes in Dave & Andy’s repertoire, so there will be 24 flavors available each week, including core flavors and seasonal offerings. Longtime employees of the parlor showed the Kastens the ropes, which they will teach to a new crew of workers.

Sarah, a media and communications major as well as a Pitt cheerleader, knows how to hype up the hometown crowd. When she walks around campus, she’s met with applause and pats on the back from dessert devotees who are glad to have the ice cream institution back in business.

“You can see how much everyone loves it,” she says. “And that’s what I really love about Pitt; although it’s so big — there are over 30,000 kids here — it feels like a family. With every new adventure there’s some uncertainty, but everybody has been so extremely supportive. Ice cream brings joy.”