West Side Stories: The ice cream man
It seems we have a fascination with superheroes in this country, especially when it comes to movies. Because of that I'd like to introduce you to Juan Cervera, the ice cream man. His superpower is the ability to make extraordinarily delicious ice cream. He just has a taste for it, and that taste has created a sweet business on the west side of South Bend. Cervera is the owner of La Rosita, an ice cream shop he started in 2001, just a few years after moving to South Bend from Chicago.
"I bought this building and I wanted to start a restaurant, but I don't know how to cook," said Cervera. "My brother talked me into starting an ice cream business and he said he would help me with it, but he never did. I bought the equipment I needed and started to experiment with different recipes. There were many nights when I slept in the building, just trying out different things."
Eventually Cervera found the right mix and the taste that keeps people licking and his business ticking. He currently sells his ice cream products to more than 40 different stores in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. But the cream that rises to the top is the day-to-day retail service at his little shop of tastes on Western Avenue. He says that's where he makes the most money, with a constant drip of customers that becomes a double scoop of business on the weekends, especially on Sundays after church.
"It's been a great business over the years. It has given us the money to do many things. It has paid for the education of my two sons."
His son Juan Jr. went to IUSB in South Bend and his son David graduated from Trine University in Angola. They both have careers they enjoy. They don't want anything to do with the family business.
"At some point I will probably sell it. My wife Rosalina and I are getting tired of all the work."
They have both worked at the shop for more than 20 years. It's not a regular gig, especially when you make your own product and are known for great service. They are trying to cut back on their hours, but it's hard to get away.
"I'm 57 and my wife is 52. Most of our family has come over from Mexico and lives in the area. We maybe have four or five years left running this business."
Cervera grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico. He was one of ten children, so he learned early in life how to deal with people and make things happen for himself. When he was 15 his family moved to Chicago where Cervera eventually found his place in the candy making industry, working for Brookes Candy and Ferrara Pan Candy. When the plant he worked in was moved to Mexico he made his own move, to South Bend.
"My sister was living in South Bend, so I came to visit her and I landed a job with the South Bend Chocolate Company."
Cervera worked there for a couple years, but then he bought the building on the west side and eventually started La Rosita.
"This is the best ice cream in town," said Luis Zapata, a South Bend resident who says he often visits La Rosita.
Zapata says La Rosita is especially popular with the Hispanic community, and most of the staff speak Spanish if customers are more comfortable with that language, but Zapata says he has witnessed tremendous growth in the clientele over the years.
"They have fantastic ice cream, and the word has gotten out over the years," said Zapata. "This place draws all kinds of people from all over the area."
It's not a secret what makes La Rosita so popular, but Cervera says the formula they've developed for their ice cream brand is a family secret. That secret is Juan Cervera's superpower, a taste for success.
Check out a video version of this story below