According to recent public records, a growing ice cream chain is soon coming to Oviedo.
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream will be found at 20 Alexandria Blvd.
The location will be run by local franchisee Shawn Ferguson, who acknowledges his upcoming venture on his LinkedIn Page.
“Orlando here we come!” the post states. “Get ready to try the World’s Best Ice Cream! More info to come on locations and timeframe for the first parlor to open.”
What Now Orlando recently reached the enthusiastic Mr. Ferguson to learn more about the upcoming location.
“This is our number one,” Ferguson says about his debut Handel’s. He adds that he used to live in Utah with his family and was first exposed to the brand via his brother-in-law’s own operation of Handel’s stores in California.
“We decided to move to Florida just over three years ago,” Ferguson continues, stating that he quickly noted the state lacked the ice cream brand which had so thoroughly charmed him. So he got in touch with HQ.
“They said to me: ‘We’re not ready yet’,” Ferguson narrates dramatically, explaining that limitations in the company’s distribution chain made a Florida expansion implausible at that moment. But time passed and HQ reached back out to Ferguson stating that their chin had expanded to the Southeast. So they asked asked, “are you still interested?”
So what is driving this first time franchisee?
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur off and on; I’ve always loved to make my own future,” he states. “We loved the idea of ice cream because it’s a simple process. We don’t sell anything but ice cream; that’s all we do.”
“It makes everyone happy–I mean, who gets mad at ice cream?”
And why Oviedo of all places?
“The reason we chose Oviedo is because we wanted to be in the Orlando market. It’s hot all the time here; not cold like in Utah, where we lived,” he states.
“There’s a ton of families in Oviedo–and that’s what Handel’s is: it’s about the families. We want to be a part of the community.”
“In the summer heat of 1945, Alice Handel created the sweetest of legacies in Youngstown, Ohio. Using fresh fruit from her backyard garden and her own personal recipes, Alice lovingly made ice cream that quickly became a neighborhood favorite. Handel’s Ice Cream and a commitment to craftsmanship, was born,” the official website states.
“Alice ran the single parlor for 40 years and on her 40th anniversary, the street was renamed Handel’s Court in her honor. Shortly after the 40th anniversary, the brand was purchased by Lenny Fisher and under his vision Handel’s grew from a single ice cream parlor to over 150 locations across 15 states.”
So when will the brand open?
“We are hoping to be open before Christmas.”
