ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The St. John’s pedestrian mall opened for its 2021 season earlier this month and among the changes for this year is a very sweet treat: Sweet Rock Ice Cream.

The local brand, founded and run by Sarah and Adam Rochacewich, began operating out of Bonavista in 2016. They later set up shop in Trinity, where they put down roots for their business.

The couple had been looking at plans to move their business into the city of St. John’s for some time but were waiting for the right opportunity. They just weren’t sure in what capacity they wanted to make that happen — whether it was going it alone or through wholesale buyers.

“Last year, we spent some days and nights at the pedestrian mall. We thought it was a fantastic idea, and this year, we knew we wanted our ice cream being scooped on Water Street,” said Adam Rochacewich.

“The sun’s out shining and it’s warm. It’s really busy, and we’re getting good feedback, which is the main thing for us right now,” Rochacewich said, adding that their summer flavours have been flying off the patio since opening.

Pam Sullivan, a local resident from Portugal Cove, is inclined to agree. Just a 20-minute drive away from the setup, Sullivan and her husband like to head down to the scene to support the local businesses, and Sweet Rock Ice Cream is one of their absolute favourites.

“That mall brings out a completely different demographic, it’s a totally different vibe and I absolutely love it,” Sullivan said.

“We wouldn’t go downtown on a beautiful day to sit inside a restaurant, but we would definitely go downtown to be outside, walk the mall and meet up with people we haven’t seen in a while."

The duo believes their secret to success is the little taste of Newfoundland and Labrador experienced with every bite of their delicious product.

“All of our berries - partridge berries, blueberries, all of them - are handpicked on the Bonavista Peninsula, we use local dairy, we incorporate a lot of our chocolate," he said.

Rochacewich says that they source everything they can locally, including chocolate from their other brand, Aunt Sarah’s Chocolate.

“Thinking this pandemic is almost behind us is a really amazing feeling, and the Pedestrian Mall is such a great way to showcase that,” Rochacewich said.