BRADENTON, Fla. — Ryan Edwards needed a change.
He wanted to feel joy. He wanted to make people smile.
But his job as an ICU nurse, during one of the most chaotic times in national history, was killing his spirit.
"It was a nightmare," Edwards says. "The pandemic was very hard on me. It was a sad job, and I decided I wanted a happy job that made people happy."
So he made a big change, turning a hobby that always helped him de-stress into a new business.
He's now an ice cream man with a twist.
He's finally happy. And his new legion of fans are even happier.
Ryan is the culinary mastermind behind Great Heights Creamery, a craft ice cream cart making the rounds at open-air markets in Tampa Bay.
"I've been making ice cream for about eight years with my wife as a hobby," Edwards says. "People went nuts for it."
He uses only the freshest, most natural ingredients, including milk from grass-fed dairy cows, free-range eggs, organic sugar and strawberries from Plant City.
He routinely sells out of favorite flavors like Oatmeal Cookie and Brownie S'mores.
"I'm trying to make the best ice cream that Florida's ever tasted," Edwards says.
To find out where Great Heights Creamery will be next, follow the cart on Facebook, on Instagram and on its website.
