ORWIGSBURG - A local entrepreneur is in his second year of pushing a cart around the borough serving up big city sidewalk fare.
You can find Rick Freiler serving hand-dipped gelato and sorbets on the borough's Market Street square.
Gelato is a gourmet Italian ice cream that is lighter than traditional ice cream, having a lower butterfat content. Some of the flavors that Freiler offers are cappuccino, chocolate chip, chocolate hazelnut, vanilla bean and tiramisu.
While there are plenty of places to get ice cream, the borough man wanted to bring something to Schuylkill County that it didn't have. The idea came from traveling with his wife, Tammy.
"My wife and I traveled a lot and we always enjoyed going to gelaterias," he said. "We thought there's none of this back our way and we kind of got the idea."
Freiler calls his business Streetside Chill LLC. While he would have liked to open his own store, he would start small with a food cart, especially since gourmet food trucks and mobile food carts are growing in popularity nationwide.
Since both he and his wife are educators, the business is only operational on a part-time basis from May through October.
"He's practicing for retirement," Tammy Freiler said.
The couple expanded their offerings in May with the addition of a hot dog cart that features New York-style chili hot dogs. Freiler will eventually sell Chicago-style Italian hot beef sandwiches as well.
When the Freilers started the business last year, the cart boasted the company name, Streetside Chill LLC. Many people misread the sign and would stop to ask for chili.
This year, customers asked if Freiler would sell chili hot dogs.
"I said to my wife 'hey, what about a hot food cart like in New York City? I'll sell chili hot dogs'," he said.
Kicking it off in May, he said his business is based off of Hot Dog Tommy's in Cape May, N.J., and the hot dogs are boiled then grilled.
Since the couple travel often and go to food festivals, Freiler decided to get his chili and Italian beef from Chicago.
Now with two food carts operating on the square, they are also taken to local events.
Upcoming events include the Taste of Hamburg-er Festival on Sept. 1 in Hamburg, the Schuylkill County Wine Festival on Sept. 2 in Hegins and Orwigsburg Community Heritage Day on Sept. 8.
Both food carts have their own hours of operation. The gelato is served from 6:45 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, while the hot dog cart runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or until the food is sold out.
All hours are weather permitting.
For more information about Streetside Chill LLC, visit the Streetside Chill Facebook page.