Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream
by Jill Duff-Hoppes
Shawn and Carol Ferguson vividly remember the moment they said “I do” to Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream – at their oldest son Taylor’s wedding ceremony in 2020 in California. Creamy, delectable ice cream from Handel’s was served to guests at the wedding reception. That was the first time Carol and Shawn had ever heard of the brand, much less tasted any of its irresistible flavors.
“The ice cream was so good!” says Carol. “We fell in love with it.”
“I had a where-have-you-been-all-my-life moment,” says Shawn. “It made that big of an impression. We couldn’t stop eating it.”
Fast-forward six years, and the Fergusons are now the proud co-owners of the new Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream shop in Oviedo. The couple’s business partners are their close friends Terry and Diane Ballard, who live out of state. The Oviedo location, a walk-up shop with a spacious covered patio, has the distinction of being the first Handel’s store in Florida.
Founded in Ohio in 1945 by Alice Handel and her husband, the company still uses Alice’s original recipes. The brand’s tag lines succinctly explain what makes Handel’s stand out from the competition: Made Fresh Right Here (in store, every day) and We Never Skimp. Customers can choose from 48 flavors made from the best-tasting, highest-quality ingredients.
“We have customers driving two-plus hours and bringing coolers to stock up on quarts of ice cream,” says Carol.
Shawn and Carol appreciate that Handel’s is both community focused and family oriented. Their team of friendly employees includes students from Hagerty and Oviedo high schools and the University of Central Florida. For the Fergusons, who have three sons and two daughters, bringing Handel’s to Oviedo has been a family enterprise and a labor of love. Their middle son, Steven, and his wife, Aranza, helped Carol and Shawn open the store, and their youngest son, Eli, is one of the scoopers.
“When you’re having a bad day, ice cream makes you feel better,” says Shawn, “and if you’re having a great day, it’s the way to celebrate.”
Adds Carol, “Ice cream makes everyone happy.”