Amy Barbera, the driving force behind Barbera’s Chocolate on Occasion in Vineland, is adding an extra scoop of sweetness to her already impressive resume. The chocolatier will be giving the humble ice cream cone a glow-up when she opens Barbera’s Chocolate Ice Cream Shoppe in Vineland this summer.
Fans of Barbera’s Chocolate on Occasion won’t need to stray far from the shop to enjoy some cool refreshment; the ice cream parlor will be opening a few doors down in unit B6 of the same shopping center, located at 782 South Brewster Road.
Owner Amy Barbera explains that the ice cream shop is the direct result of a need for more space. “We have been looking for a space to increase our kitchen size for the last couple of years. We have outgrown our current space. Our goal is to start selling online. Then I thought, well, we aren’t going to be shipping chocolate in the summer, so I need a way to bring in income to pay the rent.” she jokes, adding “An Ice cream shop made perfect sense.”
Initially the shop will serve Richman’s hand-dipped ice cream, but polymath Barbera hopes to eventually begin making her own version of the sweet treat. In the meantime, customers can look forward to a truly unique and entirely indulgent dessert experience. Barbera describes it, stating: “We will have sundaes and ice cream creations based on our unique homemade chocolate offerings. A lot of our chocolates will also be incorporated for toppings. Anything dipped (frozen banana, etc) will be dipped in our chocolate from the shop, not the cheap stuff! This will make our shop like nothing else in the area!”
Vineland residents eager to sample the shop’s sweet creations needn’t wait too much longer. Barbera is hoping to start scooping by late July. “We are currently waiting on permits and then away we go!” explains Barbera. “Dipping cabinets, machines, etcetera have all been purchased and are waiting for a home.”
Barbera will be applying her distinctive visual eye to the new concept as well; she has an art degree and states “Everything always has to have the perfect visual right along with the best tasting product.”
Barbera’s ice cream shop will cut a striking figure in the Vineland dining scene. Barbera says: “Our ice cream shop will be a unique experience. It’s not your typical walk up to the window shop. I believe ours will be the only one in our direct area. We will have lots of very different offerings, and just using our chocolates in our concoctions alone will set us apart.”
The ice cream shop will be a worthy companion to Barbera’s Chocolate on Occasion, creating what Barbera describes as: “A chocolate mecha. By the time we finish all phases, we hope to have a larger space for the chocolate shop with more offerings (if that’s possible! We have everything you can imagine!) and a year round ice cream shop. We would also like to have a seating area that customers can relax in on hot or rainy days.”
Barbera’s Chocolate Ice Cream Shoppe will be a can’t miss for foodies eager to satisfy a sweet tooth. Barbera sums it up, stating: “It will be a confectionary dream!”
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