Treat Yourself to an End-of-Summer Sugar Rush

From homemade ice cream and cocktails to conical desserts without the brain freeze, these new spots are great places to chill out all year long.

1 hour ago

Kristy Graver,

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Shoppers at Giant Eagle in McCandless can now fill their bellies before their buggies.

Churn Homemade Ice Cream & Coffee has a spot at the front of the supermarket in Pine Creek Plaza. A grand opening celebration will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 12 with freebies, including branded tote bags and beaded bracelets, for the first 100 guests. Three-scoop ice cream flights and espresso floats will also be available.

Along with hot and iced coffee beverages and Lotus Energy drinks, the menu includes 16 unique flavors of homemade ice cream available in cups and cake or waffle cones, ice cream pies, blended frappes, milkshakes and pre-packaged pints and grab-and-go items.

I was happy to say goodbye to summer with a scoop of pumpkin pie ice cream.

Smoothies, boba teas and Arctic Swirls are only available at Churn’s other location at Hartwood Town Centre in Glenshaw. A franchise store will be opening soon in Atlanta.

Owner Kelley Costa, a public accountant by trade, launched the business in 2010 after being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.

Her family was already in the ice cream business, running Kelley’s Dari-Delite in Bethel Park since 1994.

After closing the South Side location, Costa was looking to partner with a big-name retailer. Talks with Giant Eagle, which was recently sold to Kroger for $1.65 billion, began last December and plans were finalized in June.

Churn built out an unused space in the McCandless store, which does not have designated seating. Costa is looking forward to seeing longtime customers who frequented the company’s original site in Gibsonia before it closed in 2023.

She says she’s willing to open more Giant Eagle sites in the future. Jannah Drexler, public relations manager for the grocery store chain, says they’re continuing to explore opportunities to work with other local businesses and restaurants.

In May, Beef Graffiti opened at The Waterworks Giant Eagle in O’Hara. The company purchased the smash burger concept from Chef Mark Mammone in August. It will relaunch on Sept. 14 with a limited menu.

Costa says she’s looking to partner with local pizza shops to sell pints of Churn ice cream.

A slice and a scoop sounds like my kind of meal.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Desserts by Cone’fections

Sick of seeing traffic cones all over the city? You’ll be happy to brake for Desserts by Cone’fections in West Mifflin.

Here’s the scoop on the business: there’s no ice cream involved.

Several years ago, Alicia Smith and Joe Susan wanted to create a unique treat to bring to a friend’s party. After some experimentation in the kitchen, Smith, a third-generation baker, layered dirt pudding into a sugar cone and called it a day.

It ended up changing their lives.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

During the bash, the area around the buffet table was in gridlock as guests clamored to get a bite.
Inspired by the rush hour of excitement, the couple decided to go full-speed on a new business venture.

They whipped up fresh batches for friends and family, lovingly referred to as “coneheads,” and catered corporate events, birthday parties and baby showers. Their Cone’fections stand towered over the cookie table at weddings. At farmer’s markets, the number one question customers asked (once they devoured their cones, of course) was “Where’s your shop?”

Desserts by Cone’fections will hold a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 19 at 1334 Streets Run Road.

In addition to the top-selling Dirt Cake Cones, there are two other standard flavors — Vanilla Cookie and Strawberry Crunch. There’s a white chocolate coating inside each cone to keep it from getting mushy and the icing is a time-honored Smith family recipe. Special flavors, such as chocolate caramel pretzel (my new obsession!), will rotate each month and there will be seasonal offerings, too.

Taking them to go? Desserts by Cone’fections has customized packaging for single cones and a box that can hold up to nine. Good luck trying to resist them on the ride home. I couldn’t.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Patrons will also find oatmeal and brownie Cream Pie Cookies, Crispy Treat Trays and Petite Cookie Cakes. I’m a big fan of the Cake Taco, a flat cupcake wrapped around a dollop of that oh-so-delicious signature icing with sprinkles on top. It’s the perfect companion to a cup of joe. Desserts by Cone’fections serves coffee from La Prima Espresso Co. and First Hour, a Columbus-based roastery owned by Smith’s cousin, Pittsburgh native Julie Perich.

Can’t wait for next week’s grand opening? You can get a sneak peek at the space on Friday, Sept. 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Just make sure to obey all traffic laws on your way there.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Tastyland lands in Monroeville

Before I visited the Creepshow House in Monroeville last month, I decided to creep on over to Miracle Mile Shopping Center for a look at Tastyland.

I’d been hearing a lot of good things about this hybrid ice cream parlor-pub and it lives up to the hype.

After purchasing the original Tastyland on Route 66 near Greensburg, Jill Gunniers and her sons Ryan, Brandon and Austin remodeled the seasonal roadside stand (which has been in operation since 1950) and expanded to a second, year-round location on Route 22.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

With decor that’s both modern and retro, the latest Tastyland is part game room, part bar, part dessert paradise.

Family fun, ice cream and burgers are located on the first floor. Patrons 21 and over can head upstairs to Tipsyland for a full bar and small bites, pool tables, air hockey, darts, duckpin bowling and a party room.