On September 8th, the doors opened to Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café, the only café in Fresno that will offer real East Coast Italian ice. The café is owned by husband and wife team, Richard and Cynthia Simms, who wanted to introduce a new and refreshing treat to the Central Valley. Nee Nee’s is located in the Save Mart shopping center on the corner of Figarden and Bullard. The café will celebrate their official grand opening on Friday, September 21st at 11:00am.

Italian ice is a frozen treat with robust flavor. Among other ingredients, a distinction of the Italian ice served at Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café is the fresh fruit. Customers will discover bits of watermelon in the watermelon ice, and the black cherry ice just brims over with delicious slices of black cherries. Once the ingredients are assembled, the mixture is then poured into a special machine where it simultaneously churns and freezes. This process produces flavored ice that has a smooth, uniform texture that is more similar to ice cream than a snow cone. However, unlike ice cream and sherberts, Italian ice does not contain any dairy products. It is also slightly wetter and tastier than sorbets. Nee Nee’s manufactures their Italian Ice onsite, and their production area is open to the public.

According to some sources, the history of Italian ice dates back to the days of ancient Rome. In the summer, Emperors dispatched runners to Mount Etna to retrieve snow to chill their wine. Eventually, they began to mix fresh fruits with it to create a sweet and refreshing frozen dessert. For generations, the Romans and then the Italians enjoyed flavored ice. They later created Gelati, which was a combination of Italian ice layered with soft ice cream. Italian ice was introduced to the United States by Italian immigrants in the early part of the 20th Century. They made their flavored ices by crushing ice or by shaving blocks of ice with sharpened blades, and the recipes they used were passed down to them from generations before. In the Italian neighborhoods of South Philadelphia, Italian ice has long been a summertime passion with small walk-up windows serving pineapple, lemon, and cherry Italian ices.

The founders of Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café are Cynthia and Richard Simms. The East Coast natives spent the majority of their careers working for various casinos all over the nation. Charmed by the Fresno community, they decided to make it the new home to both their marriage and their new business venture. The couple named their café after the endearing nickname “Nee Nee” given to Cynthia by her grandchildren. Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café has a cozy, playful atmosphere with large crayon-colored geckos clinging to the walls, funky blue and silver ceiling fans, and rainbow color-splattered sconces.

The Simms’s decision to open Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café was based on a desire to bring one of their childhood loves to the Central Valley. Italian ice is a very popular summer time treat throughout the East Coast.

“Sometimes ice cream can be too heavy, but Italian ice is just right,” states Cynthia Simms, Co-Owner of Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café. “Italian ice is cool and refreshing, fat free, and dairy free. It’s also water-based, so it keeps you hydrated.”

The couple was surprised to learn of the scarcity of Italian ice on the West Coast and are excited to share their delicious frozen dessert with the Central Valley. Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café is not a franchise; however, the Simms do plan to open more locations in the surrounding Fresno area in the near future. The café will remain open year-round due to the warmer winter climate of the Central Valley.

Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café offers a variety of tasty cold and hot treats. Nee Nee’s Fruit Ices are made fresh daily and come in 20 tempting flavors. Nee Nee’s Soft Serve is available in chocolate and vanilla and can be served in either a cone or a cup. Nee Nee’s Splash provides customers with the best of both worlds with its layers of Italian ice and soft serve. Nee Nee’s Igloos and Fusions are delightful blends of Italian ice and soft serve. Nee Nee’s also features mouthwatering Nathan’s Hot Dogs, Philadelphia Pretzels, and Waffle Pies, freshly cooked waffles with soft serve, fruit, and other toppings.

Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café is located at 6103 N. Figarden Dr. in the Save Mart shopping center. For more information regarding our products, please contact Cynthia Simms, Owner of Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café, at (559) 348-7366.

Contact: Cynthia Simms
Title: Owner of Nee Nee’s Fruit Ice Café
Cell: 559.348.7366
Office: 559.276.2814
Fax: 559. 276.2412
Email: cynthiacsimms@yahoo.com

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