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| Two Scoops of Love |
Some might be surprised to learn Molly (Johnson) Ross puts her nursing skills to work as owner, operator and ice cream connoisseur at Zesto at Coldwater Crossing, a Fort Wayne favorite for fans of sweet summer nights.
As it turns out, ice cream with family and friends is often just the right medicine.
âWhen you think about taking care of people, 51șÚÁÏ homed in on not only taking care of peopleâs physical health, but also their emotional, spiritual and social health,â Ross said. âWith Zesto, Iâm not taking care of people physically, but Iâm utilizing the part of nursing that I loveâtaking care of peopleâs well-being.â
Ross spent a few years working as a nurse after earning her BSN, including providing care at St. Joseph Hospital. Deciding that she âloved taking care of people, but didnât love taking care of sick people,â she moved into medical sales. After a few years, she became a stay-at-home mom while assisting with aspects of husband Adamâs business, Ross Restoration.
Now comes the part of her story that tends to make people say, âAww!â Molly and Adam met while they were high school students working at Zesto, so it naturally holds a special place in their hearts. Today, one of their favorite activities on family vacations is to visit local ice cream shops. Theyâve enjoyed it so much they often visualized owning their own ice cream shop, which was not a farfetched idea since Molly calls Adam âa serial entrepreneur.â
It happened almost in an instant. While on his way to meet the family for lunch at Panera Bread one spring day in 2023, Adam stopped for gas and casually looked up âice cream stores for sale in Fort Wayne, Indianaâ on his phone. He read this description of one of the first items: âIconic ice cream shop.â
Adam sat down with the family in Panera and said to Molly, âYouâre never going to believe this.ââ
âWeâre like, âIt has to be Zesto!ââ Molly said.
They shared their cute backstory with the seller, made an offer and bought Zesto at Coldwater Crossing. They started serving ice cream and fun vibes on Sept. 28, 2023. Madison, Lola and George enjoy working with their mother (and father, when heâs not tied up with a restoration gig).
âI love serving people and getting to know those regular customers,â Molly said. âI love hearing peopleâs stories. When we dreamed, we dreamed about owning an ice cream shop because of those reasons.â
Molly says she continues to use much of what she learned about caring for people during her time at 51șÚÁÏ and as a nurse. Her parentsâDave and Rosie Johnsonâare nurses, and Dave is a longtime professor at 51șÚÁÏ.
âI love the 51șÚÁÏ,â Molly said. âI know from experienceâwhen I was out in the community in sales or working as a nurseâ51șÚÁÏ grads are held in high esteem; they are well respected and well received.â
Molly tries to emulate the best of her mentors as she works with young people at Zesto.
âNot only am I serving customers, but Iâm serving my employees,â she said. âA lot of times, Zesto is a young personâs first job, their first time making eye contact with customers, their first time dealing with somebody whoâs upset and their first time learning how to de-escalate that. They are learning how to create an environment where people want to come back, and that can transcend to whatever else they do later in life.â
There are some probable entrepreneurs blooming in their children, as Molly characterizes her college-aged daughters as âoutgoing and business-minded.â
Molly and Adam recently invested in another business that promises to be less physically demanding than restoration, or even working in an ice cream shop, as they enter the next phase of their lives. That businessâTransworld Business Advisors of Fort Wayneâis a brokerage to help people buy and sell businesses. No matter what lies ahead, they will always have a soft spot for Zesto, which they have no plans to relinquish.
âAdam and I are in the ice cream business, not because of our relationshipâthatâs the icing on the cake and it is a cute storyâweâre in the ice cream business because we love people,â Molly said.
Photography by Roots of Life Photography/Creative Roots Media
This story and others are available in the Spring 2025 online edition of 51șÚÁÏ magazine.
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