Gus Kalaris, owner of Gus & YiaYia's Ice Ball Cart, dies at age 92

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A legend of the City of Pittsburgh, Gus Kalaris, has died at age 92.

The announcement was made on the City of Pittsburgh's social media pages , saying, "Pittsburgh has lost a local legend. For decades Gus Kalaris served up ice balls, popcorn, and smiles at the world-renowned Gus & YiaYia's Cart on the city's North Side. Join us in sending support and condolences to his family and loved ones as they grieve this loss."

Gus & YiaYia's Ice Ball Cart on the North Side represented the start of summer in Pittsburgh and each summer, Pittsburghers and tourists would flock to get ice balls, popcorn, and other sweet treats.

Earlier this year, the cart opened for a milestone 90th year in Pittsburgh.

Known for its sweet treats and affordable prices, it became a hallmark of the city. In 2022, they did announce an increase in prices, but not by much.

"We went up a quarter on a few things. But for eight years we never raised the price, and people always said, 'Why don't you raise the price?' I said, 'Well, because it's a family thing.' I mean, you go to the Dairy Queen or ice cream places, you're looking at three, four people going, it's $25," Kalaris said at the time.

The cart had become such a staple of Pittsburgh culture that in 2021, a miniature version of the cart was added to the Carnegie Science Center's Miniature Railroad and Village .

"No matter how stressful my day was, coming here for an ice was the highlight of the day," said Kristen Postava.

That ice was served with a side of sweetness from a man who'd been on the job for 70 years.

"You were attracted to him because he was a sweet man; [he] and YiaYia both were sweet people," Kathleen Hart said. "I've lost a friend, and the North Side has lost a historian." Yaiya died in 2016.

"It's the end of a saga," Vernon Lipscomb added. "He was always friendly, he always had something good to say, and he remembered your flavors."

One that began when Gus started working at his father's cart at 8 years old. He'd taken over the business in his twenties.

"He loved the stand; the stand was his life," manager Michael Spanos said. "It's true dedication. I don't know anyone who has put in the dedication like Gus has over the years for one job."

Spanos says the future of the stand is not guaranteed, and that they'll evaluate where things stand at the end of the season.

"They have to stay. It's a legacy in Pittsburgh," Lipscomb said.

"It is really difficult to put into words why Gus is so important because Gus is a smell, he is a taste, he is a feeling in your heart," Postava added.

It's the sort of thing that made him special.

"It goes back to the old days, an older and quieter and gentler time. How life was as simple as a cup of ice with syrup on it," Hart said.