by BRIAN NADIG
A Mexican-style ice cream and candy shop is planning to open in July at 6140 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Gladstone Park on Chicago’s NW Side.
The owners, Mireya Garcia and Joel Gonzalez, have named the shop Chiquita Scoops after their 4-year-old daughter Ximena. “It’s because of our daughter’s love for ice cream. ‘Chiquita’ means little girl, (and) we wanted to bring some Mexican and Puerto Rican culture to Gladstone Park. … This business is immigrant founded and woman-owned,” Gonzalez said.
They also have a 15-month-old son Emilio and live in the area. “I’m a Gladstone-Norwood resident since 2005,” Gonzalez said. “I went to Taft and Onahan.” Garcia previously lived in nearby Albany Park.
The menu will include a wide variety of dessert options and some prepared lunch, dinner or snack food, including nachos, tortas, chicharronnes and elote, or Mexican street corn.
The dessert menu includes 16 flavors of ice cream, including some sugar-free, and a wide variety of paletas, which are Mexican-style popsicles, including some dairy-free ones.
For those looking for a more interesting option, the ice cream can be paired with waffles, mini-pancakes or churros. Banana splits also are on the menu, and a variety of Mexican candy also is being offered.
The menu may change and grow after the shop opens depending on the preferences of the customers, Gonzalez said. Tentative hours call for the shop to be open seven days a week, from around noon to 9 p.m., but they could fluctuate based on customer demand.
Chiquita Scoops has been in the works since last October.
“It’s been a quite a journey,” Gonzalez said, noting that they have been raising a family and navigating through the city permitting process at the same time. “We’ve learned at lot.”
The storefront was once home to a travel agency and has undergone extensive renovations. The shop will include indoor seating and will be handicap accessible.
More information on Chiquita Scoops is available via its Facebook page or at www.chiquitascoops.com
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Local family opening Chiquita Scoops ice cream shop on Milwaukee Ave in Gladstone Park
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