- February 24, 2025
The gelato at A1A Scoops at 2201 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. in Flagler Beach, seems like a guilty pleasure. The gelato is rich and dense and creamy. You would never know it’s dairy-free.
The vegan gelato is also sugar-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, soy-free, Kosher approved and under 120 calories per serving. It is sweetened with monk fruit, a natural sugar alternative.
John and Ocean Stein opened A1A Scoops about two months ago in a space that used to be a realtor’s office.
They display 18 different flavors of gelato, rotating in two others. They have fruit flavors such as lemon, wild berries, pineapple, guava and mango. They also have pistachio, date caramel, dark chocolate, mint chocolate chip, coconut, pina colada and creamsicle.
The Steins wanted to open an Italian-style gelato parlor that people with dietary restrictions can enjoy. John and Ocean both have dietary restrictions. When they used to take their grandaughter out for ice cream, one of both of them had to sit out, John Stein said.
“When you go to a typical ice cream place, there's only a couple of options,” Ocean Stein said. “If it's sugar free, it's not dairy free. Our gelato is vegan, and it’s with all natural ingredients.”
After John Stein retired from the Marine Corps they were looking to provide a product that was needed in the area, he said.
“It wasn't all about money. It was more about the intrinsic rewards,” he said. “We wanted to create an atmosphere where everybody, no matter what your dietary preference, your dietary restrictions, you can enjoy everything here. And it has been so rewarding, seeing everybody come in, asking, ‘Let me taste this. Let me taste this. Let me taste this.’”
Gelato is churned slower than ice cream which prevents air pockets and results in a denser, richer texture with more intense flavors.
Their vegan gelato is crafted in Miami by friends of Ocean Stein who produce it for high-end restaurants, John Stein said.
“We pick it up in Miami and sell it here,” he said.
John Stein said they chose the two-story plaza in northern Flagler Beach because it is away from the bars and other ice cream parlors.
A1A Scoops is open every day from noon to 7 p.m. A scoop costs $6 with two scoops for $10. They also have gelato pops, vegan chocolate chip cookies which they use to make gelato sandwiches, date syrup and Gelofee — premium organic, single-origin coffee, poured over your gelato.
They have a Scoop It Forward option for customers to pay for a future customer’s gelato and they give military and first responders a 10% discount or a free scoop if they are in uniform.
