East Aurora Advertiser

After Long Wait, Ice Cream Shop to Open This Week



East Aurorans and nearby folks have watched the progress at 431 Main St. – across from the East Aurora Middle School – with interest over the past year as the building went from vacant and forlorn to reborn as Rosie’s Handcrafted Ice Cream. 

Then, as the hoped-for opening date a year ago was shoved back by a pandemic that won’t quit, and construction slowed, we wondered when the place would finally open. It became the most asked question in the 14052. Cue Carly Simon’s classic “Anticipation.” This town has been more than ready for good weather and a new place for ice cream.

Rosie’s Handcrafted Ice Cream, 431 Main Street, will open the doors for business on Thursday, April 8. Photo by Marty Wangelin

The wait is finally over. At noon, on Thursday, April 8, just as this issue of the newspaper is wending its way to your mailbox or internet server, owners Deacon and Cassie McClure Tasker will light the “OPEN” sign and start dishing out handcrafted, made-in-house hard ice cream and other delights. On the menu will be 15 flavors of ice cream, from the standards like vanilla and chocolate, to the fanciful Yaba Daba Doo, to the grown-up Elm Street Cold Brew to the exotic Breakfast Special with caramelized bacon, local maple syrup and walnuts. Five dairy-free options in the form of sorbets and oat-based ice creams are on the board, along with shakes, house-made sodas, novelties and rotating specials that will reflect the seasons and community events. Choose from three varieties of waffle cone, made individually right behind the counter from the Taskers’ special recipe. 

Rosie’s will be open from noon to nine Tues., Wed., Thurs. and Sunday, noon to 10 on Friday and Saturday. There are tables and a window counter inside, tables on the deck and a conveniently located stone wall out front built by Elbert Hubbard’s fellows a few years back. Rosie’s is completely accessible for wheelchairs and handicapped patrons. Everyone will be asked to follow Covid protocols.

Before we go any farther, let’s put to rest the rumors about the origin of the name, Rosie’s. “Rosie is our daughter, the Queen Bee,” said Deke Tasker. 

Deacon and Cassie Tasker, owners of Rosie’s ice cream shop on Main Street, pose for a pre-opening photo. Photo by Marty Wangelin

The shop’s namesake is five years old and the oldest of the Tasker’s three children, a number which will grow in June with the birth of their fourth child. “And Rosie fits so well with the logo being associated with the Arts & Crafts rose and the Roycroft Campus next door.”

The idea of an ice cream parlor came, said Deke, “from the memories Cassie and I have of going out for ice cream and loving it. We knew we wanted to do something with food and ice cream seemed the right fit. We tried all kinds of manufactured ice creams from other producers; none of them really had what we wanted, so we decided to make our own. Everything we serve will be store-made.”

Neither of the Taskers started off as food professionals. Cassie was a nurse at Roswell Park—she’s stepped back from that while their fourth child is born and the shop gets up and running—and Deke continues his career as a real estate professional with Hunt. To get ready for the challenge of running Rosie’s they did their homework, and they went to school, literally. 

“We went to ice cream school at Penn State’s Department of Food Science and Scoop School in St. Louis, Missouri,” said Cassie. 

Deacon and Cassie Tasker are pictured with Ashley Tupper, on the left, in the ice cream creation kitchen, where they make their handcrafted ice cream. Photo by Marty Wangelin

Yes, there is such a thing as Scoop School; you can look it up. They also hired pastry chef Ashley Tupper to help them run the ice cream kitchen, which is set up to make small batches of ice cream from three to 30 gallons. For the past several months they’ve been experimenting with flavors and ingredients. This weekend, with temperatures projected to be in the 60s and 70s, those 30-gallon batches might come into play. Visit Rosie’s on Facebook or at havearosieday.com.

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