WALLINGFORD — With seasonal favorites and specialty flavors, local ice cream shop Bananas’ Ice Cream serves up summer in an interesting way.

Banana’s, located in a plaza at 1122 N. Colony Road, offers more than 50 flavors and a variety of toppings. Customers can choose from a a selection of ice cream, sundaes, floats, and ice cream cakes and pies.

Operations Manager Michelle Caramanello said the storefront has been home to an ice cream parlor since 1996. Formerly known as Praline’s, the name changed in April 2018.

“It’s the same owners, the same staff,” Caramanello said. 

The shop’s ice cream is supplied by the Big Dipper Factory in Prospect. Some flavors are available year round and others are seasonal.

“This past winter we had gingerbread cookie dough ice cream,” Caramanello said. “Right now we have peach, peach melba, lemon pie, orange pineapple, pineapple upside down cake, S’mores and icebox — a new one created just for us”

Customers can reserve an event room for birthday parties, meetings, baby showers and other occasions. The shop participates in community events and fundraisers.

As temperatures hovered around 90 degrees Wednesday, Meriden resident Jimmy Smith visited the shop. His favorites are peanut butter chocolate and espresso. 

Smith has been coming to the ice cream parlor with his children for years.

“I have to eat gluten free, so I know that they have the list over there of flavors I can eat,” Smith said. “My kids always like the different flavors they have. There’s always something new.”

 A specialty item only available in the summer is the Gone Bananas Bucket Sundae. It comes with six scoops of ice cream, sliced banana, toppings, whipped cream and a chocolate chip cookie. The sundae comes in a beach bucket with a mini shovel.  

“It’s a good sharing sundae,” Caramanello said. 

jroman@record-journal.com
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Twitter: @JenieceRoman