WQED Showdown
Ice Cream
7/25/2025 | 12mVideo has Closed Captions
Nebby Nick tours four Pittsburgh ice cream spots and crowns Cookie Cookie Ice Cream a winner!
Grab a front row seat for Showdown, WQED’s new best-of series where you pick the winner! In Round 1, Nebby Nick visits four beloved local ice cream spots: Page’s Dairy Mart, Hank’s Frozen Custard, Dari Delite, and Cookie Cookie Ice Cream. From meeting passionate owners to crafting signature treats, Nick dives into what makes each place special. Cookie Cookie Ice Cream is crowned the winner!
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
WQED Showdown is a local public television program presented by WQED
WQED Showdown
Ice Cream
7/25/2025 | 12mVideo has Closed Captions
Grab a front row seat for Showdown, WQED’s new best-of series where you pick the winner! In Round 1, Nebby Nick visits four beloved local ice cream spots: Page’s Dairy Mart, Hank’s Frozen Custard, Dari Delite, and Cookie Cookie Ice Cream. From meeting passionate owners to crafting signature treats, Nick dives into what makes each place special. Cookie Cookie Ice Cream is crowned the winner!
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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If you haven't been to Pages and you're from Pittsburgh, you're doing something wrong.
Heard!
Youve got to come to Pages!
Hey, Pittsburgh.
We're going around to some of your favorite ice cream shops here in the Burgh.
And today we're at Pages.
I'm here with Margie.
Now, if you could tell us you're taking over Pages, And it's been decades since it started.
What is the significance of Pages mean to you in this new ownership?
So we've been here for 74 years.
Next year will be our 75th anniversary.
My great grandfather started in 1951.
Passed it to my grandfather, then passed it to my dad.
And then my husband and I bought it in 2020.
You're technically your father's boss now, right?
Technically, yeah.
I've always been his boss in one way or another.
Have a good day.
Good.
I just got a single chocolate cone with some, sprinkles well we call it jimmies in Pittsburgh.
Jimmies?
Yes, yes.
I drive past this place all the time, and I never stopped before.
And this is delicious.
It is, like, so good.
I kind of enjoy coming out here.
You know, give me some peace.
Okay.
So can we go make some sundaes?
Of course, of course, of course.
All right.
Let's go!
So we're going to start off with vanilla ice cream.
Okay.
So you're gonna put, yup.
Put it under here.
Okay.
Okay.
There you go.
Youre doing great, doing great.
Okay.
All right.
Perfect.
All right.
Lovely.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Okay, so now we're going to come over here.
Are you gonna put some fudge on here.
Okay.
I'm just going to pump it.
You ready?
Pump.
Our hot cookies.
Okay.
Im gonna give you these.
Okay.
Thank you.
And youre going to put them right on top.
Okay.
All three.
Yup.
All right.
Two.
There you go.
And three.
Do you like whipped cream?
I love whipped cream.
Do I like whipped cream?
Youre gonna put it right under.
Okay.
All right.
Okay.
Weve got to taste test it.
Yes.
Yes.
Share with the whole team.
I think I just went it for myself.
with no help at all.
Salute!
So good.
Yeah.
I think I'm going to eat it all myself.
That's fair.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Am I hired?
Yeah, but I'm not gonna pay you.
Okay.
That's okay.
I don't know if there's any place like us.
You know, where you can just come and, you know, you plan to wait in line is like going to get coffee.
You know, we're going to go wait in the Pages line.
I've been coming here probably ten years.
Easy.
It's a Pittsburgh favorite.
It's so good.
When you get out here, you never know what you might want.
It's just exciting.
You know, theyve got so many different flavors Look at all the flavors they got Man, they really got it going on.
It'd be like ice cream around the building.
Coming here for about 50 years.
It's always been enjoyable.
Hey, Pittsburgh.
We've traveled all the way up north to New Brighton to try some of your favorite ice cream shops.
And today we're at Hank's.
Custard is different than ice cream, right, because it has eggs.
So what does the egg do to custard that sets it apart?
It makes it creamier and it has less air bubbles in it.
Hank's was the best.
Is the best.
Will always be the best.
So come here for your custard.
I always get the white House cherry.
What is that?
Well, it has real cherries in it.
It's very good.
They've been making it for 50 years.
All right, Trish, what is like the go to custard order here at Hank's?
It would definitely be the cookie dough flurry.
We've sell a ton of them.
Okay, that sounds really good.
Can you show me how to make it?
Absolutely.
All right.
What to do here?
Spoonful of cookie dough.
Oh.
Thats, oh look at the cookie dough.
Fun.
Oh, that looks great.
And just right in.
Right in there.
Right in.
Okay.
And then we're going to do a flat scoop.
Just so its flat.
Oh nice.
Nice.
That's so smooth too.
Yes.
And it's made it fresh every day.
And then you want to maybe smack the cup, Okay.
So it settles down in there.
Yes.
Another scoop.
One more of these.
Oh one more, Okay.
And we're gonna, Thats a lot of custard.
Flatten it over top.
Okay.
And then one more scoop of cookie dough.
Okay.
Yes.
And that's it.
That is our cookie dough flurry.
Looks good.
Dig in.
Thank you.
Thumbs up?
So I actually just finished a cup.
Okay.
Yeah, I just had the butter pecan.
It was so good.
Their ice cream is just so soft.
And it's just the best.
You have a ton of food options here as well.
You're serving great Mexican food over there.
That's really unique.
How did that start?
Originally started off with nickel burgers and then they just expanded the field.
And now we have a giant Mexican menu as well as an American menu.
The tacos are second to none in my opinion.
In Beaver County, you're not going to get better tacos.
You make these?
Fresh?
Yeah, we deep-fry them here.
That's so cool.
We want to do the meat so it covers the whole side, so you get a bite of meat in every bite.
All right.
Guys, I made a taco, look at that.
All right.
That's why you need the foil.
Thats so good Trish.
My grandparents are from New Brighton.
And so we always used to come when I was kid.
And it's just so fun to come back here.
It's local.
Everyone loves it.
Coming after the games.
Get ice cream with the team after always made the winning just so much better.
Quality hasn't changed since I was a little kid.
Come on down to Hank's.
Get some custard and get a taco while you're at it.
They're amazing.
Yeah, tacos are very, very good.
So good.
It's fresh, it's family owned.
And Dari Delite is back in Swissvale.
It's the center of our universe.
Yeah.
Hey, Pittsburgh, we're going to some of your favorite ice cream shops, and we're cruisin on down the Swissvale here at Dari Delite.
Dari Delite has been here in Swissvale since, what, the 50s?
Why did you want to take ownership over an ice cream shop?
Well, I live in the neighborhood.
I've been close for many years.
I spent the previous owner a letter in the mail.
He was ready to sell.
And here we are.
This building was empty for a long time.
To drive by and see lines out the door.
Yeah, it's just awesome.
It's a staple in Swissvale and we love it here.
Our biggest sellers are the classics.
It is a vanilla cone with jimmies.
It's an Oreo Swissvale swirl.
It's a hot fudge sundae.
So you know the classics are a classic for a reason.
Actually, just a plain vanilla.
I like the minimalism of it.
We take everybody with open arms.
You want some ice cream?
We got it.
Just tell us what you want.
All right, Chelsea, I'm ready to make a sundae.
Walk me through the process.
Let's do it.
It's a little bit different than any other sundae.
Okay.
Of course.
Do you want to do the ice cream honors?
I do want to do the ice cream.
Okay, okay.
So this handle right here.
All right.
Here we go.
You got it.
One, two.
Okay.
Three.
Oh, my gosh, youre a natural.
Thank you.
Look at that.
Look at the swirls.
Look so good.
Wow.
Look at you.
All right.
Look at you.
Now it wouldnt be a sundae without a cherry on top.
Without a cherry on top.
This is a big bite.
All right, salute.
So good.
I think our ice cream shop is the best because of the people and the community.
It's a place to meet your neighbors.
The place to celebrate the ice cream is just a means to that end.
One of my most regular customers is 92 years old, and he gets himself up here almost every day for a milkshake.
Okay.
Thank you sir.
Okay.
That's that's a big one.
What did you get, Mr.
Ken?
I got a strawberry shake.
Okay, okay.
What's the verdict?
As always, absolutely delicious.
Just seeing the diversity of human experience that we all enjoy ice cream.
Come to Swissvale and get your fresh ice cream.
It is the best in the Burgh.
We make the best ice cream, the best cookies.
We also make coffee.
We make homemade cookies.
Homemade ice cream.
Like everything's homemade.
Our mission is very, very important too.
Hey, Pittsburgh, we're going to some of your favorite ice cream shops here in the Burgh.
And today we're in McKees Rocks at Cookie Cookie Ice Cream Now Connie, if you could say and spell your first and last name and your title here.
Mom.
Titles Mom.
Our cookies are ugly.
We don't care.
We're all about what they call the soft skills.
We're not teaching kids how to do specific tasks, but specific tasks get learned because of the environment that they're in.
So yes, you're going to learn how to crack an egg.
We crack probably 100 hours a day, and eventually you're going to learn how to crack an egg right?
It's the best ice cream that I've ever had in my entire life.
And there's not a single flavor in their freezer that you couldn't put down in front of me.
And I wouldn't just house within 30 seconds.
You have a lot of toppings, right?
Yeah a lot.
I like some jimmies up there.
What's your favorite topping?
My personal favorite topping is the Reeses pieces peanut butter cup, and M&Ms.
Yes.
Did you try any of the fun funky flavors like the avocado?
And they're actually very good.
I'm surprised some of them don't seem like they would work.
They're really good.
So first you have to choose either one cookie or two cookies.
You said you have the best oatmeal raisin, best hands down.
Oatmeal raisin, anywhere.
Im a fan of Oatmeal raisin.
Hannah, could I do oatmeal raisin, please?
That's a big cookie.
Look at that.
Now, here comes the hardest part.
Okay, you have to pick the ice cream.
I feel like I want to try the banana with that.
And then why don't we do the strawberry one as well?
One of each.
You will not be sorry.
Yes.
Yeah.
That looks great.
Thank you.
Okay.
How how do you go about eating this thing?
I feel like you just have to like, Thats why you have a spoon.
Dive right in.
All right.
Oh, that is so good.
The way that they make you feel when you come in here, the quality of the ice cream, the flavor of the ice cream, the texture of the ice cream.
I love how positive everyone is.
Like, I come in sometimes I'm not in a good mood, and I come out gleaming like.
It's just.
Everyone's so kind here.
It's kind of like Pittsburgh, where it's like a little bit of a melting pot of the area where, yeah, a little bit of everything.
Like, I love it here.
It's so fun.
And you really should come stop by.


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