handle with care
Acclaimed national ice cream shop scooping out more than 140 flavors opens in Katy
Handel's has opened in Katy.
An Ohio-based ice cream brand known for its freshly made flavors has expanded its presence in the Houston area. Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream has opened its third Houston-area scoop shop in Katy.
Located in Cinco Ranch (23660 Westheimer Parkway), the almost 2,000-square-foot location serves more than 48 flavors daily, including Peach, Black Cherry, Coffee Chocolate Chip, Graham Central Station, Oree-Dough, Salty Caramel Truffle. Overall, the shop offers a roster of more than 140 flavors that vary throughout the year.
In addition to scoops, the shop offers banana splits, sundaes, milkshakes, and “hurricanes” — Handel’s term for vanilla ice cream mixed with candies such as Heath Bar, M&Ms, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Handel’s comes to Texas via Ohio. Founded in 1945 by Alice Handel, it maintains her methods and recipes. That means making ice cream fresh daily — using a base supplied by the home office — and including fresh ingredients. Overall, the company has more than 100 locations across 11 states, including a significant presence in the Dallas area and two stores in Spring.
That network helped power the new store. Franchisee Matt Wiseman’s brother operates a Handel’s location in Utah. Wiseman and his wife Alexis moved to Cinco Ranch with their five children to open their location.
"I have really enjoyed the positive culture of the brand, and it's very fulfilling to see our customers leave happy after enjoying our delicious ice cream,” Alexis Wiseman said in a statement. "We take pride in the fact that every ice cream we serve is handmade, and we never compromise on the quality of our products or the experience we provide in our stores.”
Handel’s celebrates its grand opening on Thursday, August 10. The first 50 customers in line will receive free ice cream for a year. Going forward, its hours of operation will be 11 am to 10 pm daily.
The Houston area has seen a number of new ice cream shops open this summer. They include a third location of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Montrose, a second location of locally owned Milk & Sugar in the Heights, and the Houston-area debut of Austin's Lick Honest Ice Creams.
