Wild About: Long Beach Island's POPularity Pops

What they are: Imagine the creamiest, most delicious gelato that's ever graced your lips and tongue. Then picture it on a stick . . . you know, like a Popsicle. But a more grown-up version of a Popsicle - on one of those fat little Popsicle sticks. The treat is a visually appealing hue, and the concoction itself is a trendy flavor like maple bacon or Nutella. That's what Tracy Donovan and her family imagined when they came up with the idea for their summertime business called POPularity Pops, which is beginning its third season in a little storefront on Bay Avenue in Beach Haven, Long Beach Island.

And despite the sophisticated appeal of POPularity Pops, at $4 a pop - literally - Donovan also offers kid-magnet flavors like blue cotton candy and Funfetti birthday cake, covered in sprinkles. There are also the old-standby flavors like chocolate, coconut, and peanut butter, which are so richly saturated with flavor that they seem like newfangled confections. Some of the pops are dipped in chocolate sauce. And there are also sorbetto flavors like kiwi banana, mango, watermelon, and mixed berry that are dairy- and gluten-free.

When they got here: Donovan, 42, and her family have always spent their summers on Long Beach Island. Five years ago she and her husband, Tim, 54 - dyed-in-the-wool artists and entrepreneurs who operate a production, animation, and interactive content company in Manhattan called Bravo Media - wanted to create a summer business that would allow their only child, Ryan, now 19, to experience what it's like to build a business from the ground up.

So they purchased the building where the shop is now located, and renovated the second floor as a two-bedroom apartment and the first floor as the store, which uses a bright logo and a simple postmodern design that encourages patrons to take selfies and post them on social media. Ryan was put in charge of coming up with a name, which his mother said had to have the word POP in it, and he chose POPularity Pops.

"As artists, we always think unconventionally, and we wanted to teach Ryan to do that," Tracy Donovan said of her son's involvement in the business.

Now that he's enrolled year-around at Full Sail University in Orlando, studying music production and working as a DJ, Mom and Dad are running the operation for the summer with the help of a crew.

Why they are so tasty: Tracy Donovan wanted to learn how to make the best gelato and sorbetto on the planet, so she took a crash course from an undisclosed "gelato guru," who was flown in from Italy to teach her the tricks of the trade. Early on, Donovan realized that she could never skimp on ingredients if she was to attain the best flavor profile for her product.

"We've had people tell us that we need to cut down on our costs and use cheaper ingredients to lower our production costs and raise our profit," Donovan said. "But I won't do that, because making a great product is the most important thing to me."

The result is an incredible frozen confection made with ingredients imported from Europe, from the cream to the chocolate to the pistachios. The marshmallow used in the S'mores flavor is hand-toasted. Unlike ice cream, which is sometimes made with milk and egg yolks, gelato is made only with heavy cream and flavorings. Other popular flavors at POPularity Pops include amaretto, caramel, cookies and cream, Creamsicle, moka (coffee), mint chocolate chip, pistachio, and vanilla.

Where you can get some: POPularity Pops is at 216 S. Bay Ave., Beach Haven, N.J. 08008, 609-342-0764. Open noon to 10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until July 1, when the store will be open every day.

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jurgo@phillynews.com