All the attention is no surpise in Youngstown, Handel's has been a landmark for decades. In 1985, the city made this status official. Alice Handel, the original owner, was presented with a key to the city and the street name was changed from Vermont Court to Handel's Court.
Alice Handel began making ice cream in 1945 at her husband's gas station and business just kept booming. Mrs. Handel had many suitors vying for her ice cream stand and recipes over the years. She turned all of them down. She was in her seventies when a man approached her about selling Handel's ice cream in grocery stores. Leonard Fisher brought his wife Merle to the meeting. This may have impressed Alice Handel because she decided to sell the whole business to him in 1985. She loved her stand and would not pass her business on to anyone who could not care for it as much as she did. She continued working at her stand until shortly before she passed away in 1987.
She chose well when she picked Leonard Fisher to preserve her work. He has shown a good handle on the business by adding multiple locations, with franchised Handel's throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. At one time it was determined the Handel's Court location was among the busiest ice cream stands in the country, once serving 1,700 customers in a three hour period. Business has slowed a bit since then due to competition - now the busiest ice cream stand in town is another Handel's.
Although the business is changing, the principles are not. Every new Handel's retains the traditions of the original. Each one is a walk up stand which serves only ice cream. The ice cream machines, which are now specially made for the company, based on an old design, contribute to it's unique consistency which is between hard ice cream and custard. The ice cream is made on site, every morning and scooped away all day. It does not have a chance to get completely hard, therefore it retains a smooth, soft, creamy texture. Only fresh ingredients are used. Making the ice cream requires much hands on labor. It is often a two person job to mix in all of the ingredients for one flavor. In the case of Cherry Vanilla - each cherry is placed in one at a time.
There may be a Handel's coming near you in the future (first Columbus location opened April 2002) but in the meantime, it might be a good idea to see where it all began. Just head to Youngstown and wander around, part of the fun is asking for directions.
3931 Handel's Ct., Youngstown, 330/788-0356.
Additional locations in Boardman, Columbiana, Liberty, and Pennsylvania. Open all week, 10 a.m - 10 p.m.