The return of Moozy’s ice cream may be coming soon, but things will look a little different.
In the aftermath of a fire in May that caused irreparable damage to the interior of Moozy’s Ice Cream Emporium on Trapelo Road, business owner Dante Muzzioli is working on plans for a temporary structure. In the coming weeks, the longtime Belmont resident hopes to open a satellite location adjacent to the restaurant, which was razed this week.
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“It was hard to see the building come down,” Muzzioli said. “We always thought we could try to work with what we had, but structurally, it’s pretty damaged from the fire.”
The building at 2 Trapelo Road was demolished Wednesday, according to Muzzioli. Other businesses in the same block remain standing but are still closed. Despite efforts to save a bronze model of the Lunch atop a Skyscraper photograph, nothing from the former restaurant was able to be salvaged, according to Muzzioli.
According to Fire Chief David DeStefano, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Muzzioli said the plan is to rebuild the restaurant, but the timing of that will be up to the building owner and how quick the permitting process can go through.
“We’re looking forward to rebuilding and reopening and bringing back to a community what I didn’t realize … was kind of a gathering place,” he said.
In the meantime, the hope is to continue serving ice cream, just on a smaller scale.
“What inspired me to do this is the many calls and texts I got from the community,” he said.
If all goes according to plan, the goal is to have the temporary structure—a storage container converted into a truck—ready for serving ice cream in a few weeks. Muzzioli said he plans to have a discussion with Building Inspector Ara Yogurtian and other town officials to ensure the plan follows all the building code and zoning bylaws. A plan would also need to be submitted to the Health Department for approval, according to Health Director Wesley Chin.
“We will serve our ice cream and our famous raspberry and lime rickeys,” Muzzioli said. “We’ll have an abundance of [ice cream] flavors; we just won’t have any food. We’ll have our frappes and our shakes, and things like that.”
He’s been working on the project for the past month, putting all his energy into it to get it off the ground for the summer months.
“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “Hopefully everything will work out and we’ll be in a good place.”
