Bar32 ice cream returns to Summerhill for the summer

Summer weather has finally arrived in Toronto, and with it comes the return of a midtown shop that once went viral for its ice cream bars. Bar32 is back after a four-year break at its same location in Summerhill.

With freshly minted commerce and psychology degrees but zero culinary experience, sisters Chloe and Sydney Carron first launched their ice cream business in Muskoka in 2021. Bar32 was born from pandemic boredom and a fortuitous inheritance: a commercial ice cream machine from their grandparents' restaurant.

After at-home experiments, they converted an old horse trailer into a mobile pop-up shop in Port Carling, then started offering dockside delivery via boat across Lake Muskoka. "It was one of the most fun things we've ever done," says Chloe. The following year, they opened a brick-and-mortar location in Toronto in the former site of a long-standing Summerhill ice cream shop they had visited as kids. As summer drew to a close, so did Bar32.

Now the handmade bars are back. The current flavour lineup includes salted caramel, vanilla, pistachio, raspberry, blueberry and mango—all mixed by the sisters themselves, using whole ingredients and no preservatives, additives or artificial sweeteners, then hand-dipped in chocolate. "The process is a labour of love," says Chloe. "We're always looking for new ideas, so if you send your favourite flavour our way, you might find it in the shop."

Customers can grab bars to go from the bright little storefront or sit and enjoy them on the picnic benches outside. In addition to ice cream bars, the shop is offering scoops of Kawartha Dairy ice cream and a small Detour coffee program that includes affogatos. A selection of pastries—some made by Charlotte, the third Carron sister—will join the lineup in the coming weeks.

The bars won't stick around forever. In late September, jewellery brand Jude, the storefront's prior occupant, will return while the sisters do some travelling before heading back to their day jobs. "We're the kind of people who need to be building something," says Chloe. "As for Bar32—we'll see where this summer takes us. We're just really happy to be back."