As of March 9, there is no confirmed opening date due to a lack of funding. 

AGAWAM – An Agawam ice cream shop is getting new life and new owners.

Jon Ela and David Hamm told Reminder Publishing they signed the lease to become co-owners of the ice-cream shop on Feb. 22. The pair, who have years of experience in the food industry and have both run different restaurants previously, said originally they were looking for a space in the Belchertown area when they stumbled on the 1744 Main St. location. “When I walked in, it just clicked, it felt right,” Hamm said.

In his experience, Hamm said, he’s found food at ice cream shops to be “mediocre,” but he wants customers who come to Twisty’s to walk away with a different experience. “It doesn't have to be that way,” he said.

To do this, Hamm and Ela plan to change everything and offer customers “top quality” food made from scratch.

“We are changing everything, we only use the best ingredients,” Hamm said. “I’m going to make my own hamburgers, we’re doing pulled pork – I make my own barbeque sauce. I’m going to make my own food with good prices.”

He added that their goal “is every adult and kid should be able to get a drink and food for $10 or under.”

Hamm said he hopes to appeal to people that may be going to Six Flags New England, not only with their prices and quality, but with their variety of food options as well. “I want something for everyone, so we’ll do stuff for vegetarians as well,” he explained. He mentioned that some vegetarian offerings will include a homemade alfredo and wraps.

In addition to vegetarian offerings, he said they plan to have grinders and pizzas on the menu.

At this time, Hamm said they’re predicting they’ll be open seasonally, like most ice cream shops, but “if we can get the business going pretty well, maybe we’ll keep it open all year long.” He added that if they stay open during the winter months he’d like to offer homemade soups. In the future, he said, they would like to serve breakfast on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

While they plan to serve the community quality food at a reasonable price, they also have plans to give back to the community in big ways. “We’re going to do fundraisers over the summer for the fire department, police and EMTs,” Hamm said, adding that the pair would like to sponsor a little league team as well.

The co-owners also plan to give back in the form of financial aid to local high school students looking to pursue higher education. “We’re going to be giving a couple of scholarships to the kids in Agawam. We’re going to have to meet with the school on that, but that’s in our future,” Hamm said.

Ela added that eventually they plan on having car shows at the ice cream shop, and that one of the reasons they felt it was important to give back to the community was because “if you connect with the community, they’ll give back to you.”

Hamm said after signing the lease they will spend some time cleaning the shop. “We want it to be immaculate before food even comes in,” he explained. While there is no definitive date set for Twisty’s opening, they’re aiming to open for business during the “second or third week of March.”

Once open, their goal “is to be open seven days a week.” No final decisions have been made in regard to their hours of operation, but Hamm said he’d like to be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to possibly 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. This, however, he said depends on “if there’s a demand.”