For Mylea Biggiani, nothing beats scooping up a double dip of pistachio ice cream to a smiling kid.
After spending eight years in Atlanta, the Lower Nazareth Township native found her way back to her favorite job, the one she dabbled in as a Nazareth Area High School and college student.
Now the 37-year-old mother of two is the new owner of Emily’s Ice Cream in Nazareth.
“This is my dream,” said the 2007 Nazareth Area grad. (Her classmates may remember her by her maiden name: Mylea Bachman.)
She got her first taste of the ice cream business in her teens, then migrated South and pursued her adult career as a social worker and later worked as a marketing representative for social programs.
The work was fulfilling but draining. She found herself at a career crossroads when she moved back to the Nazareth area in August to be close to her mother. Then, out of nowhere, her dream job came calling.
She often mentioned to Emily’s owner Patricia Rice that she would love to carry on Rice’s legacy when it came time for Rice to retire. The timing couldn’t have been better.
“It just feels like this was meant to happen,” Biggiani said.
Biggiani doesn’t plan to change Emily’s 24 rotating flavors or the ice cream cakes. And the transition was seamless on Dec. 19.
Biggiani might close the store at 100 S. Main St. for a few days for interior decorating. She has a sign to hang from the original Emily’s store from 1987, brochures from Nazareth Speedway from the 1970s and promotional materials from Martin Guitar from the 1980s.
Her customers can rest easy knowing the tradition of Emily’s will carry on. Biggiani wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love food. I love creating food. I love decorating the cakes,” she said.
Emily’s is open this winter from noon to 8 p.m. and in the summer from noon to 9 p.m. Learn more about the business on its website.
Young customers love to order Cookie Monster ice cream at Emily’s Ice Cream at 100 S. Main St. in Nazareth.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com
Dining and Cooking