Liquid nitrogen ice cream shop fulfills Krave N Joy owner’s dream

Opening Krave N Joy was the result of Gino Gambini’s four-year dream.

At Krave N Joy, 1135 53rd Ave. W., Gambini combines his love of serving Mexican food on house-made flour tortillas with his passion for serving ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Gambini moved to Florida seven years ago and opened a convenience store on Cortez Road West. After he discovered liquid nitrogen ice cream four years ago, he started dreaming about getting back into the dessert business.

Gambini ran a dessert and custom ice cream cake shop in Virginia before moving to Florida. He considered keeping the location open even while moving to Florida, but said managing a shop from a distance was too much of a challenge. Instead, he pursued his liquid nitrogen ice cream dream in a place perfect for serving up frozen treats: Florida.

“I am always researching to try to do something different,” Gambini said.

Liquid nitrogen ice cream is certainly different. A customer begins the ice cream order by selecting one of Gambini’s more than two dozen base flavors.

The creamy base is poured into a self-standing mixer. The mixer runs for a couple minutes while Gambini prepares to add minus-321 degrees Fahrenheit liquid nitrogen, which is housed in a circular steel tank behind the ice cream bar. Gambini uses a nozzle attached to the tank by a snakelike cord to add liquid nitrogen to the cream base.

After the chilly fog has lifted from the mixer’s bowl, a peek inside shows the cream base has turned into ice cream. Gambini adds mix-ins of choice, selected by the customer, and gives it a final spin before scooping the dish into a waffle bowl or cone.

On the counter adjacent to where the liquid nitrogen magic happens, Gambini or one of his six part-time employees serve up tacos, burritos or quesadillas on flour tortillas made in-house that morning. Some of the flavors found inside Gambini’s tortilla creations are typical of Tex-Mex cuisine, but others, like the tomato basil burrito or the jalapeño-chicken-pesto quesadilla, are unique to the Krave N Joy menu.

Like any decent taco joint, Krave N Joy joined the “taco Tuesday” craze and offers $1 select tacos. Customers can also buy stacks of the freshly made tortillas.

Gambini carries 38 different root beer flavors to give customers endless options for flavorful root beer floats. Of all the passions he’s managed to fit inside the strip mall store front on 53rd Avenue West, he really hopes his custom ice cream cake business will take off.

“Oh, I love to do it, the custom ice cream cakes,” Gambini said, smiling, as he swiped through pictures on his iPad of his previous ice cream cake creations.

He can combine any customer’s choice of cake, ice cream and mix-ins to create exactly what they’re looking for. Krave N Joy also serves fruit and veggie smoothies, milkshakes and coffee drinks.

The 2,000-square-foot space Gambini rents for Krave N Joy is surrounded by some empty storefronts in the Magic Mile strip mall, but Gambini isn’t concerned. He feels the Bradenton area is growing and makes a good home for his business.

The strip mall is owned by Trebor Realty Investments Inc., a company with an address on Fruitville Road in Sarasota, according to Manatee County property records. The mall is also home to Suncoast Medicare Supply Company Inc. and Amistad Insurance LLC, as well as a few other businesses.

Krave N Joy opened roughly two months ago and Gambini said the most difficult part is building a customer base. Once he does and the first location succeeds, he hopes to expand the business.

“It’s all about being patient,” Gambini said.

This story was originally published July 30, 2017 at 8:30 AM with the headline "Liquid nitrogen ice cream shop fulfills Krave N Joy owner’s dream."