After garnering national attention when featured on the show ‘Shark Tank,’ the makers of Crispy Cones are bringing their uniquely styled gourmet soft serve ice cream treats to Palm Beach Gardens.
The restaurant is the creation of Jeremy Carlson who has elevated cone-making to a culinary art by wrapping dough around wooden dowels and then grilling it rotisserie-style until golden.
Carlson was inspired by a similar treat he was served by a street vendor while on a mission trip in the Czech Republic. He and his wife Kaitlyn began with a tent in Rexburg, Idaho, then upsized to a trailer before eventually being featured on the show ‘Shark Tank.’ National attention ensued.
Vincent and Angela Cannella just so happened to be watching one of the episodes in February 2024. The husband and wife, who split their time between Floral Park, New York (just outside the city on Long Island) and Jupiter, said they are big fans of the show and that seeing Carlson’s story from mission trip, to sweet treat, to tent, trailer, store and ‘Shark Tank’ was incredibly inspiring.
Being big ice cream fans as well, Angela said that Vincent started researching the company and “before we knew it, we had Zoom meeting scheduled with Crispy Cones” and Carlson, now CEO and founder. “Jeremy’s energy, warmth, and passion made an incredible impression on us, and we immediately connected with him and his team,” Angela said.
Toppings at Crispy Cones include cookie dough, Oreos, graham crackers, strawberries, almonds, Almond Joy, Kit Kat, Heath Bar, peanut butter cups, walnuts and Biscoff cookies.
They flew to Idaho to learn more, came away very impressed and soon signed on as franchisees. There are eight other shops around the country including locations in Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Tennessee and Orlando.
No pushovers when comes to frozen treats, Angela said “Vinny and I, we love ice cream.” “When we tasted the chocolate, we couldn’t believe it. It was like Häagen-Dazs in a swirl.”
The soft serve at Crispy Cone is definitely more than your average pull. Vincent said that it contains a higher butter fat content than most and has a richer, creamier texture and better flavor.
Crispy Cones features gourmet chocolate and vanilla ice cream along with a weekly ‘secret’ flavor that is announced on Monday. Past flavors have include dulce de leche, coconut, pineapple, blueberry and more.
Crispy Cones features vanilla, chocolate, vanilla & chocolate swirl and then, starting Monday, a ‘weekly specialty flavor’ rolls out nationally to all franchises. Specialty flavors have included dulce de leche, coconut, pineapple, blueberry and more. Last week was French toast. Angela said the reveal each week is “Very hush, hush, very secret… We don’t know what the flavor is until Monday.”
In addition to the weekly specialty ice cream flavor, the outlets also offer a monthly specialty cone in addition to the standard cinnamon & sugar. In December, it was gingerbread and for January it is coconut.
So you’ve gotten some of the basics, here’s how you chart your own tasty course: Select your cone, then pick a spread to be applied inside the cone, then an ice cream flavor, toppings and sauce.
Consume. Relax. Repeat.
Despite never having worked in the restaurant industry, Vincent and Angela are both excited about opening the business.
After signing the deal, they flew to Idaho for training.
Angela and Vincent Cannella will soon open Crispy Cones in Palm Beach Gardens. The shop features unique, rotisserie-grilled cones, gourmet soft serve ice cream, toppings and more.
“We worked in a store for a week,” Angela said. “Ten days of training, they should call it boot camp! We worked two 13 hours days!”
Angela recently retired from a career in real estate management. Vincent works in IT, but is not far behind. But, said Angela, the couple didn’t feel like they were ready to retire. “We decided this is going to be our second act,” she said. “We’re not going to sit in a rocking chair.”
They initially debated whether they wanted to open in New York or South Florida, eventually choosing South Florida. They’ve been coming to Jupiter since 1989 and have been homeowners in the area since 2015. “We love the community down here,” Vincent said.
The Cannella’s Crispy Cones shop will have have grand opening the weekend of Feb. 7, 8, and 9. ,
Crispy Cones comes to Palm Beach Gardens
What: Crispy Cones
Where: 11940 US 1, Palm Beach Gardens
Hours: opening in Feb. 2025
Information: thecrispycones.com
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Shark Tank-famous ice cream & cones making debut in South Florida