Residents of the Gardnerville Ranchos no longer have to drive far to satisfy their craving for ice cream. Sugar Daddy's Ice Cream is now open next to Silver Strike Lanes on Kimmerling Road.
"Everyone loves ice cream," said Desmond Hinnant, owner of Sugar Daddy's. "There are no other ice cream shops in the south part of the Valley."
Hinnant has lived in Gardnerville for 10 years, but he grew up in Miami and remembers frequenting local ice cream parlors.
"I wanted to make an old-fashioned place where kids and families could come hang out," he said.
The walls of Sugar Daddy's are decorated with clowns, balloons and zoo animals, but children will probably be more interested in the ice cream, supplied by Tahoe Creamery.
"We have 37 different flavors," said Hinnant. "We'll switch out flavors like egg nog and pumpkin when the season changes."
More traditional flavors include chocolate chip, cookie dough, butter pecan, licorice chip, peppermint and rocky road.
"We also serve malts and shakes and mix any kind of ice cream," Hinnant said. "I had someone in here mix blueberry and butter pecan."
Sugar Daddy's also offers banana splits with seven different toppings, non-fat frozen yogurt and hand-made cones.
He said people walk over and get ice cream after bowling.
But perhaps Hinnant's most frequent clients are his two sons, Desmond Jr., 8, and Devon, 6, both students at Minden Elementary School.
"After dinner and after their homework is done, they each get a kid's scoop," he said.
Both Desmond Jr. and Devon said their favorite flavor is cookie dough.
In March, Hinnant hopes to start hosting birthday parties and sell specialty ice cream cakes.
Sugar Daddy's is located at 1281 Kimmerling Road, Suite 9B.
The parlor is open noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information call 265-0410.
