Red Pop Rocks candy sizzled in Howard Heim’s frozen yogurt during an afternoon visit to frozen yogurt shop 38 Degrees last week.
Heim, the superintendent of Church Street Plaza, decided to add his own topping to the original tart-flavored treat.
“I’m addicted to the tart,” he said. “It’s the best I’ve ever tasted around here.”
Co-owners Roma Nazarians and Mike Seperghan launched 38 Degrees, 940 Church St., in August. The store, named after the storage temperature of its frozen yogurt, concentrates on health consciousness to differentiate its frozen yogurt, smoothies and parfaits from other local joints offering frozen desserts.
McCormick junior Shannon Rosenauer, Communication senior Taylor Heisley-Cook and Communication junior Jane Hurh visit 38 Degrees twice a week to nab a new variety of frozen yogurt and joke with the people working the counter.
“This is our place,” Hurh said. “If anyone, Northwestern students would appreciate something like this.”
Three TV screens behind the counter displaying nutritional facts and the menu often catch the eye of people passing by, 38 Degrees employee Tom Zaia said.
“People come by and look through the glass, but they don’t grasp how healthy it is,” he said.
The yogurt shop uses fruit sweetener and Stevia, a natural plant fiber, instead of table sugar, Nazarians said. A 4-ounce serving of frozen yogurt made with fruit sweetener typically contains between 80 and 100 calories, while the store’s yogurt sweetened with Stevia contains 63 calories. The yogurt’s low-sugar content offers a treat even someone with dietary restrictions like diabetes can enjoy, Nazarians said.
Fruit toppings, granola, sprinkles and Bobo balls – small balls filled with fruit juice – top off the dessert and add a bit of sweetness for people craving sugar.
A nutritionist mixes the store’s four flavors of frozen yogurt, including dark chocolate and honeydew, Nazarians said. The store switches out its flavors each week, and Nazarians said it has 200 potential varieties.
Except for the low-fat vanilla yogurt, which has less than two grams of fat, all other flavors contain no fat.
“You can eat this everyday and not feel bad,” Nazarians said.
Nazarians and Seperghan decided to get into the popular frozen yogurt market after more than a year of research, Nazarians said.
“A lot of ice cream stores right now are going out of business because they have so many calories and fat,” Nazarians said.
Future plans for 38 Degrees include offering cones for the frozen yogurt and serving coffee.
The store’s prime location near the Davis Street Metra Station and El stop, and down the block from the movie theater, has proven to be an asset.
Evanston resident Alan Greiman stopped by 38 Degrees for dark chocolate yogurt with his friend Myron Levy, a Roosevelt University professor, due to the convenient location.
The pair chatted over a before-dinner snack and were more concerned with the frozen yogurt’s taste than health.
“We’re not buying it because it’s healthy,” said Greiman, a retired judge, who ordered chocolate chip toppings. “It’s good and flavorful.”
