Sunny Daes Chases Away Winter's Chill

As the skies turn gray and temperatures dip below freezing, you may begin to yearn for the long, hot days of summer.  If a vacation to someplace warm and sunny is not in your immediate future, you may be able to conjure up that summertime feeling at Westport's newest ice cream parlor, Sunny Daes. 

The bubblegum-pink shop on Riverside Avenue will introduce itself to the Westport community by opening for a few days during the Christmas holiday.  Sunny Daes will offer free single-scoop ice cream cones on New Years' Eve.  After Jan. 3, the store will close and officially open their doors in mid-February with a grand opening celebration.

Owner Sergio Keskin, who has four other Sunny Daes locations in Fairfield County, is looking forward to warming the hearts of Westport residents with more than 60 flavors of homemade ice cream, gelato, soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt. 

Keskin says he opened the Westport store by popular demand.

 "We have many customers who live in Westport who come to our other stores, they always ask, 'When are you going to open in Westport?'  So, here we are!"

Keskin opened his first store in Stamford in 1999, and has since opened two locations in Fairfield and another in Trumbull.  Keskin says he got into the ice cream business, "by coincidence."

"I was driving past the building in Stamford and I saw a for sale sign.  I decided to purchase the building.  The rest is history."

Like the other Sunny Daes locations, the store is decked out in hot pink and mint green with gleaming stainless steel mixers and an enormous freezer for cakes, ice cream sandwiches and other frozen treats.  The tiles that line the walls are hand painted with familiar Westport scenes, banana splits and colorful ice cream cones.  And yes, Keskin promises that there will be one of his iconic cow statues in front of the store for the kids to climb on.

Keskin hopes that the popularity of his other stores extends to Westport.  During the summer, he explains that customers wait in long lines at the other Sunny Daes locations.   He says that although his stores are officially open until 10 p.m., he sometimes doesn't leave until one o'clock in the morning.  With such a loyal following it's no surprise that they even have their own fan page on Facebook – with 420 devotees.  

As the bleak, icy days of winter approach, it's comforting to know that summertime can be found in a cone, just a few blocks away. 

Sunny Daes is located at 30 Riverside Avenue and is open seven days, 11:30 am to 10pm.