“The idea originated at home,” 26-year-old founder and president Gus Shamieh explains. “I have an older sibling, and when we were kids, my mom would make cookies, get store-bought ice cream, and we’d make ice-cream sandwiches.” CREAM has grown to become a successful franchise with 26 locations throughout California’s Bay Area, Southern California, Nevada, and Florida.
Corina Stone Martinez and her husband own both Florida locations, but she credits her college-aged son, Armando, with the idea. "He really worked hard for it. At the dinner table, he called our board meetings,” Martinez says. They opened the first location in Aventura in May 2016, when Armando was a senior in high school.
“People love the concept, the idea," she says. "The philosophy behind the business is to have a quality product that can be very affordable.”
Classic chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream and mini chocolate chip topping.
Photo by Alona Abbady Martinez
Cookies are baked fresh daily. “You hear our kids all the time scream 'Hot cookies!' because we’re baking constantly.”
Ice-cream sandwiches cost $3.99 and are made to order. Guests start by deciding from 17 cookie flavors, from traditional favorites such as chocolate chip, peanut butter, and snickerdoodle, to more innovative choices such as CREAMfetti and carnival cookies. Then they choose an ice-cream flavor, such as banana walnut fudge, strawberry cheesecake, chocolate chip cookie dough, or a seasonal variety. Finally, there are colorful, sweet toppings such as Fruity Pebbles and mini marshmallows.
There’s also a brownie sandwich ($4), a "do’sant" (doughnut and croissant hybrid) sandwich ($4), and a CREAM taco, which includes three ice-cream flavors and two toppings served in a waffle taco ($4.99).
The shop also offers soy-based ice creams and vegan and gluten-free cookies.
CREAM Weston is open Sunday through Thursday from 1 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight.
