Bubblecake gets a sweet, cool partner
The cupcakes at Bubblecake have married the frozen custard at Chillypop. The Roanoke Times l File photo.
Correction: The price of an adult scoop at Chillypop is $3.25, not $3.75.
I can’t think of anything that goes better with cake than a cold scoop of ice cream. And that’s the idea behind Rob and Lisa Lusk’s newest endeavor, Chillypop, a frozen custard stand located inside the same big white house on Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke that houses their cupcake bakery, Bubblecake.
Chillypop had a soft opening earlier this week. When I talked to Rob Lusk yesterday, he said he recently bought a commercial batch freezer for his 40th birthday. “Most people get a Harley or a guitar or a mistress,” he joked, “but I got the ice cream machine.”
The Lusks have been making homemade frozen French custard in the machine and have already perfected 11 flavors that are available at this time. They plan to offer temporary special flavors, too. Rob said they are using all-natural ingredients including eggs, cream and sugar. They even put an entire cheesecake in a batch of blueberry cheesecake custard (that’s the flavor I’m going for ASAP).
The full list of flavors includes: vanilla bean, chocolate, strawberry, cinnamon, lemon, grasshopper (mint), Cuban coffee, caramel, chocolate-peanut butter, banana, and the aforementioned blueberry cheesecake. Prices are $1.75 for a kids’ scoop, $3.25 for a single scoop and $4.50 for a double.
In addition to the frozen custard, Chillypop also has sundaes, milkshakes and floats (all $5.75) and the following frozen treats (also $5.75): “oreos” of vanilla custard sandwiched between chocolate cake layers, brownie a la mode, and a cupcake and scoop combo. Popsicles ($1) are also available.
Rob Lusk said he’s aware that frozen yogurt shops have suddenly become all the rage, but this concept is different. While frozen yogurt shops are marketed as a healthy option, his frozen custard is a full-on flavor explosion worthy of one of those days when you just need to treat yourself or someone else.
Come to think of it, maybe I’ll start out by trying the cinnamon. Or the Cuban coffee… Which flavor looks the most tempting to you?
May 2, 2012 - 5:30 AM
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Sounds like a great Saturday treat.Will check it out.
Sounds delicious, but at $3.75 for a scoop and the cost of their cupcakes…geesh! There is no wonder they are located in South Roanoke.
Caramel!!! YUMMMMMM!!!
I’m tempted to try the vanilla bean, just to get a good sampling of the style and taste of the custard, but I am on a lemon kick right now (Homestead Creamery Lemon Crunch is my current fave), so I may have to try that one first. They all sound delicious!
Too bad my son was just diagnosed as milk an egg allergic. In addition to peanuts, tree nuts and seafood. Going out to eat is really no longer a viable option in order to keep him safe. I personally love bubblecake and go to the one on 419 that they opened up on occasion. I wonder if chillypop will show up in that store too.
Oh no, Nurse, that stinks! Well, maybe Mom needs a treat sometimes
Do the rest of you think the prices are too high? I have thought ice cream shop prices were high for a long time and I guess I’ve grown accustomed to it.
Cuban coffee sounds like a winner to me. Wish there was somewhere here to get REAL cafe con leche and cuban bread. If not maybe I’ll drive down to Tampa.
Yes, ice cream shop prices are way too high.
I think the pricing is a bit high. For a standard family of four, pricing would be $15 just for four single scoops not to mention cupcakes. Perhaps a combo deal could be in the works? $1 off cupcake with the purchase of ice cream?
The prices are high! I guess you get to pay for “gourmet”.
Lindsey, I would love to see you do some pieces on “allergy free” cooking. I’ve gotten a great vegan ranch dressing recipe from a blog that I am using since my son (he is 3) dips everything in ranch. My 14yr old daughter highly approves of the vegan ranch and said never to buy Hidden Valley again LOL.
There is a cupcake and scoop combo for $5.75.
The prices (at any specialty ice cream store, not just this one) are on the high side, but I see that as a good thing – they keep me from overindulging.
Hi Lindsay, just a note, our price for a scoop is actually $3.25, not $3.75. We did a lot of price comparisons and come our reasonably lower than most. It’s not a bad deal, particularly since we are the only creamery in the region actually making ice cream from scratch, not just running packaged mixes through machines. It’s the real thing.
Thank you for sending that corrected information, Lisa. I have updated the blog post.
I agree that REAL homemade ice cream is worth a lot more than ice cream made from some pre-packaged mix! Cannot wait to try it.
This is awesome. I have been trying to get custard to Roanoke for several years!!
I noticed this when we were at Fork last night and wondered how long it had been open. Good luck to them!