The Pointe at Barclay has a new destination for ice cream lovers: Heavenly Sweet.
 
Owners Reema and Bassam Monsour, who also own and operate the neighboring Peño Mediterranean Grill, celebrated a soft opening this past weekend, and are now open for business seven days a week.
 
When Reema Monsour heard that the lease of the neighboring space, originally set to house Chops Creamery, had fallen through, she begged the agent to let her lease it and open an ice cream shop of her own.
 
Reema Monsour, who handles most of the daily operations at Heavenly Sweet, loves sweets, but not the feeling she gets from eating something that’s too heavy or sugar laden.
 
“I came up with the name Heavenly Sweet as a play on the phrase, 'This tastes like heaven,'” she said. “To me, something that tastes heavenly doesn’t leave you feeling bad after you eat it. It’s fresh, light and flavorful.”
 
Reema Monsour, whose only previous experience making ice cream was at home with her children, said she spent hundreds of hours researching equipment online and watching YouTube videos on production techniques.
 
“I was terrified at first, but there’s an incredible amount of information out there,” she said. “And I just love making things. I put all my love into everything I make.”
 
Reema Monsour uses milk and cream from Jackson Dairy Farm in Dunn, and all-natural ingredients in her ice creams, gelatos and sorbets. She uses whole fruits, natural sweeteners and no artificial flavorings or preservatives. Of course there are flavors such as cookies and cream and M&M, as well as plenty of sweet toppings, but there are healthier options as well, said Monsour.
 
Heavenly Sweet offers 12 flavors daily, as well as sundaes and milkshakes. For those seeking something lighter, Heavenly offers whole fruit sorbets and acai bowls with toppings such as coconut, chia seeds, cocoa nibs, flax seeds, granola and nuts. 
 
While several staple flavors will be on hand daily, Reema Monsour looks forward to experimenting with new flavors that incorporate a variety of fresh fruits and herbs.
 
“We’ve got plenty for the chocolate lovers,” she said. “But we want to be able to offer some things you won’t find at every ice cream parlor.”
 
Reema Monsour has also put her creativity to work in decorating Heavenly Sweet. The space is filled with color and unique design elements such as ice cream cone light fixtures, and cones painted to look like the stained glass windows of a church or heavenly clouds drifting by. There are even real rainbow sprinkles covered in apoxy incorporated into the floor.
 
Heavenly Sweet is located at 1611 Dusty Miller Lane, Unit 303, and is open from noon to 10 p.m. daily.

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