The origin story behind the ice cream sundae comes swirled with mystery, history, as well as chocolate and even a cherry on top.

When Edward Berners died at 75 on July 1, 1939, the Chicago Daily Tribune published an obituary the next day headlined “Man Who Made First Ice Cream Sundae Is Dead.”

Ann Marie Borek and Michael Paulukonis enjoy sundaes at The Washington House Museum in the tiny Wisconsin town of Two Rivers on July 5, 2006. The store inside the museum is a replica of Berners’ Ice Cream Parlor, believed to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae in 1881. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

The paper wrote that Berners claimed he originated the sundae at his ice cream parlor in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, about 40 years before his death, when George Hallauer asked him to put chocolate soda flavoring directly on a dish of ice cream.

But according to the Two Rivers and Wisconsin historical societies, Berners made that first chocolate sundae at Berner’s Confectionery in 1881 — nearly 20 years earlier than his obituary estimated.

A number of places claim to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, including Evanston (William Garwood at Garwood’s drugstore in 1890) and Plainfield (Charles Sonntag at his pharmacy, circa 1893).

Then there’s Ithaca, New York, which says Chester Platt first served a “Cherry Sunday” at his Platt & Colt’s Pharmacy on April 3, 1892. That is, in fact, 11 years after Two Rivers’ chocolate sundae. Ithacans, however, cite a paper trail as their evidence.

If you were wondering, pharmacists, aka druggists, once made medicinal and recreational soda drinks, sometimes mixing flavorings and cocaine. Those soda fountains became family-friendly social hubs, eventually offering ice cream sodas, then soda-free ice cream sundaes, wherever it was invented.

One detail shared across the origin stories is that the name sundae came from Sunday. But theories vary as to why, from respect for the Christian day of worship or due to a decidedly secular trademark attempt.

Whatever the story, the ice cream sundae lives on, with old-fashioned chocolate and cherry, which you can find at Margie’s Candies with lots of whipped cream, of course, to more modern creations made by top chefs around Chicago.

— Louisa Kung Liu Chu

Chocolate fudge sundae at Betty’s Ice Cream

A hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and peanuts from Betty’s Ice Cream in the Gage Park neighborhood on July 16, 2025. (Lauryn Azu/Chicago Tribune)

Memories of summers past stand frozen in time at this Southwest Side ice cream window, where a vintage sign holds the sacred image of a banana split sundae and reads “good ice cream for good people.”

That’s the heart of Betty’s Ice Cream in Gage Park, where owners Juan and Beatriz Gonzalez for decades have served cold treats with warm smiles.

As a first-time visitor, I wasn’t sure which direction to take my sundae, but I did make sure to bring cash. Select chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ice cream for the base, and fudge, strawberry or pineapple sauce for the topping, plus adornments such as wafers and maraschino cherries. For me, a crispy waffle cup tied my fudge and peanut-covered scoop together — the perfect treat for an idyllic Chicago summer afternoon. — Lauryn Azu

$8. 5840 S. Kedzie Ave., 773-737-7634

Dubai chocolate sundae at Karak Café

The Dubai sundae at Karak Café in Lisle on July 17, 2025. The ice cream dessert features scoops of vanilla drizzled with chocolate and pistachio cream. (Zareen Syed/Chicago Tribune)

The now-everywhere Dubai chocolate trend can be traced back to a pricey bar of chocolate made by United Arab Emirates-based chocolatier, Fix, which dreamed up a milk chocolate bar filled with shredded phyllo pastry known as kataifi and a pistachio cream filling. The actual name of the bar is “Can’t Get Knafeh of It,” referencing the traditional Palestinian-Jordanian dessert, knafeh, or kunafe, which is made by layering kaitefi with cheese, pistachios and a dousing of rose water syrup. Since it took off on social media, it’s been reinvented into everything from pastries, cakes and doughnuts to lattes and cold coffee drinks.

At Karak Café in Lisle, Dubai chocolate has become an ice cream sundae. The easily shareable dessert has two scoops of classic vanilla ice cream on a bed of chewy, chocolatey brownie pieces and melted milk chocolate gracing both the brownies and the ice cream. It’s topped with a generous drizzle of green pistachio cream. Typically, it’s served with a sugar cone on the side or a wafer stick.

A solid sundae — indulgent, sweet, texturally pleasing and messier with each dig — but it would be even better with a sprinkle of chopped up pistachios. The unassuming Muslim-owned cafe also makes a halwa sundae, based on a Desi confection with a fudge-like texture. — Zareen Syed

$7.99. Karak Café, 2004 Ogden Ave., Lisle, 331-775-2077, karakcafes.com

Sundae Mondays sundae at Longman & Eagle

Sundae with gochujang caramel, rice vinegar macerated peaches, crushed Honey Butter Chips, sesame seeds and Maldon sea salt over vanilla ice cream by chef Won Kim of Kimski restaurant for Sundae Monday at Longman & Eagle in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago on July 14, 2025 (Louisa Kung Liu Chu/Chicago Tribune)

Award-winning pastry chef Dana Cree of Pretty Cool Ice Cream and then-executive chef Max Robbins at Longman & Eagle launched a charitable series that was a beacon in the dark of 2020. Sundae Mondays at L & E in Logan Square, featuring toppings from an extraordinary roster of chefs, restaurateurs and creators — benefiting a charity of their choice — still persists every summer. A recent sundae by chef Won Kim of Kimski offered subtly spicy gochujang caramel with aromatic rice vinegar macerated peaches, crushed Honey Butter Chips, Maldon sea salt and nutty sesame seeds over a soft scoop of vanilla ice cream. It benefited The Montessori School of Englewood (with 70 low-income children ages 3 to 5 years old, many who are unhoused and rely on the school for food, clothing, health care and more), which will have to shut down if it does not receive federal funding by December. — LKLC

$5. 2657 N. Kedzie Ave., 773-276-7110, longmanandeagle.com

Dark Chocolate Citrus Sundae at Monteverde Restaurant and Pastificio

Citrus and chocolate are a common Italian duo as well-suited as strawberry is to cream. Some experimental scoop shops blithely sprinkle orange peel or extract in chocolate, but it can feel hollow or overly clever. They might take notes from Monteverde’s citrus dark chocolate sundae, which is plated alongside a whirlpool of marmellata, mandarin olive oil and toasted pistachios swirling in an umber cocoa sea.

Citrus and chocolate both can dabble in varying intensities of sweet, sour, bitter and florality — here, the focus is textural congruity and balance, not tartness or sweetness. The citrus isn’t infused into the ice cream, but that flavor still ripples through every bite, sans acidity, thanks to the shapely and precise pieces of fruit and peel.

And the biggest achievement of all? It’s actually a dark chocolate sorbet sundae, completely smooth, creamy and devoid of any crystalline ice. The dish is quietly, confidently vegan and gluten-free.

The West Loop restaurant offers the dish year-round and has different iterations depending on the citrus season and availability. Some intriguing possibilities include Cara Cara oranges and kumquats. — Ahmed Ali Akbar

$14. 1020 W. Madison St., 312-888-3041, monteverdechicago.com

Sunda Sundae at Sunda New Asian

The Sunda Sundae, featuring shaved ice, ube ice cream and assorted toppings, at Sunda Fulton Market on July 5, 2025. (Kayla Samoy/Chicago Tribune)

OK, yes, this might be a bit of an unconventional pick. But what makes a sundae a sundae? For the Chicago Tribune food team, we settled on there needing to be some sort of ice cream base and, of course, lots of toppings. And Filipino halo-halo is all about the toppings, which can range from sweet beans and fruit to bits of ube jam or even sprinkles of cereal for crunch.

Sunda’s take — which they do label as a sundae — features plenty of crunchy shaved ice topped with scoops of ube ice cream, chewy pandan coconut gels, red mung beans, lychee and flan. The mixture is well-balanced, served just cold enough so it doesn’t all melt into an unsightly ice cream soup. It comes plated beautifully in a glass for the perfect photo opp, but the accompanying bowl allows you to mix everything together just right so you can build the ideal bite without getting too messy. — Kayla Samoy

$15. 110 W. Illinois St., 312-644-0500, and 333 N. Green St., 312-900-0033, sundanewasian.com

Seasonal sundae at Void

The seasonal sundae with salted vanilla gelato, blueberry sorbet, cornbread toffee and buttermilk caramel at Void in Avondale. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Chefs Tyler Hudec and Dani Kaplan, along with co-owner and general manager Pat Ray, will always have a shot of house-made No-Lört waiting for you at their whimsical Italian American restaurant, but probably not the same dish of ice cream. The seasonal sundae at Void in Avondale changes constantly, utilizing creative techniques, but is always served in a silver coupe. One variation paired tangy-sweet blueberry sorbet with delicately salted vanilla gelato, topped with a crackling cornbread toffee and buttermilk caramel drizzled with the carefree abandon of summer. — LKLC

$12. 2937 N. Milwaukee Ave., 872-315-2199, voidchicago.com

By STEPHEN GROVES, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are imploring President Donald Trump’s administration to step up its role in addressing suffering and starvation in Gaza, with 40 senators signing onto a letter Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks and sharply criticizing an Israeli-backed American organization that had been created to distribute food aid.

In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Republican president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, the senators said the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, created in February with backing from the Trump administration, has “failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites.”

Palestinians inspect the site struck by an Israeli bombardment in Muwasi, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Monday, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mariam Dagga)

It marked a mostly united plea from Senate Democrats — who are locked out of power in Washington — for the Trump administration to recalibrate its approach after the collapse of ceasefire talks last week. Trump on Monday expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation and broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that people are not starving in the Gaza Strip. But it is unclear how Trump will proceed.

Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii said it was “not at all credible” to think the Israeli military — one of the most advanced in the world — is incapable of distributing food aid or performing crowd control.

“They made a choice to establish a new way of doing food distribution,” he said. “And it’s not working at all.”

The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, calls for a “large-scale expansion” of aid into Gaza channeled through organizations experienced working in the area. It also says efforts for a ceasefire agreement are “as critical and urgent as ever.”

The message was led by four Jewish members of the Democratic Caucus — Sens. Adam Schiff of California, Chuck Schumer of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Schatz — and calls for the return of the roughly 50 hostages, 20 still believed to be alive, held by Hamas since its Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

The signatures from most of the Senate Democratic Caucus on the letter show the extent to which Democrats have achieved some unity on a foreign policy issue that deeply divided them while they held the White House last year. They called for an end to the war that sees Hamas no longer in control of Gaza and a long-term goal of both an Israeli and a Palestinian state and opposed any permanent displacement of the Palestinian people.

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Meanwhile, Republicans are backing Trump’s handling of the situation and supporting Israel. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was satisfied with Trump trying “to referee that, but the Israelis need to get their hostages back.”

Still, images of the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza seemed to be reaching some Republican members of Congress.

Over the weekend, far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who routinely calls for an end to foreign aid, said on social media “what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific. This war and humanitarian crisis must end!”

For Schatz, it was a sign many Americans do care about suffering in other parts of the world, even after Trump won the election with “America First” foreign policy goals and kickstarted his administration by demolishing U.S. aid programs.

“They are seeing images of chaos, images of suffering that are either caused by the United States or at least could have been prevented by the United States,” Schatz said. “And it is redounding negatively to the president.”

Robert Wolf, more commonly and affectionately known as Bob, is no longer a kid, and hasn’t been for some time. He has long had white hair and a white beard, and his eyesight isn’t what it used to be. But he is still filled with the coltish enthusiasm that fuels his desire to create what he calls an “autobiography of America.”

That has been his mission for decades now, ever since he ran away from home and began to travel the country, hitchhiking and riding freight trains, stopping here and there and eventually capturing the thoughts and dreams, the fears and joys, the words of people across this country.

They are what some call “ordinary people” and what Wolf calls “everyday people,” and here is what one of them has to say in a new edition of “Coyotes and Stars: Stories from the American Southwest.”

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This is from Clyde Shepherd, cowboy: “We might start work at two-thirty in the morning, dependin’ on how far we were goin’, what pasture we were workin.’ … Wintertime, you wouldn’t hardly ever take a bath … I think about seventeen days was the longest I ever went without a bath.”

Shepherd is just one of the dozens of voices in the book; he is also the person to whom the book is dedicated and about whom Wolf writes, “I will never again meet a man like Clyde Shepherd. His was an open and welcoming nature that invited strangers into his life … He was one of those country folk, now gone.”

For a man who has earned degrees from Columbia University and the University of Chicago, as has Wolf, he is able to communicate honestly with everybody. That seems a manifestation of his sincerity and curiosity, characteristics that he once employed when he did a bit of writing for the Chicago Tribune. And it was during those 1980s years that he met and fell in love with and married the great singer Bonnie Koloc, who is a talented visual artist and whose photographic skills are responsible for the accompanying portrait of her husband.

Wolf began conducting writing workshops for homeless people in Nashville, where he and Koloc lived for a couple of years, and then did the same with farm workers after they settled in northeastern Iowa in 1990.

“I have always believed that anyone who can tell a story can write one,” Wolf says. “And that has been proven over and over in every workshop.”

As the stories began to pile up, it was Koloc who suggested that they deserved to be in book form. So Wolf founded Free River Press, which has published nearly 30 titles, highlighted by the bound story results of workshops held in the Midwest, Mississippi Delta and soon those from New York and Chicago.

“Coyotes and Stars” is the latest, “the outcome of 12 years of effort by many people.” It is a delight, though shadowed by the realization that many of the stories concern aspects of life that are vanishing. Or are already gone.

Here is Beulah Brannan, who ran a cafe: “I grew up on a ranch. My dad bought a farm and they drilled oil wells on it. Magic City was a little town that sprouted oil wells, and we had a little money… (But) after we lost our money, we just kind of existed, like everybody else… I was married in 1939. My husband and I had a prenuptial agreement: you go to the ballet and theater with me and I’ll go hunting and fishing with you.”

You will meet Wolf in some of his writings in the book, such as, “When I decided to create an American self-portrait through writing workshops, America still seemed a quiltwork of cultures that could be maintained. But now decades later, the quiltwork has vanished and can live only in the imagination.”

I would argue that they are also alive in the pages of this book.

Pat Speuda, artist in New Mexico: “I have a home with major appliances, my own paintings on the walls, and handmade shelves filled with books. My husband’s experiments with weed-based mulch paid off — we now have more vegetables than we can eat. And we are happy patrons of the new espresso bar on Route 66. Our cats have a hangout under the old travel trailer, and I have my little pool in the backyard, under the trees… I can’t do anything about the weather.”

Free River Press publications have been featured on such programs as “CBS News Sunday Morning,” on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” There was, for years, a weekly radio program, “American Mosaic with Robert Wolf,” with many stories from Free River Press books read by their authors.

Wolf and Koloc recently finished a book tour in New Mexico and Texas. “Bonnie does most of the driving. My eyes aren’t what they used to be,” Wolf told me. “She has been so supportive over these 35 years.”

He remembers the night they met. It was at the Green Mill and they were introduced by harmonica genius Howard Levy. At that point, Wolf had never heard Koloc sing but, he says, “Oh, we had a wonderful conversation.”

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

There is a saying, “Paris au printemps,” which means “Paris in springtime.” Perhaps there should also be a saying “Italia d’estate,” which means “Italy in summer,” because if my social media means anything, almost everyone that I know is there right now.

One great thing about having friends who travel is that they send you pictures — of food, sure, but also of drinks. A friend visiting Milan recently sent me a photo of her passion fruit spritz.

Aperol and Campari spritzes have been all the rage for quite some time now, which I’m sure warms the heart — and bank accounts — of Campari Group, which owns both brands. But just as suddenly as something hits it big in the cocktail world, just as suddenly, the variations start to appear.

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Fruit is the variation en vogue right now. There are a couple of ways to add fruit flavors to your next cocktail. The first is to use fruit-flavored liqueurs or vodkas. These certainly add the flavor necessary for cocktails. Liqueurs tend to be quite sweet, whereas flavored vodkas, especially good-quality ones, are usually not, or at least not as much. Both are incredibly consistent, which makes them a cinch in cocktails.

The second way is to use high-quality fruit syrups. You can make your own, or you can buy premium-quality versions. Just make sure that they use a sweetener that you are comfortable with. Most inexpensive brands are nothing more than high-fructose corn syrup and water.

You can also use purees or concentrates. Purees and concentrates have certain advantages over fresh fruit. If you use fresh fruit to make your own puree, you will need to add sugar, as fresh fruit is not nearly sweet enough on its own for cocktails. (It’s quite a bit more acidic than you think.) Purees can separate, which is both distasteful in appearance and problematic when mixing. I find that concentrates help mitigate that problem, and usually they have just enough added sugar for balance.

Lastly, you can use fresh fruit. This can be more difficult than you think, since fresh fruit varies during its season. For instance, at their peak, blackberries are fantastically sweet and delicious, but turn bitingly acidic and bitter just a week later. The answer to bitter has always been sweet. And the best cocktails are the right balance between the two. If you use fresh berries, you can muddle a few just for flavor. If you add more, you will have to add sugar in one form or another — honey, agave, sugar, etc. — to achieve that balance.

Here are four different fruit spritz variations, each made with a different method. (A special thanks to Joan for the passion fruit spritz recipe, all the way from Milan!)

Hugo Spritz

INGREDIENTS

3/4 ounce Alamere Spirits vodka

3/4 ounce Williams Sonoma elderflower syrup

1/2 ounce Meyer lemon juice

4 sprigs fresh mint (preferably peppermint, which has smaller leaves than spearmint)

1 ounce sparkling wine

3/4 ounce sparkling water

DIRECTIONS

Combine mint, vodka, elderflower syrup and lemon juice in a mixing glass with ice. Shake until well incorporated. Pour entire contents into a large wineglass, top with ice, and then add sparkling wine and soda. Stir gently to combine.

Passion Fruit Spritz

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce Lo-Fi Gentian Amaro

1 ounce Perfect Puree of Napa Valley’s Passion Fruit Concentrate

1 ounce sparkling wine

3/4 ounce sparkling water

DIRECTIONS

Combine amaro and passion fruit concentrate in a large wineglass filled with ice. Add sparkling wine and soda. Stir gently to combine.

Strawberry Spritz

INGREDIENTS

1 ounce Young & Yonder California Amaro

1 ounce sparkling wine

3/4 ounce sparkling water

3 stemmed, washed and sliced fresh strawberries (about 1 inch in diameter)

1 fresh strawberry with stem, washed

DIRECTIONS

Muddle strawberries in the bottom of a mixing glass until broken up. Add ice and amaro. Shake to combine and then pour the entire contents into a large wineglass. Add more ice, top with soda and sparkling wine. Stir gently to combine. Place the strawberry with the stem on top for garnish.

The limoncello spritz is a refreshing summer drink. (Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Limoncello Spritz

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 ounces Hanson Meyer Lemon Vodka

1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon juice

1/4 ounce simple syrup

1 ounce sparkling wine

3/4 ounce sparkling water

Washed Meyer lemon for zesting

DIRECTIONS

Combine vodka, lemon juice and simple syrup in a mixing glass with ice. Shake to combine and then pour the entire contents into a large wineglass. Add ice to fill and then top with soda and sparkling wine. Stir to combine. Zest lemon on top for garnish.

Jeff Burkhart is the author of “Twenty Years Behind Bars: The Spirited Adventures of a Real Bartender, Vol. I and II,” the host of the Barfly Podcast on iTunes (as seen in the NY Times) and an award-winning bartender at a local restaurant. Follow him at jeffburkhart.net and contact him at jeffbarflyIJ@outlook.com.