An ice cream sundae from Build-a-Sundae in College/Glen. Owner Janine Anderson was inspired to open the shop by her late mother, who loved ice cream and spent more than 20 years mentoring youth seeking employment.
Build-a-Sundae
A new ice cream shop has opened in College/Glen, providing a unique community service to the Sacramento area.
Build-a-Sundae at 8391 Folsom Blvd. specializes in customizable ice cream sundaes. The Black-owned business also gives neurodivergent youth work experience, primarily hiring young adults on the autism spectrum.
Owner Janine Anderson was inspired to open the business by her late mother, Rosalie. Anderson’s mother worked in employment services for more than 20 years, focusing on helping youth.
Why ice cream? For Anderson, it was a family favorite treat growing up. Her go-to was a bowl of mint chocolate chip, Anderson wrote online. No matter what, Anderson wrote that her mother was always down for the frozen treat.
“The love of ice cream is something that is passed down from generation to generation,” Anderson said. “So we thought it was just a cool way to honor her, to be able to continue our work with employment services for youth.”
Alongside her career, Rosalie was also a foster mother to neurodivergent children, Anderson said. Anderson and her husband also run the non-profit, LeCars’ Legacy which offers employment assistance and financial literacy to youth. Watching her mother work with young people inspired Anderson to provide the same service to Sacramento.
“She encouraged the youth to be gainfully employed and set goals for their future,” Anderson wrote online. “My mother taught me that all youth need to feel valued and given the opportunity to learn, earn money, and contribute to their communities.”
Build-a-Sundae’s menu flavors include butter brickle, banana pudding, ube, coffee, blueberry cheesecake, strawberry and Swiss milk chocolate. The shop’s topping collection is even larger, serving chocolate, strawberry, and marshmallow sauces, brownies, madeleines, cereal and whipped cream.
Sundaes are priced from $5 to $14, depending on size, Anderson said. A kid-sized ice cream is $5 and $7 with toppings. Adult sizes vary by scoop, with one scoop priced at $10, two scoops at $12 and three scoops at $14. Toppings are unlimited for sundaes over $10.
Build-a-Sundae is open from Tuesday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Anderson said she hopes to extend the business’s hours as it hires more employees.
“We have a heart for the community and youth in general,” Anderson said. “We hope to be around for a long time and look forward to other partnerships.”
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Emma Hall covers retail and business for The Sacramento Bee. Hall graduated from Sacramento State and Diablo Valley College. She is Blackfeet and Cherokee.