Super-sized sundaes can tip the scales at more than 2 pounds

Dale Miller digs into a huge strawberry shortcake sundae at Cindee Shivers.

Dale Miller digs into a huge strawberry shortcake sundae at Cindee Shivers.

Sometimes, Dale Miller just has to have some ice cream.

Two pounds of it.

It doesn t matter that the 59-year-old man says he s a little bit lactose intolerant or that he knows there will be a healthy penalty to pay in terms of calories and fat. Mr. Miller still likes to chow down every once in a while on a 32-ounce strawberry shortcake sundae at Cindee Shivers on Airport Highway in South Toledo.

Sometimes you just have that hunger, and I fulfill it with that, believe me, the Petersburg, Mich., man said.

As the summer heats up, a trip to the local ice cream stand is almost mandatory. Most people come looking for a cool treat, but some want more a lot more. For those customers, big just isn t big enough; it has to be super-sized. It turns out that a few local businesses are more than happy to oblige.

Peach s Sundae Shoppe in Northwood offers a banana split on steroids that it calls Peach s Super Split. It comes in a container the size of an egg carton, overflowing with soft serve ice cream, oozing with toppings, and featuring two bananas. It can weigh in at 36 ounces.

Ashley Sparks, 16, who works at the East Andrus Road business, said she s only seen one person finish it.

I was just kind of shocked, she said.

Shelly Wallace adds the ice cream to the large strawberry shortcake sundae at Cindee Shivers.

This kind of shock and awe is not uncommon when it comes to giant sundaes. Just ask Tim Snyder. He recently tried the biggest sundae at Shubie s Ice Cream and Grill in downtown Rossford. Dubbed the Banana Trough, it comes with 35-ounces of soft serve ice cream (or five scoops of hard dip), and it can be intimidating.

I was a little leery, said the Waterville Township man who shared it with his 11-year-old daughter, Erin. She started on her end and I started at my end.

Together they finished it, but not without some limits he vetoed including Superman ice cream and sherbert and some repercussions.

I was full, sick full, Mr. Snyder said.

Owner Greg Shubeta said he sells maybe two or three of the items each month.

At Mr. Freeze, which has locations in Perrysburg and Sylvania Township, Kayleen Roberts, of Lambertville, Mich., stumbled upon a quart-sized strawberry shortcake sundae by accident.

I didn t realize it would be so big, said the 17-year-old, who was happy to be able to eat more than half.

It makes you want to come back for more, she said as she started eating.

Greg Shubeta plants the ice cream in the dish for the Banana Trough Sundae at Shubie s Ice Cream and Grill.

In a week, her mother, Kari Roberts, added.

Clinical dietician Judith Riley at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center preaches moderation in all things, but she isn t about to steal the spoon from those who want to dig in to such gigantic treats.

That really makes dieticians cringe, but we understand where it s coming from, she said. Large portion sizes seem to be the norm in all kinds of food establishments these days. ... We eat with our eyes just as we do with our stomachs.

Not that there aren t good alternatives like eating a smaller size, sharing, or substituting the treat for a healthier frozen dessert. If you still want to have that big sundae, go for it, but know that afterward you need to be sensible for quite a few days, she said.

Maybe that should be extended to a few months if you re one of the people who s tried the legendary Dare to be Great sundae at The Parlour in Jackson, Mich., about 60 miles northwest of Toledo.

Erin Snyder and her dad, Tim, eat a Banana Trough Sundae built by the team at Shubie s Ice Cream and Grill.

This creamy colossus weighs more than 7 pounds, spans about a foot in width, and is about 1 feet tall. It consists of 21 scoops of ice cream, all the toppings, and a chance at immortality: anyone who eats it solo in an hour gets the $29.99 sundae for free and their name up on the wall. So far, few have completed the challenge.

It s not a pretty sight, said general manager Elaine Strader. Most of them give up about halfway.

She suggests a different strategy: Bring some friends.

I would recommend about 10, she said.

Contact Ryan E. Smith at:ryansmith@theblade.comor 419-724-6103.