It’s not too late to get in to try one of Rita’s Italian Ice specialties before the shop closes for the season. (Photo by Larry Bennet)

Cool off with the fresh fruit taste of Rita’s Italian Ice
By Cynthia Schuster-Eakin
Insights
Published Sept. 13, 2006

Nothing beats the late summer heat like a cold treat. Rita’s, the nation’s largest Italian Ice chain, recently opened another cool location, at 30024 Detroit Road in Westlake.

The newest Rita’s is the company’s fifth Ohio location. Michael and Linda Hotz own and operate the Westlake store. The couple became fans of Rita’s while living and working as physical therapists on the East Coast. When they moved to Ohio, they decided to bring Rita’s with them.

The first Rita’s opened in the summer of 1984 in Bensalem, Penn. Bob Tumolo, a former Philadelphia firefighter looking to augment his income, and his mother, Elizabeth, experimented with recipes for Italian water ice and came up with a concoction that they believed to be the best Italian Ice they had ever tasted. Apparently, they were on to something, since there are currently more than 390 stores in the chain.

Rita’s Italian Ices are made fresh daily and are available in 34 different flavors, including strawberry, watermelon, blueberry, root beer, lemon and cherry. Each is made with real fresh fruit and ice, mixed on site in batches and served within 36 hours. Real fruit dramatically adds to the taste.

“Everyone gets really excited about our product, once they taste it,” Linda Hotz said.  She said that they rotate the flavors, with eight different ices offered daily. They also serve four sugar-free ices. “Italian Ice is low-fat and low-cholesterol. It’s great for people who can’t eat dairy, because they can still enjoy a frozen dessert treat,” she said.

Rita’s old-fashioned frozen custard is available in chocolate or vanilla, and is served in either a cup or cone.

“Our customers say that we have the best custard around,” Hotz said. Gelati provides frozen dessert lovers with the best of both worlds, layering Italian Ice and frozen custard. Misto, a blended version of Italian Ice and creamy custard, is Rita’s version of the traditional shake. Cream ices are for those who prefer a treat that is smoother and richer than Italian ice, but not as heavy as ice cream.

The history of Italian Ice dates back to the days of ancient Rome when, in summer, emperors dispatched runners to the highest mountains to retrieve snow. Mixed with summer’s fresh fruits, the ices made a satisfying frozen treat. For generations, the Romans, and then all of the Italians, enjoyed the flavored ice. They ate it alone or mixed it with ice cream to make gelati.   

When Italians immigrated to the United States in the early part of the 20th century, they brought with them their recipes for flavored ices, which they made from either crushed ice or by shaving blocks of ice with sharpened blades. Different from sherbets, Italian Ice has no added cream. It is wetter and fruitier tasting than sorbet. In the Italian neighborhoods of South Philadelphia, Italian Ice has long been a summertime passion, served from small walk-up windows.

Find out why Italian Ice has been craved by generations. Stop by the Westlake Rita’s, located in the shopping center by K-Mart, to try this cool, refreshing treat for yourself. The store is open from noon to 9 p.m. daily. Phone (440) 617-9860. Rita’s is a seasonal business, Hotz explained, so the store will be closed during the winter months. When it reopens after a hiatus from mid-October to March, Rita’s will treat everyone who visits the store on the first day of spring to a free water ice, according to Hotz.