Two months ago, right in the center of Newport, the Fortenbaugh family opened up their first ever homemade ice cream and bake shop. Sweet to the Soul has been a dream turned into a reality for the Fortenbaugh family. After working so hard to make sure the shop was perfect, they finally got to open it up on February 25th, 2021. Not only do they have multiple flavors of ice cream, but they also have fresh baked goods for sale. You might want to hurry in when they bake their famous “Soul Rolls”, as they sell out fast! Their unique flavors of ice cream, such as “milk and cookies” and “maple bacon”, make them stand out from other shops. Their wonderful customer service and the smiles on their faces while serving ice cream makes customers want to come back every time!
Mallory Fortenbaugh, the daughter of the owners and an employee at Sweet to the Soul, answered a few of the questions we all might be wondering:
What inspired the name of the shop?
“We had the plans and idea for opening the shop but it was unnamed for a while. We wanted it to have a deeper meaning behind it, so we didn’t rush on making a decision. One day my mom was doing her devotions and Proverbs 16:24 was the highlighted verse and she immediately had the idea, and that’s how we chose Sweet to the Soul.”
How long did it take to get the shop ready to open?
“We officially started our renovations in November and we were finished up by the first week of February. And then our opening day was February 25th!”
What made you decide to open the shop where it is?
“We decided to have our shop in Newport because the town itself has a lot of great shops and small businesses that draw people, it’s between Millerstown and New Bloomfield so it’s easily accessible for people living in all three towns and it’s less than a 10 minutes drive for our family to get there from our house.”
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
“It’s extremely hard to choose a favorite flavor of our ice cream...but I think as of right now I would have to go with blueberry cheesecake.”
How do you decide which baked goods to make and sell?
“For the baked goods I like to have standard items that will be available each week, such as muffins, baked oats, cookies, brownies, danishes, etc. The items stay the same but I change the flavors/kind. Then outside of the standard items I allow myself to have a bit more fun and just go with the flow of what I’m feeling for that week. It’s especially fun when there is a holiday to make themed treats for! As far as the Soul Rolls… I personally don’t think we could call ourselves a bake shop if we didn’t offer a large, slightly gooey cinnamon roll… and it’s not a real cinnamon roll if it’s not smothered in frosting!
What is your favorite part about the shop(the decor, working there, baking, etc.)?
“My favorite part about the shop would have to be the people, and that includes both employees and customers. We get to meet and interact with so many customers each day while also getting the privilege to serve them… I don’t think it gets much better than that! I also love the employees that I get to work with, they truly make this job so much fun. A lot of the employees are actually relatives but not all. However, in the short time that we’ve been open the ones who didn’t start as family, have become family.”
Do you hope to add anything to the shop in the future?
“For right now, we are pretty content with the way things are at the shop and don’t have any current plans for additions. With that being said, our family seems to be full of great (and sometimes crazy) ideas… so I guess we never know what could be in store for the shop in the future!
Just by reading what Mallory has said about Sweet to the Soul, you can really see the Fortenbaugh family’s love and devotion for their shop. From November 2020 to February 2021, they have been working and renovating the shop so that it matched their vision. Now, it is sure to catch the attention of any customer walking by! The most important thing for the Fortenbaughs is treating their customers and employees with kindness and gratitude. Like Mallory said, every day they meet new people and get to make their day by serving them their favorite ice cream. Sweet to the Soul is more than just an ice cream and bake shop, it’s a family that keeps on growing!
Pictured above, the Fortenbaugh family inside their shop.