Popular Paletas Shop Opens New Location In Shelton

SHELTON, CT — Dave's Gourmet Paletas, a healthier ice cream option that recently set up shop in Shelton, has opened its stores just in time for the hot summer months.

According to owner owner Dave Rock, the store officially opened for business in mid-May on River Road in the former location of Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard.

The Shelton store marks the second Dave's location following a successful launch in Fairfield that often attracted customers from Shelton, Derby and Stratford.

According to Rock, the Shelton location offers a much bigger space, including a larger kitchen from which products for both Shelton and Fairfield will be prepared.

"It's about double the size of Fairfield," Rock said. "We're able to seat people, and we're working on getting some benches for outside in the front. We're up and running, and we are dipping and topping. All 21 flavors are [available], the same flavors that are in Fairfield are up in Shelton."

The store's website describes paletas as "colorful palettes of homemade ice cream and fresh fruit on a stick" that are popular in Mexico and other areas of the U.S.

Additionally, Rock noted the store offers both dairy and non-dairy-based paletas.

"We have five flavors that are non-dairy that are going to taste more like a popsicle," Rock said. "They're more fruity and they're harder. Then we have...16 other flavors that are going to taste more like ice cream. They're made with dairy, and they're going to taste like ice cream minus the additives and preservatives. They're all made by the chef in the rear of the restaurant in our own kitchen."

While the concept may be new to some, the store's employees will often walk customers through the various paleta flavors offered and guide them through the decision-making process, Rock said.

"With us," Rock said, "it's walking them through something they've never experience before and talking about our product, and building it with the person as they choose a dip and then a topping. I just think it's more of an intimate and experiential vibe when you get our product, so it's fun that way."

The real difference between Dave's and other area ice cream shops, however, are the items not found in their products, Rock said.

"All of our recipes are our own," Rock said. "Our chef makes them by hand. You can pronounce all of the ingredients. There's no additives, there's no preservatives, there's nothing."

According to Rock, the store's paletas will typically go bad in about 15 days due to the lack of chemicals in them, so their products are always fresh.

"None of those chemicals are in our ice cream, and I think that's what sets it apart," Rock said. "A lot of people are selling chemicals in a cup or chemicals in a cone. That's just not who we are. We don't believe in putting chemicals in our ice cream. It's much different."

The Shelton location has already proved to be a hit with customers and the store's first month of operation has gone smoothly, Rock said.

"The first day, we had a line before we opened at noon that was forming outside," Rock said. "We opened up and people were filing in, and it was actually kind of fun to see a line."

For Rock, one of the biggest draws to opening a second location in Shelton is the community itself.

"I'm from Fairfield, but I'm in Shelton all the time," Rock said. "We're just looking to be a part of the Shelton community and sort of serving that community, just immersing ourselves and being part of that community's decision making when it comes to where they go for ice cream."