YOUNGSTOWN — Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is marking its milestone 100th store with a new location in the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Leonard Fisher, president and chairman of the board of Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream. “It’s unbelievable to have 100 locations coming out of Youngstown. If you think about it, in Youngstown, there is Handel’s Ice Cream, Isaly’s started here and so did Good Humor, so it’s almost like we’re the capital of ice cream in the world.”

The Rocky River store had a soft opening April 13. The grand opening is set for Thursday.

The store’s general manager, Morgan Rubin, grew up with the brand. Her family opened the Niles Handel’s in 2000, and she had worked at the store on Youngstown Warren Road.

“I love what I do and am thrilled to help grow the brand that started in my hometown,” Rubin said.

Handel’s is projected to open more than 40 new locations in 2023 and double that with 80 in 2024, taking the chain to 224 in the U.S. Fisher said the brand has plans to grow beyond its 11-state footprint now.

“We have (franchise) requests from all over the country,” Fisher said. “There are so many people that have originated from Youngstown (and living) in different states. We get so many franchise requests, it’s unbelievable, and they are all unsolicited.”

The company’s corporate office remains in Canfield.

“We’re growing, introducing ‘the best ice cream on the planet’ to new customers across the country, but Ohio will always be home,” said Rich Matherne, CEO.

Founded by Alice Handel, the original Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream opened in 1945 in Youngstown. Fisher acquired the brand and Alice Handel’s store in 1985 and has grown the company since. It now has locations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah.

Five of the stores are corporate owned; the rest are franchises.

“I always like to thank the people of Mahoning and Trumbull counties for helping us grow the way we have grown over the years, because without the local people, we would be nothing today,” Fisher said. “I always like to give them accolades because that’s who we are, Youngstown-driven, Youngstown-based and we’ve been here since 1945.”

In 2023, Handel’s was ranked on Franchise Time’s Fast & Serious, a list of the smartest-growing franchises for the year. It has also been named No. 1 Ice Cream on the Planet by National Geographic, one of the Top 10 Best Ice Cream Businesses by USA Today, one of the Top 500 Restaurants in America by Nation’s Restaurant News and Top 500 Franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine.

rselak@tribtoday.com