On a recent hot afternoon, Hazel and Lorenzo Hannah sat happily with their mother, Heather Hannah, while they worked on turning their tongues blue.
Blame it on the scoop of blue monster ice cream, their favorite. The scene is often repeated for the newly transplanted Hannahs at Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream in the Foothills.
“I come here for the coffee ice cream with chocolate chips,” she said. “It’s incredible, but my kids love the blue monster. That’s why Lorenzo asks to go to Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream.”
The owners, Dave and Michelle Knittel, strive to provide the type of customer service that their guests expect.
“Our passion here is to make it more than just transactional but an experience that people, groups, families want to come and hang out and enjoy themselves and get some good ice cream,” Dave said. “Our goal is to have the best ice cream and the best service.”
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, 7315 N. Oracle Road, prides itself on creative ice cream. It is creamy, rich and flavorful. Get it in scoops, on cones, in milkshakes or as a hurricane. Dogs may partake of the treat as well as they have a version just for pups.
Currently, Handel’s has 48 flavors on the board, including blue monster. Can’t decide? Order a four-scoop sampler. Vegan choices are also available, including chocolate almond milk.
The outdoor restaurant offers patio seating with fans and misters keeping guests comfortable.
Owning a business was Dave’s dream. The family knew Handel’s from the customer side, as it was one of their favorite treats. He decided to take a plunge.
“For me, the product and the company are a little bit the same thing,” he said.
“I’ve always wanted to pursue something that was best in class, whether it was a breakfast place or a gym or whatever it was,” Dave said.
“I’ve always enjoyed those (places) that I thought were best in class. … In my experience, Handel’s is a best-in-class product. That really drew me to them.”
First, however, Dave had to persuade Michelle, who was confident about her husband’s move.
“I almost thought it was a crazy pipe dream,” she said. “To go from such a serious career to owning an ice cream shop just seemed a little bit of a stretch.”
The couple needed to find the right spot quickly. With the help of their Realtor, they found a place near the southwest corner of Oracle and Ina roads.
“When it comes to picking out a location, there’s an art to that,” Michelle said. “You find a place where there are lots of families.”
There are many frozen treat places nearby. There wasn’t any spot selling just straight-up ice cream, however. Michelle said they fought hard for the place.
“Nothing was actually available at the time; this was already occupied,” she said. “It was a Jersey Mike’s and we approached them. Our Realtor knew that they were losing money on the business, so we approached them with an out for their lease and they said, ‘Yes, please!’”
Then, a total gut and rebuilding of the facility and seven months later, in October 2024 they opened the window and sold their first scoop.
Dave and Michelle enjoy mentoring young people. There’s plenty of that with this ice cream shop.
“We’re helping them get their first jobs,” Michelle said. “We’re training them up for future jobs. We’re kind of a part of their story. We get to help influence the course of their lives a little bit by teaching them good work skills. I always thought that was a neat thing; we’ve always enjoyed that about working with teenagers.”
As with many entrepreneurs, Dave is not done opening businesses — but that’s for later.
“Right now this is my main focus,” Dave said. “We’ve put our heart and soul into making this the best that we can make it.”
Handel’s Homemade
Ice Cream
7315 N. Oracle Road, Tucson
handelsicecream.com
This article appears in Jun 5-12, 2025.