Omnivore - New food truck: Honeysuckle Gelato scoops sweet treats

• Jenny Sathngam

Just in time for the dog days of summer, Atlanta is getting a new way to chill out. Three longtime friends are teaming up to launch a new food truck, Honeysuckle Gelato, doling out intensely flavored frozen delights.

Honeysuckle’s treats will be a step up from your old favorites, combining southern flavors with gourmet ingredients. A rotating selection of gelato like Honey Lavender, Mint Julep and Bourbon Pecan will be handcrafted with locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. Two scoop cups will go for around $3.50 - and while they’ll be happy to serve you two scoops of a single flavor, they’d much rather recommend flavor pairings for adventurous customers. When asked about his craziest flavor to date, Co-Founder Jackson Smith says he persuaded a local Waffle House to give him some waffle batter for a “Waffle House Gelato.”

Smith is no gelato novice. He spent time in New York working with Jon Snyder at il laboratorio del gelato. The team draws inspiration from il laboratorio’s custom gelato lab - where chefs can collaborate on small-batch flavors for their restaurants. Honeysuckle has already began talking with Atlanta chefs about crafting some unique creations.