Get the Scoop on a Great Deal

A few years ago, Celeste Blau had an "aha moment" that led to a life changing decision. "I realized that I loved eating ice cream and I didn't like working in an office," she says. That insight became a business plan, and a trip to Italy inspired Blau to tweak her concept and make gelato instead. With the help of her husband, parents and brother, she opened The Sweet Spot in July 2011.

She does all the preparation on site in small batches using Ohio milk, organic and natural products and local fruit when it's available. "I buy raspberries picked at their peak of readiness from Rosby's, five miles away," she tells me, "and use them in the gelato the next day. You can't beat the taste." Amidst the more familiar flavors such as vanilla, butter pecan and pistachio, are some less common and inspired combinations such as chocolate mint cayenne and fig hazelnut. She offers vegan versions, too, made with almond milk and dairy-free sorbet.

Weary of the cold, which definitely discourages the consumption of frozen treats, Blau felt a need to get into a spring spirit and bring people back to her 25-seat shop. So to welcome the new season, which officially begins tomorrow, and kick-start some warm weather thinking, she's decided to give her stuff away. "This has been such a long winter," she says. "There was snow on the ground in October and snow on the ground last week.  Now that it's over, it's time to celebrate." 
   
Between noon and 9 p.m. Thursday, March 20, everyone who walks into the Detroit Road store  (across the street from The Beck Center in Lakewood) gets a free scoop. If you miss the giveaway day, stop in another time soon anyway to buy a bowlful of her rich, dense creamy confections. It's a wonderful way to say good bye to polar vortexes and hello to balmy breezes.