ICY IDEA
Pop Culture CLE brings creative gourmet desserts to Solon By Courtney Byrnes
S
earching for a tasty and refreshing treat to cool you down as the days get warmer? Or maybe you’re looking to serve spring party guests a unique, one-of-a-kind dessert? Look no further than Pop Culture CLE in Solon. What started in 2018 as an original treat shared with friends became a food truck, and has since turned into a brickand-mortar store that offers fun creations on a stick and other gourmet desserts. “I made a strawberry basil popsicle and put it in prosecco,” says Nicole Dauria, founder and CEO of Pop Culture CLE. “It was so good that one of my girlfriends said to me ‘Oh my gosh, this is the best thing I’ve ever had. You should start a business making these.’” From there, Dauria says she began to do some research and found there was little competition in the world of gourmet ice-pops. She started making other flavors and in a snowball effect, her business took off. Operating at first as a food truck with a fleet of five carts, Dauria served over 100 events in her first year. In May 2021, she opened her first shop in Solon. Approaching its first birthday, business has been great, she says.
NEWFOUND JEWISH HERITAGE, FAMILY HISTORY Pop Culture CLE’s ice cream on a stick with fruit-flavored crisp rice cereal. Pop Culture CLE
50
Jstyle
Spring 2022
Dauria grew up in Solon and graduated from Solon High School before attending the University of Central Florida on a basketball scholarship. After
jstylemagazine.com
