A Bangor woman has plans to serve up nostalgic Mexican flavors when she opens an ice cream shop this winter.
Ana Guzman, who goes by her nickname “Betty,” is renovating the storefront at 1012 Stillwater Ave., which used to be a Weight Watchers, she noted with a laugh Wednesday. A launch date depends on when the makeover wraps up, but her hope is to open Betty’s Ice Cream next month or in early March.
Guzman, 41, is from Degollado, a small town in the Mexican state of Jalisco, but she has lived in Bangor for the last decade. Her husband, Eric, owns Las Palapas, where she used to work as a server and still helps out.
While scooping ice cream is not Guzman’s lifelong dream, she took inspiration from her brother, who runs a shop in their hometown. She likes to experiment with foods until they are bursting with flavor, and sharing her culture with others has long been a passion. So, an idea to open an ice cream shop reminiscent of her beloved Mexico began to take shape.
“One day I was with my husband, and we stopped at an ice cream shop,” she recalled. “I said, ‘We need to bring some of these tropical flavors to Bangor.’ And my brother started to teach me.”
Guzman began her search for a Bangor storefront about a year ago, but she had to wait on contractors’ schedules to free up. Opening an ice cream shop in the winter is nontraditional, but the location allows her to operate year-round.
People’s cravings for sweet treats don’t disappear in the winter, and her shop will give them something unique to try, she said.
Guzman is eager for patrons to try bionico, a fruit bowl with a sweet cream sauce and toppings, including granola, honey, nuts and shredded coconut.
Although she is still designing a menu, coconut, lime, mango, pineapple and tamarind are among the hard ice cream flavors that Guzman wants to offer. Lime sprinkled with tajin and pineapple with chamoy, a condiment traditionally made from fermented fruit, salt, sugar and chiles, are popular combinations in Mexico, she said. There will also be ice pops made with fresh fruit.
“Everybody loves margaritas here, so I am trying to add that flavor,” she said.
Guzman walked through the shop Wednesday, pointing to the pale yellow paint on the walls and speckled flooring in pink and purple, which matches the sign out front. She hopes to install decorations from Mexico, including ceiling fixtures from her brother and tables with clear epoxy and pictures of sweet treats that her photographer sister captured.
“It’s about sharing what I know, sharing my culture,” she said. “Why not bring something different for people to try? I hope they enjoy it. That’s my hope.”