Sweet Moses-Cleveland's Nostalgic Trip to the Soda Fountain & Treat Shop

Sweet Moses Sweet Moses

Sweet Moses, nel cuore del quartiere di Gordon Square, è la destinazione ideale per gli amanti del gelato, gli appassionati dei dolci ed i nostalgici dei primi del '900. Dal distributore automatico di bibite agli sgabelli del bar; dalle sedie di metallo ed il bancone di marmo alla cassa, tutti i pezzi sono originali e funzionanti. Ed anche gli ingredienti sono quelli semplici di una volta.

If you're looking for something different to introduce your out of town guests to this coming holiday season, look no further than Sweet Moses located in the heart of the Gordon Square Arts District. For those of you who have never experienced this "new" Cleveland treasure, I highly suggest you put it on your to do list.

Sweet Moses is so much more than an ice cream and soda shop. It truly is a step back in time to a place that many of us long for. This journey through yesteryear is reminiscent of Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life, with a young George Bailey diligently making ice cream sundaes behind the counter.

The owner of Sweet Moses, Jeff Moreau had worked in marketing for years, but envisioned owning his own business some day. Jeff put himself through school working in retail and in restaurants. From that, a love for the industry was born and thus began the dream that is now Sweet Moses.

Jeff wasn't quite sure where or when he would open his shop, but he decided years ago that it would have something to do with ice cream. One day, while walking through an old drugstore, his idea began to take shape. As he walked the aisles, Jeff stumbled upon an old soda fountain buried beneath a display of the typical drugstore wares and it hit him. This defining moment lead Jeff down a path that would include extensive research on a long forgotten era of the old soda fountain shops that were once sprinkled across towns just like ours from approximately 1900 through the 1940's. He searched high and low for the better part of a year for the perfect pieces to outfit Sweet Moses and authenticity was key.

Creating a "Cleveland centric neighborhood soda fountain that Clevelanders would be proud to share with their out of town guests" became his ultimate goal. Jeff wanted something unique; truly different in every way.

In an effort to create both a visual and tasty experience for visitors to the shop, Jeff decided that "every antique had to be a useable, functional part of the business." All the pieces are originals and all have a purpose. Jeff says, "our soda fountain back bar is over 100 years old and the front marble bar is from a drugstore that was closed and abandoned in the '70's." The stools at the bar are circa 1920 and the wrought iron chairs have all been restored and brought back to life. "Even our slate blackboards are from an 1869 schoolhouse!"

So, now that you have an image of what you'll see when you visit Sweet Moses, how about the desserts? Well, just about everything served at Sweet Moses is made in house and they even have the soda jerks to serve you in true fashion! These items include, ice cream, hot fudge, caramel sauce, baked goods (try the cookie bars, they are amazing), pies, brownies, candies, brittles, toffee, candied nuts, caramel and cheese corn and they even make their own root beer. They also serve sodas, phosphates, ice cream sodas, floats and malts. A dairy-free vegan ice cream option is available and most of the ice cream in the shop is gluten free. "We try to take everything down to its most basic ingredients -cane sugar, butter, cream, eggs, and cocoa - just like your grandmother would have done. There are no shortcuts."

The menu covers just about everything your taste buds could possibly ask for and then some. Enjoy a scoop of one of about a dozen homemade ice creams. Is a standard sundae in your future or are you up for a challenge? If so, why not try a Signature Sundae like the "Terminal Tower", which features all ten of their classic ice cream flavors and has five toppings.

The Gordon Square is my husband's favorite with a warm brownie base and bananas foster ice cream covered in caramel sauce and hot fudge. My tastes tend to vary, but I always tend to opt for a "create your own" treat that usually includes a homemade cookie bar topped with one of my favorites (Salted French Caramel, Belgian Chocolate or Coffee) and hot fudge. It really doesn't get any sweeter than that!

With the holidays just around the corner, Sweet Moses offers seasonal options such as; pumpkin spice, cinnamon, eggnog and peppermint stick ice creams as well as mulled cider and cranberry orange sorbets. Their featured sundae right now is the Pumpkin Pie sundae. This ain't you're grandmother's pumpkin pie! Scoops of pumpkin spice ice cream, marshmallow cream, and salted pecans are topped w/ whipped cream and garnished with a piece of pie crust. They also serve an out of this world hot chocolate with a large homemade marshmallow. If that doesn't take you back, I don't know what will.

Sweet Moses will be taking part in the Second Annual "Wrapped in Tradition" holiday event on December 14th at Gordon Square. Mr. Jingaling will make an appearance along with horse drawn carriage rides, ice sculptures, holiday music and more.

So, whether you're entertaining for the holidays or just looking for a unique Cleveland experience, take a trip down to Gordon Square to visit Sweet Moses. You'll be so happy you did.