Gelato artist and maker Galen Thomas is one of the country’s top gelato makers – and has been recognized by national press including the Today Show. The Black small business owner, entrepreneur and gelato maker has been making gelato since 2018 and selling it at festivals, fairs, special events and through special order. He grew up near West Oak Lane and lives still nearby in Northwest Philadelphia. 

With the grand opening of Cloud Cups, Thomas will make the leap from mobile to opening his first brick and mortar scoop shop in the heart of Fishtown next to Pizza Brain and the Pizza Museum – in the former home of Little Baby’s Ice Cream.

Doors at open at 2311 Frankford Avenue will open Friday, May 19th at 4:00pm and Saturday, May 20th at 4:00pm. Thomas will give away two scoops of any variety of gelato and sorbet to the first 150 people each night between 4:00pm and 6:00pm. Don’t miss your chance to sample some of America’s best gelato – including the special flavors he has created for his first shop!

For his first location, Cloud Cups has brought his signature cart right into the store where Little Baby’s Ice Cream was formerly located. The space was fitted out and the kitchen space behind will allow for expanded menu items – including the new Cloud-ninis. Cloud Cups first connected with Pizza Brain when Cloud Cups used the space temporarily to produce gelato at the start of the pandemic until Cloud Cups secured a larger permanent commissary kitchen.

Cloud Cups also partnered with Pizza Brain to host special events and pop-ups, including the popular speakeasy pop-up nights in the back courtyard. After demand from those events, Pizza Brain and Cloud Cups installed a case for gelato pints to go – and the next natural progression was partnering on the scoop shop in the unused space/building next to Pizza Brain that connects on the inside through the shared dining room.

For the menu, Cloud Cups will offer a dozen rotating flavors from their entire catalog of 90 year-round and seasonal flavors – that also includes dairy-free and vegan options. The menu will also include additional flavors available in the pint. Other speciality treats will include the new Cloud-Nini where gelato and sorbet is nestled inside a fresh baked pastry, plus milkshakes, floats and BYO beer/cider/seltzer floats.

“I am so thankful and honored to be able to open my first-ever scoop shop in one of the hottest food neighborhoods in Philadelphia,” said Galen. “Since my early days of festivals, fairs and food truck events, I am finally able to call this my first home and welcome my first official guests. The demand for our gelato and sorbet has risen over the pandemic, and this is a dream come true. I partnered with Pizza Brain to use their space in my early years and this lets our guests have the best of both world’s amazing pizza and pies plus now a smooth creamy treat for dessert. This is our first scoop shop – but stay tuned as I am working on some exciting surprises for the summer and beyond. Please come say hi this weekend and let us show you what our artisanal gelato is all about.”

Best of luck to this new gelato shop in Philadelphia! Let us know if you check them out.

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