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Dairy Delite celebrates 25th anniversary

| 30 Jul 2012 | 04:41
    Photo by Roger Gavan On Friday, July 27, local officials and representatives of the Village of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce joined owner Dorothy ìDottieî Ehlers, members of her family, her staff and others to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dairy Delite. Seated from left are: employee Marie Heter; Vincent Ehlers, 3; owner Dorothy ìDottieî Ehlers; employee Denise Thibault; and Emily Cady, granddaughter of Village Trustee Brian Slattery. Standing from left are: Jim Mezzetti, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce; Town of Warwick Deputy Supervisor James Gerstner,;Village of Florida Trustee Brian Slattery; Michelle and Glenn Ehlers, assistant building inspector, with their daughter Brooke, 3; property owners Jeff Rosenberg and Robin Cohen; and Village of Florida Historian J.R. Pillmeier. Owners Chuck and Eric Ehlers were not present for the photograph.
    Photo by Roger Gavan On Friday, July 27, local officials and representatives of the Village of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce joined owner Dorothy ìDottieî Ehlers, members of her family, her staff and others to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dairy Delite. Seated from left are: employee Marie Heter; Vincent Ehlers, 3; owner Dorothy ìDottieî Ehlers; employee Denise Thibault; and Emily Cady, granddaughter of Village Trustee Brian Slattery. Standing from left are: Jim Mezzetti, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce; Town of Warwick Deputy Supervisor James Gerstner,;Village of Florida Trustee Brian Slattery; Michelle and Glenn Ehlers, assistant building inspector, with their daughter Brooke, 3; property owners Jeff Rosenberg and Robin Cohen; and Village of Florida Historian J.R. Pillmeier. Owners Chuck and Eric Ehlers were not present for the photograph.

FLORIDA — They must be doing something right. On Friday, July 27, local officials and representatives of the Village of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce joined owner Dorothy “Dottie” Ehlers, members of her family, her staff and others to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dairy Delite. The soft serve stand, located at 186 North Main St. between Quick Chek and Provident Bank, has actually been on the same site since 1955. The original building under went a major renovation in 2009.

History In 1955 John Seekamp, who still resides in the Village of Florida, leased the property from the late William and Viola Rosenberg. And the Florida Custard Stand, as it was then known, opened for business. After Seekamp sold his business, it changed hands three different times up to 1986. In that year, the late Robert Ehlers, a former Florida Police Chief, his wife, Dorothy, and two other partners leased the Custard Stand from William and Viola Rosenberg. That first partnership ended in 1987. But renamed Dairy Delite, the business has been continuously owned and operated by the Ehlers Family for 25 years. The site is currently leased from Viola Real Estate LLC, owned by descendants of William and Viola Rosenberg. Soft serve is a term used to describe a type of ice cream that is softer than regular ice cream. In addition to chocolate and vanilla, Dairy Delite also serves no-added-sugar and yogurt treats. The house special, however, is a Hot Fudge Nut Brown Sundae. The stand also offers a light lunch selection of hamburgers, hot dogs, Philly steaks and the like. “We have the best soft serve in Orange County,” said Dottie Ehlers. “You tried the rest now try the best.”

Thanks In addition to its full time employees, Dairy Delite also provides part-time employment for more than a dozen high school students from Florida, Warwick, Chester and Goshen. The stand is open seven days from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. “It has been our pleasure to share so many memories with our wonderful patrons and we are looking forward to many more years of successful operation,” said Ehlers. “As a tribute, we will be handing out 25 gift certificates for a free custard cone and 25 gift certificates for a free Mixed Berry Sundae, our latest creation, to our loyal customers. The Ehlers Family, friends, and the ‘Dairy Delite Girls’ all thank our regulars for their many years of patronage. And for those just joining our community or visiting, we thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you again soon.”