Here’s a list of the free sweets available at this weekend’s Douglas Dessert Festival
The Douglas Dessert Festival starts Friday and runs through Sunday in College Hill, and its organizers are now sharing a list of exactly what sweet treats participants will be able to enjoy.
The event, which was put together by the franchisee of the Andy’s Frozen Custard that opens on Monday at 3425 E. Douglas, invites people to visit seven neighboring businesses for free samples and discounts on their sweet offerings.
In addition to the new Andy’s, which will offer samples even though it won’t be quite open yet, the festival participants will be Papa’s General Store, The No Bake Cafe and The Teahouse, which are all at Clifton Square across the street from Andy’s; College Hill Deli, which is right next door; and Himali Eats, a dumpling restaurant a few blocks to Andy’s west. A local cookie artist also will be serving from College Hill Deli.
The dessert festival was started after a meeting between Andy’s franchisee Brian Cates and Derek Sorrells, who owns Papa’s General Store across the street. The two got together to talk about the controversy that started in late February, when Cates first announced his plans to open an Andy’s in the College Hill neighborhood. Some neighbors were not pleased with the idea of a corporate-owned custard shop moving into the eclectic area full of locally owned shops, and some even drafted and circulated a petition demanding that the purveyor of “corporate cones” stay out of the area.
Sorrells, who in spring 2020 opened his Clifton Square shop specializing in ice cream, shakes and other desserts, ultimately decided it was better for all the businesses in the area to work together and helped Cates plan an event that would benefit all of them.
Organizers are encouraging people to park in the surrounding neighborhood and walk, ride their bikes or take the Q-Line to the shops, which are all within a walk-able distance of each other. Participating shops will have Douglas Dessert Festival signs and balloons in front of their shops that will help people identify where to go.
Free samples will be available while supplies last. There’s no admission fee, and people don’t need any type of punch card or ticket to participate. The specials will be available during each businesses’ normal operating hours Friday through Sunday unless indicated otherwise below.
Here’s the lineup:
Papa’s General Store, 3700 E. Douglas in Clifton Square: Offering free treat-sized cups of ice cream with one topping.
The Teahouse, 3700 E. Douglas in Clifton Square: Offering bubble tea samples and 10% off select flavors for purchase.
The No Bake Cafe, 3700 E. Douglas on the outer west-facing side of Clifton Square: Offering free samples of edible cookie dough and 10% off purchases to those who sign up for a newsletter. Also offering a free cookie with the purchase of a double scoop of cookie dough.
Himali Eats, 3238 E. Douglas: Featuring Mango Lassi smoothies and offering 10% off entire purchases for those with a QR code coupon available on the Douglas Dessert Festival Facebook page or on the Himali Eats website.
College Hill Deli, 3407 E. Douglas: Offering free chocolate cake samples as well as a buy-one, get-one-free deal on slices of cake.
Fox & Thistle: This local baker will be set up on College Hill Deli’s patio at 3407 E. Douglas and will offer cookies for $2 or buy three, get one free.
Andy’s Frozen Custard, 3425 E. Douglas: This shop won’t open until Monday but it will participate in the festival by giving away free sample-sized waffle cones with choice of chocolate or vanilla custard from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
This story was originally published June 8, 2021 at 1:26 PM.
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