There is a charming, colorful delicious dessert destination in World Golf Village that has customers dreaming about return visits every day to enjoy Heidi Trammell’s authentic frozen custard café, Twisted Turtle Creamery!
Once you slip into the neighborhood’s entrance at the crossroads of I-95 and International Golf Parkway and leave the hubbub of traffic behind, it’s a welcome oasis of outrageous frozen custards, sauces, toppings and baked goods that Chef Heidi personally crafts into unforgettable frozen desserts.
You must visit with one warning: It’s very difficult to select just one masterpiece. So, plan to visit with a small group of passionate gourmets!
It’s obvious, from the moment you enter her tropical South Pacific-themed, eat-in café, that she is a “chemist” of magical combinations and flavors. Her knowledge and command of frozen custard has no boundaries. The velvety smooth and rich flavors (totally different from ice cream) ensure a more dense, creamy pleasure without the churning of air like the process of making ice cream. Sundaes, parfaits, custard shakes (blizzards) and a la modes are all made to order with a menu of ingredients that Heidi also prepares from scratch.
When, in 1919, frozen custard was introduced in Coney Island, New York, it was a huge success, with the ice cream’s addition of eggs to the cream, sugar and specialty flavorings. Although Chef Heidi isn’t going to serve 18,460 cones like that legendary hot summer weekend on the boardwalk in Coney Island, she is going to happily discuss and prepare something unforgettable just for you that might include her Heidi-made caramel, hot fudge, fruit sauces like mango, raspberry, bananas foster — and my favorite, the Buffalo Trace Bourbon whipped cream.
Each chef has his or her own food philosophy, which is not limited to a typical restaurant eatery. Heidi’s open dessert kitchen is a wonderland of her belief that customers love unique combinations of “sweet & savory” — even in desserts at Twisted Turtle Creamery.
Imagine this holiday season’s “Butter Pecan Pumpkin Sundae with Whipped Cream and Crunchy Pepitas” or “Pineapple Lemon Curd Sundae Topped with Harissa Candied Pistachios”! Yes, they combine that savory-and-sweet richness along with the outrageous crunchy topping. Who doesn’t yearn for the holidays when we can finally indulge in eggnog?
Heidi’s blizzards are decadently rich with vanilla custard and ginger snaps. I can only imagine what she is planning with her Heidi-made old fashioned peanut brittle, giant warm apple turnovers, madly rich chocolate chunk brownies, Swiss rolls with Amarena cherries and oatmeal cream pies!
When Heidi opened last year after a year in the making, it took a family project to create the dessert café featuring a long bar hand painted with Pacific Ocean waves and a giant wall mural transporting you to tropical islands.
“We have a frozen custard shop like no other, and we’ll gladly pull you out of your comfort zone to fall in love with custard,” she said.
With indoor space to accommodate small parties up to 24 guests, Chef Heidi welcomes your call for great party ideas. With easy complimentary parking in the shopping area, she has been busy hosting “spirit nights” for schools and teams as fundraisers. It’s such a cute café that you might only need to stick with the South Pacific theme and bring colorful lei’s for your guests.
Calling 904-460-2643 will get you directly to the Chef!
As a proud supporter of the Mickler Beach Landing Turtle Patrol and the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Biology Science (and their sea turtle hospital), 2025 is a perfect time to visit the Twisted Turtle Creamery and Chef Heidi. I’ll bet you can’t stump her with your own wild creation from her menu of insanely delicious ingredients. This holiday season might be Santa’s favorite: the “Strawberry Shorty,” topped with Heidi-made strawberry sauce, Scottish shortbread croutons and whipped cream!
