Yelp Cleveland’s Ice Cream Sandwich Social

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream! Or in this case, ice cream sandwiches. This March, Yelp Elites gathered at Cathy’s: Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches in the heart of Downtown Cleveland for a sweet evening. Cathy’s is a woman-owned business focused on preservative-free cookies and ice cream. As the only dedicated ice cream sandwich shop in Ohio, Cathy’s cookies are made from original recipes with locally-sourced ingredients. They’re baked fresh throughout the day ensuring that each cookie is soft and warm. Cathy’s continuous success at their flagship location has allowed them to expand to a second location in Atlanta opening later this year. Yelp Elites experienced what makes Cathy’s special – passion, purpose and sweet treats!On a windy Fat Tuesday, Yelp Elites gathered at Cathy’s, idyllically located in the historic Old Arcade. Yelp Elite Elizabeth F. raved about the location, writing, “The location is perfect for after a concert, dinner or just a stroll downtown.” As the group entered, they met owner Cathy and her staff. While exploring the cookie, ice cream and topping options on the inventive menu, Cathy’s team worked with passion to craft the perfect ice cream sandwich. Elites sampled three of Cathy’s top flavor combinations: the thin mint, gingerbread man and salted caramel. And the favorite flavor combination? Highly debated. The thin mint featured a chocolate brownie cookie with mint and chips ice cream, the gingerbread man featured a ginger molasses cookie with carrot cake ice cream, and the miss salted caramel boasted a sugar cookie with salted caramel ice cream. As everyone cozied into the space, Elites quickly realized that the three mini-sandwiches were not mini by any means. As Yelp Elite Evan F. wrote, “The three generously sized ‘sampler’ portions of ice cream sandwiches we sampled was more food than any of us probably wanted to consume, but you just couldn’t stop eating them! The cookies were still slightly warm and chewy, but held up well to the cool ice cream they cocooned.”As Elites indulged in the gooey, flavorful sandwiches, Cathy shared her passion for her business, transitioning from a career in law to opening an ice cream sandwich shop. Originally from Missouri, Cathy came to Cleveland for law school. With a strong desire to fill a gap in Cleveland, Cathy aspired to create an ice cream sandwich that featured warm cookies that weren’t frozen or pre-made. She worked through countless cookie recipes and flavor combinations to find the perfect formula for her signature flavors. Now, Cathy’s is a popular downtown spot, featuring a half-price ice cream sandwich happy hour Monday through Friday from 2-4pm.Before the evening ended, the group ranked their three ice cream sandwiches as 1 – insanely good, 2 – incredible, or 3 – good. This subtle competition brought an element of fun to the ice cream social. The cold evening was warmed up through plenty of sweet treats, great company and the very inspiring owner Cathy. Yelp Elite Michele B. summed up the evening perfectly by writing, “It’s already clear that by the unanimous 5-star ratings for this event that something special happened at Cathy’s on Fat Tuesday.”

Check out the outstanding reviews and photos here. For more information about the Yelp Cleveland Elite Squad, visit yelp.com/elite.

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Cathy’s: Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches • Elizabeth Sturm Photography