A co-worker told me about an off-menu item at the new Puopolo’s Italian Ice & Creamery. “Just ask for the Uncle Dan,” she said. “They will know what you want, and you have to try it.” So, by golly, I did just that, and it was delicious. The Uncle Dan had a bottom layer of vanilla soft-serve ice cream, a middle section of sour apple Italian ice and a top layer of vanilla soft-serve. The whole thing was drenched in hot caramel.
 
During my interview with owners Kris and Jim Eddy, I asked if there was a real Uncle Dan, and they pointed to a picture of a man on the wall. “That’s my Uncle Dan (Bair),” Kris said. “He’s a pastor at Kirk of the Hills and one of the reasons we moved to Tulsa.” In addition to her uncle and his family, Kris’ parents also reside in Tulsa. For the past 15 years, Kris and Jim and their children have lived in New Jersey, and Jim had a corporate job in Philadelphia.