Frozen and Fried: Quintessential Sweets brings its treats to Downtown Memphis
Italian ice, fried Twinkies and hand-dipped caramel apples are just a few of the sweet treats you will find at the new Quintessential Sweets in Downtown Memphis.
Cassandra and Christopher Gray opened the second location of their family sweets shop on Oct. 28 at 97 N. Main St.
At this “Build Your Own Sweets” shop, guests can customize their favorite treats with their favorite toppings.
Choose from an assortment of flavors of ice cream and frozen “snow” (a kosher, fat-free, cholesterol- and dairy-free Italian ice). A favorite order is to add soft serve ice cream to a cup or cone of Italian ice.
Fried-to-order treats include Funnel Cakes, Deep Fried Oreos and Deep Fried Twinkies. Funnel Cake flavors include such indulgent creations as a Turtle flavor topped with caramel and chocolate, S'mores and Strawberry Cheesecake.
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Savory and sweet popcorn and chocolate-dipped treats (like caramel apples, strawberries and Rice Krispy Treats) are also on the menu. Over-the-top options include the "Drama Apple" — a caramel apple dipped in M&M's, peanuts, Snickers and chocolate.
Everything is made from scratch in-house at the shop.
A 'sweet' backstory
Quintessential Sweets was founded out of the desire to put family first.
“We started the business in order to afford the flexibility needed to care for our oldest son Jaden, who has special needs,” Cassandra said.
Both were working in corporate America at the time, and it was a constant challenge to take care of Jaden’s medical needs while working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The couple started their company back in 2009 as a small Italian ice cart located near the carousel at the Wolfchase Galleria. At the time, it was called Jaden’s Italian Ice.
A few years later, they moved the business to a small walk-up shop in Bartlett.
Christopher, who describes himself as a “forward thinker,” researched successful business models, and knew they would need to add something warm to their menu in order to be a year-round concept. That’s when items like funnel cakes and deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos were added to the offerings.
As the business grew, they moved in 2017 to their current Bartlett location at 2811 Bartlett Blvd.
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A first step to more locations
The Grays hope to expand their concept.
“Our dream is to franchise,” Christopher said. “So we needed to prove that the concept works. That’s why we decided to open a second location.”
Moving Downtown proved to be an excellent opportunity due to the current rent prices.
“All of this is for our sons,” Cassandra said. “Our dream is to plant those seeds of entrepreneurship and to be a better example for the next generation after us.”
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
Quintessential Sweets
Where: 97 N. Main St.
Hours: Noon-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 1-10 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday.
Online: quintessentialsweets.com
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Quintessential Sweets opens in Downtown Memphis: What to expect
