Pictured: Photo by Cecilia Marty.

Over a decade ago, Ryan and Christina Edwards started making ice cream in their tiny kitchen in Brooklyn as a hobby.

“We made small batches on the stove too and brought them to parties and holidays and everyone used to go crazy for them,” Ryan says.

The couple always talked about maybe turning their passion into a business, but they didn’t make the leap until they moved to Florida in 2020. They couldn’t find anyone else making ice cream quite like the cold and creamy sweet recipes they had crafted, and the year-round warm weather made Florida seem like the perfect location to launch an ice cream business, which they called Great Heights Creamery. They started by building an ice cream cart in the garage, which Ryan would take to farmers’ markets. In April of 2024, the couple opened a storefront location in the Rosemary District where they make all of their ice cream from scratch, frequently using locally-sourced ingredients.

“We found there was a local farm not far from where we live producing milk and cream and dairy. We started working with a local coffee producer who literally goes to farms and sources coffee directly from farmers. We work with Sarasota Honey Co. for our honey flavor,” Christina says. “We wanted it to be about the ingredients and really honor them.”

That comes across in the finished product. Great Heights Creamery has some flavors that are in permanent rotation (the Always Here) menu, as well as rotating seasonal options (the Sometimes Here) menu. There are also some vegan options. One of the most popular flavors is Yes, Honey. The housemade ice cream base is sweetened with local honey from Sarasota Honey Co. Ryan also makes a honeycomb toffee that is folded into the ice cream to add another level of flavor and a little crunch. A standout seasonal option is the Lemon Ricotta Blueberry. In this ice cream, ricotta cheese is used in place of heavy cream, which gives the dessert an incredibly creamy texture. Ryan adds lots of lemon zest for a bright flavor, and swirls housemade blueberry compote throughout.

“It’s just a really nice flavor,” he says. “I’m kind of obsessed with it right now.”

Great Heights Creamery, 1371 Boulevard of the Arts Unit 3, Sarasota, 646-285-5024, greatheightscreamery.com.

Pictured: Photo by Cecilia Marty.