Sideshow Gelato, a carnival-themed ice cream shop with artisan, traditional, and vegan gelato, is debuting in Lincoln Square, located at 4815-4819 N Western Ave.
This new gelato shop in Chicago will feature unusual flavor offerings, a performance stage, and a dime museum of the transmundane. The company has made a name for itself through pop-up events throughout Los Angeles County, where sideshow performers, magic, and games take the main stage. Now, Chef Jay Bliznick, former executive chef at The Del Rio in Highwood, has secured a location in Lincoln Square and is planning to open sometime in early 2023, following a successful Kickstarter earlier this year.
“The wait is over! We finally found a spot that will be perfect for the shop, and it’s all ours,” the company announces on its website. “In the meantime, we will be doing pop-ups this summer as we build the new shop with the intention of opening the doors in early 2023!”
When the new location opens next year, customers can expect dairy-free vegan gelato, ice cream creations, coffee drinks, and candy made by the Sideshow Candy Company. The museum, which will feature wonderful, strange, and unusual items on display, along with rare photos and stories about famous acts, oddities, and people, will give back 100 percent of the money collected at the turnstile to a different charity every month. The Headliners on the Main Stage, based on real performers and working acts, will represent the fantastic flavors of our classic Italian artisan gelato.
Sideshow Gelato hopes to honor the performers’ creativity, courage, and generosity of spirit with their flavors. Some of the company’s unique flavors include Koo Koo the Bird Girl with crispy pretzels and marshmallow Peeps, Jo Jo the Dog-faced Boy with peanut butter and banana topped with a dog biscuit-shaped cookie, Prince Randian with tobacco, bourbon, and candied orange zest, Ashe the Fire Eater with cinnamon and smokey chipotle with burnt caramel apple ribbons, and many more. All of the Sideshow Gelato Main Attractions were created by David Gilleran.
“More than a summer job scooping ice cream, Sideshow Gelato is a safe environment for teens and young adults to get the experience they need to develop and hone their performance skills,” the website continues. “At the shop, there will be a full-time stage manager and mentor. Amongst other duties, they will be responsible for working with the city’s young magicians, jugglers, acrobats, and circus artists to train and develop their skills and acts. Through an average working day, they will scoop gelato and, several times, take the stage to perform and make extra money.”
