Serving More Than Ice Cream in Cranbury

Did you ever have ice and snow along with your first scoop of butternut crunch to kick off another season of ice cream enjoyment?

With the temperature in Cranbury hovering a few degrees above freezing there were still many ice cream lovers braving the elements and standing in line at in Cranbury on April Fool’s Day.

The large poster announcing, “No, We’re Not Foolin’,” and marking the countdown to the official opening of Christine Ondocin’s walk-up ice cream emporium had finally come down and even with snowflakes landing on the bright, yellow canopy above the two ordering windows, customers studied the list of flavors on a large sandwich board before committing to a decision. Should I try Bada Bing Cherry Vanilla or Coffeelicious?

Ahh, choices, choices.

Before I had the chance to ask a few questions to the two ladies who were taking orders on this snowy, rainy afternoon, a group of ice cream lovers had formed already and these brave souls were waiting to enjoy their first foray into this new opening day in the major leagues of ice cream enjoyment.

Proving the small town flavor of Cranbury, one of the ice cream baristas was Kathie Burke, owner of The Cutting Garden just across the street. She and her fellow server, Stephanie, were filling in for Christine Ondocin, who was attending a family event out of town.

Now in its fourth season, Gil & Bert’s was the brainchild of Ondocin. After moving in to the home at 69 North Main St., owned for many years by the Gilbert family, Ondocin had an “aha” moment. Why not recall the Gilbert name in the new ice cream venture?

When the rain came back and the customers trickled down to a few, taking their time deciding whether to stick with the known Mint on Main or get a bit wild and try the Black Raz Choco Chip Yogurt, Kathy Burke and Stephanie commented on how this business has a personal touch.

“We do offer peanut-free ice cream,” Stephanie said.

All of the flavors are hand dipped and packed the old fashioned way.

“In the warmer weather, we have a date night with some live entertainment,” added Burke. Stephanie then chimed in,

“And Kathie brings over some of her flowers for sale.”

I thought how charming it would be to have a night out with your special date, romantic music and a bouquet to offer along of course with a double scoop of Bada Bing Cherry Vanilla.

I was curious as to any issues that come up when serving their clientele. “Well, we had this man who insisted that our 12-ounce size milkshake cup was not 12 ounces.”

Since I wasn’t sure how the Gilbert family used this part of the house, Stephanie shed some light on my question,

“This serving area was about one half of the formal dining room. It was then divided in half to create the stand,” she said.

Since that chilly April Fool’s Day opening, Gil and Berts has been doing quite well and as the weather continues to warm up, you may have to wait a bit in line to decide whether to try the Coffeelicious or the Bada Bing Cherry Vanilla.

This article was updated at 4:10 p.m. to correction the spelling of Christine Ondocin's name. She was previously incorrectly referred to as Catherine Onadin.