Roll with it: Cotton candy meets ice cream at this Tampa shop
TAMPA, Fla. - You won’t find an ice cream scoop inside this ice cream shop. Xu Bi has been rolling ice cream at Icesmile for about three years and always tries to bring the newest creations to his customers.
It all starts with a cold plate that is kept at about minus-14 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, once the toppings are chopped up, they add flavored cream that goes from liquid to frozen deliciousness right before the customer’s eyes.
Bi offers 20 different toppings to choose from, but what really makes his creations different is the unexpected way he serves the rolls. “I search whatever is most popular in Asian countries,” Bi said.
One of his newest creations is his cotton candy-wrapped ice cream rolls. Yes, two of the world’s most loved treats all in one bite -- these ice cream rolls are wrapped in a large fluffy blanket of cotton candy.
“It’s not like ice cream. It’s, like, kind of art,” Bi said.
It’s no wonder his customers love to leave notes about how great their experience was. Along all of the walls of the shop are Post-it notes expressing thanks and appreciation. “We let them leave their feedback on the walls to make them feel like a home,” Bi explained.
The shop is located in the Fowler Shopping Plaza in Tampa.