Photo from the website of Sia’s Italian Ice
When I dropped by Straubs the other day, I ran onto a fellow in the freezer alcove stocking Sia’s Italian Ice. We got into a conversation and I discovered I was talking to Barth Holohan, the owner of the flavored ices. As I examined one of the attractive containers, I asked about the name. Barth said it came from the first initial of his three daughters: Sabrina, Isabella and Amelia. He had first started selling the hand-crafted ices from a food truck in 2012. A few years later, he opened a retail store in Des Peres, where today customers can view the open kitchen and enjoy a variety of the frosty fruit mixtures.
Not a Crushed Popsicle in a Cup
Similar products often contain excessive sugar and chemical flavorings. But Sia is all natural, lightly sweetened, and contains purified water. What’s more, the handcrafted dessert is non-dairy, fat-free, and gluten-free with no cholesterol. Flavors include lemon, mango, blood orange, cherry, grape, strawberry, sweet and sour, pomegranate, orange pineapple, and mocha. The frozen dessert differs from sherbet in that it contains no dairy.
Photo from Sia’s website
Sia’s was first available only from their food truck. But today the ices can be found in pint and half-pint contains in Straubs, Dierbergs, Schnucks, Whole Foods, Lucky’s Market as well as their Des Peres retail outlet.
My Camera Fails Me
Barth had patiently posed for photos during our visit, but when I got home not one of the pictures was on my iPhone! Apparently, my phone had gone into power-saving mode, because of a low battery. Though the camera feature appeared to be working, it wasn’t. I missed capturing our impromptu grocery aisle meeting, but I found these images on Sia’s website.
While Italian Ice may never completely replace chocolate ice cream for addicts such as myself, I found it to be a truly refreshing and satisfying treat. Sia’s is perfect when you want something cool, that’s not overly-filling and laden with fat. There’s about 55 calories in a 4-ounce serving. Summer is just around the corner; stock up!
Sia’s Italian Ice, 12878 Manchester Rd, Des Peres, MO. Open: Mon-Wed 11a-3p; Fri 11a-9p; Sat 3p-9p.
