Banana Split Day With Zems Ice Cream In Canastota

Happy Banana Split Day!!! How do you like your banana split? There's no right or wrong way to make it.This is a seriously sweet holiday so I went to the professional in the banana split  business. Rick Stevens owner of Zems Ice Cream in Canastota.

• Zack
• Erick
• Meghan
• Stevens

Get it? Zems, named for his children and then their last name Stevens.

Zems is a family business that gives back to the community as often as possible. They've donated over $50,000 to The American Youth Soccer Organization and the Canastota Music Department. Every year they have a Labor Of Love fundraiser to raise money for the above mentioned organizations and 2 scholarship funds.

Zems is not just ice cream. They have a huge game room, miniature golf, birthday parties, bands, BBQ get-togethers and other special events, including classic car night featuring a cruise in Saturday nights from 5-9.

Here's look at Zems. You'll see a 1945 Leigh Valley Caboose from the local railway that used to run through the area, thank you pictures from area children, a 2013 Canastota Central School art class mural of a train in a tunnel initiated by art teacher Melissa Bueno, a thank you quilt handmade anonymously  by someone saying thank you for all they do in the community (if you know who made it please let them know!!!).

Now Rick will show us how to make the perfect Banana split for National Ice Cream Day.

The basic ingredients for the original is a ripe banana, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, pineapple, strawberry sauce, whipped cream, a cherry and nuts.

National Day Calendar says:

The banana split was invented by a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1904.  David Evans Strickler enjoyed inventing sundaes at the store’s soda fountain.  The first “banana-based triple ice cream sundae”  sold for 10 cents which was double the cost of all other sundaes.