SEATTLE — Looking to expand your ice cream horizons? How does banana pudding with Nilla wafers sound?
It’s one of the most popular flavors at Creamy Cone Café in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood, a small, family-owned ice cream shop where you’ll often find owner Ashanti Mayfield working alongside her mom, Bridgit Collins.
"It wouldn't have happened if we didn't have each other,” Mayfield said.
“When you do have somebody to help you, it makes it a lot easier," Collins added. "We learned together, ideas from each other, from the arrangement to the colors."
They'd long talked about opening something sweet, as a family. When the pandemic hit, Mayfield —a hairstylist by trade —was not deemed “essential.” So she took a leap and opened Creamy Cone in Rainier Beach, where her mom grew up.
"We got so many people saying, 'We're so happy to have you in the neighborhood, the area needed something like this.’ It was just affirmation that we needed to be here," Mayfield said.
The café is a true family affair. Mayfield’s sister Alexis came up with the logo, her partner helped with the build-out, and her kids work there during the summer. In addition to serving customers, Collins also handles interior design.
The ice cream rotates between 40 flavors, with 12 offerings at all times. The flavors are customized by Washington ice cream makers, and the staff makes waffle cones from scratch.
Customized favorites include lemon cheesecake with raspberry swirl and honeycomb.
Vegan customers can also enjoy sorbets and coconut milk-based options, like piña colada with pineapple chunks and vegan rocky road.
Despite the unique choices, there is nothing pretentious about the café. It’s an authentic neighborhood space where customers can pose in front of a cute Instagram wall or admire coloring by local kids hanging on a corkboard.
Speaking of kids, their scoop comes with a free topping.
"It is a family, it's a family thing,” Collins said, smiling.
Creamy Cone Café is located at 9433 Rainier Ave. S. and is open Wednesday through Sunday.
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