Inside Cloud Cups, the New Black-Owned Gelato Shop in Kensington

Kensington is now the home of a lively Black-owned gelato shop that’s giving customers an immersive tasting and retail experience.

Kory Aversa

On Tuesday, March 19th, Cloud Cups is opening its doors at their first-ever flagship location in Kensington (3525 I Street) at MaKen Studios North. The 2,000 square feet gelato shop that accommodates 50 customers has a lounge, retail section, and an upcoming in-house, gelato-making workshop. The “cloud” design aesthetic features dreamy floors painted by Raheem Spataccino and murals by famed graphic artist Justin Richburg.

Ernest Owens

For owner Galen Thomas, a graduate of Frozen Dessert University in North Carolina and the Carpigiani Gelato University in Illinois, this moment is “next level” after previously introducing Cloud Cups as scoop truck and pop-up spot at various locations across Philly since 2019.

“This has been a journey that started as an experiment in trying to make gelato a CBD edible to now a brick-and-mortar location with over 150 tested flavors,” Thomas says on being in the gelato industry for five years. “To now see this become a flagship location that’s a spot for tastings, events, parties, retail, and more is a dream come true.”

Ernest Owens

“I’m so grateful for so many people who’ve helped me along the way, especially Charisse,” Thomas says of the late Charisse McGill of French Toast Bites, who suddenly passed away in January. “She helped expand my business at a time when we were trying to grow, and I’m making several flavors at my shop in honor of her memory.”

Cloud Cups

Cloud Cups features a rotating variation of 36 flavors of gelato and sorbet (from 150 of their tested and perfected options), along with waffle cones made in-house that include several different flavors that’s for sale on location. They have traditional and experimental flavors of sorbet (such as passion fruit, berry mafia, piña colada, pineapple grape, soursop), gelato (such as vanilla chocolate, orange creamsicle, brown sugar cinnamon pop tart, and salted caramel), and non-dairy and vegan gelatos (such as pistachio with saffron and rose water, non-dairy white coffee, and butterfly pea vanilla).

In remembering McGill, Thomas created two special flavors that incorporate French Toast Bites (French Toast Bites gelato strawberry and French Toast Bites gelato strawberry stracciatella). There’s also two additional local Black-owned spots that inspired some of the flavors at Cloud Cups: Two favors with the Cheesecake Lady from Elkins Park (non-dairy butterfly pea vanilla and red velvet cheesecake) and another from Bean 2 Bean Coffee Company (non-dairy white coffee).

Kory Aversa

Customers can also partake in getting some specialty Cloud Cups merchandise on location in their retail location. Several graphic t-shirts designed by Troy Shirts are for sale, along with Cloud Cups gelato scented candles made by Thomas’ fiancée Victoria Pickens of reALIGNd.co. The candles, which are made with apricot coconut creme wax and natural fragrance oils, include the scented flavors of limoncello, strawberries & cream, cereal milk, mint chocolate chip, and waffle cone that’s inspired by gelato sold in the shop.

Ernest Owens

Ernest Owens

In April, Cloud Cups plan to open up gelato-making workshops for customers on location. I was the first to test the concept with Thomas. An original flavor we created on site was Irish cookies and cream — a boozy ode to the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day that’s made with Bailey’s Irish Coffee and Oreos. The sweet and creamy gelato will be exclusively sold during their grand opening this week.

Ernest Owens

Currently, Thomas plans to “collaborate and raise up” other minority-owned businesses every month with a focus on BIPOC businesses/chefs along with women-owned businesses, LGBT businesses, Asian and other voices that he believes “need to be raised up and supported.”

For those who can’t wait until its flagship location opening, some flavors are also available for purchase via Uber Eats, Door Dash, and nationwide shipment on their website.

Cloud Cups officially opens on Tuesday, March 19th from 3 pm to 5 pm, with the first 100 customers getting a free scoop of gelato or sorbet. Regular days and times will be Wednesdays to Sundays, from 1 pm to 8 pm. Once warmer weather becomes more frequent, they plan to expand hours and days in April. All walk-in customers are welcomed, with more information that can be found on their website.