Brothers create (n)ice cream for pope's meal

POPE FRANCIS may be one of the holiest men on the planet, but when he tastes the new flavor of ice cream that the dapper brothers over at the Franklin Fountain were asked to create for his meal at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary this weekend, he'll sure feel sinful.

Brothers Ryan and Eric Berley, who have owned the ever-popular Old City ice-cream-and-soda shop on Market Street near Letitia for 11 years, concocted their new flavor, "caramelized banana," specifically to meet the sweet tastes of this sweet pope.

It all began when the Berley brothers, who own many antique candy-and-ice-cream molds, told the folks over at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary that they had a 1940 ice-cream mold of the seminary, where Pope Francis is staying while he is in Philadelphia

Last week, the brothers said they got a call to do a presentation about the mold, and shortly thereafter, the executive chef at St. Charles contacted them and asked if they could create a caramelized banana ice-cream flavor to accompany the dulce de leche cake he was making for the pope.

Ryan Berley said the chef at St. Charles had it on good word from the chef at the Vatican that Pope Francis' favorite flavor of ice cream is caramelized banana.

Not having caramelized bananas on hand, the brothers got busy caramelizing and creating the decadent treat.

They then poured the ice cream into the St. Charles mold, and yesterday morning, they dropped off 12 bars of the ice cream - one for each apostle - at the seminary, along with 150 pounds of dry ice to keep the treats cold.

Now, even the pope will get an indulgence while he is visiting Philadelphia.

"It's seriously takes our breath away," Ryan Berley said. "We won't get to see him, but knowing that he will probably be eating our ice cream is somehow even better."

The Francis-inspired flavor is also available to the public at the Franklin Fountain for as long as it lasts.

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