For more than 15 years, Don and Linda Rufrano were the first family of ice cream on Hilton Head Island. Their Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina shop, Frosty’s Italian Ice and More, was more than an institution.
For generations of visitors and residents of the marina’s condos, a scoop of their famous ice cream, Italian ice, or gelato was the perfect salve against a hot summer day. The smiling faces of the Rufranos, greeting each customer with bottomless hospitality, was often the sweetest part of the experience.
Maryanne Laskowitz and Megan Savarese toast ice cream to a new business venture in Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina.
“They had such a following, both from locals and visitors who might even just come during the fireworks on Tuesday nights during the summer,” said Megan Savarese, one of the new owners. “People didn’t come back just for the ice cream, they came back to see the Rufranos. They were part of the experience, and we’re so very grateful that they trusted us with taking over their business.”
Fortunately, the Rufranos couldn’t have found a better group of people to carry their legacy forward. Savarese and her husband, Pete, have been proud owners of Coligny Plaza’s Ice Cream Cone since 2019, where Pete had spent his formative years as an employee. In taking over Frosty’s, they partnered with another island power couple, Scott and Maryanne Laskowitz. The owners of the venerable San Miguel’s, they bring to the partnership decades of experience running a business in Shelter Cove.
That was crucial in enacting the next step the Savareses had in mind for Frosty’s – namely, a larger space.
“Don and Linda did such a great job utilizing that small space for the past 15 years. They really had it figured out,” Megan Savarese said. “We just figured with the popularity of the entire marina and the crowds we get, especially on fireworks night, that we could expand and give people some space to sit and enjoy their ice cream.”
Hand-painted boards in the ice cream shop display over 32 flavors available.
Taking over the spot formerly occupied by A&M Provisions has given the new Frosty’s Ice Cream a delightful sense of space, while still retaining the intimate family feel that made it an institution. You’ll still find the same colorful showcases of ice cream, Italian ice, and fudge that Frosty’s has always been known for, just with a little more elbow room in which to browse. It was a key addition to the experience, one that the Savareses wanted to transplant from their first shop.
“It’s a completely different experience right now between our two shops. I think our goal is that people aren’t even necessarily aware that the two are owned by the same people,” Savarese said. “At the Ice Cream Cone, we have Hershey’s Ice Cream and Bluebell, along with our private label, and at Frosty’s we’ve brought in a new company called Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream out of Michigan.”
That means visitors from the frozen north will find familiar treats on offer like the famed Michigan Pot Hole (chocolate with fudge “tar” and chocolate “asphalt” chunks) or the Mackinac Island Slide (vanilla with butter fudge swirl and chocolate chunks) alongside tried-and-true classics. And while the ice cream, atmosphere, and surroundings provide a stark difference between the two shops, Frosty’s will benefit from the same customer service that has made the Savareses’ first shop such a success.
“The biggest thing for us is that the customer service is the same,” Savarese said. “We hire a lot of the local kids from Hilton Head High, and we always show them how to treat customers with the utmost professionalism and hospitality. If there’s one thing that people notice that’s similar between the stores, we want it to be that.
Colorful ice cream treats on display at Frosty’s in Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina.
And that is a perfect tie to bind together two very different ice cream shops. They might be in different locations and offer different treats, but they both put the experience first.
“We’re so grateful being able to run our businesses in two great locations,” Savarese said. “Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina has been so welcoming, not only from other shop owners and property managers, but from everyone involved.”
Stop by the new Frosty’s Ice Cream at 9 Harbourside Lane, Suite F at Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina or call (843) 715-0064.
