A cool new dessert shop has opened in Fort Worth with some exotic icy treats. Called Pop-Pop Feducchi’s Italian Ice & Ice Cream, it's a mom-and-pop food truck that just opened at 4621 Camp Bowie Blvd., next to River Crest Gas and Service.

As the name implies, Feducchi's specializes in two frozen desserts, both of which are rare in North Texas: Italian ice and Philadelphia-style ice cream.

Husband-and-wife owners Doug Cappleman and Kristine Tonkin have expertise: Tonkin grew up in Philadelphia where Italian ice is practically the city's official dessert. (They call it "water ice".) The city has dozens of Italian ice shops and is also home to national chains like Rita's.

“This has been my wife’s dream to bring real Italian ice to the south,” Cappleman says.

Texas is well-versed in shaved ice, in which a block of ice is shaved into a cup and drizzled with syrup. But Italian ice is made differently, in a process more similar to traditional ice cream: Blending fruit or juice with sugar and water, then whipping during the freezing process, with a result that melts in your mouth.

"We've reached a whole new level of smoothness by incorporating just the right amount of air during the mixing process," Cappleman says. “Our Italian ice achieves that irresistibly creamy texture you love in ice cream, but without any dairy."

They generally offer five to six flavors at a time, with fruit flavors such as watermelon, raspberry, and pineapple, and seasonal specialties like apple cider and pumpkin spice. A small is $4 and a large is $7.

The other side of their menu is Philadelphia-style ice cream, which is made from milk, cream, sugar, and flavorings — a simpler ice cream than the alternative French-style ice cream which incorporates eggs. Fans of Philadelphia-style ice cream swear by its "cleaner" less-muddied flavor and melty consistency.

Similar to the Italian ice lineup, Feducchi's does five to six ice cream flavors including the basic choc-van-straw, but also seasonal flavors like banana pudding, pumpkin cheesecake, and Key lime pie.

The food truck has been a second act for the couple, who decided to start their own company after feeling burned out in their careers. Both worked in the trucking industry, and saved for several years to be able to launch the business debt-free. They're open weekend hours: 5-10 pm Friday-Saturday-Sunday.

They found a niche at River Crest, whose owners they got to know because they've taken their car there for servicing for several years.

"We also wanted to stay in our neighborhood — we only live about 10 minutes away walking and maybe 3 minutes away driving," Cappleman says. "We both love the community of Arlington Heights and know a lot of the people here, it is great place to live."

They're in the fun phase, experimenting with recipes, seeing what sells best. Currently, it’s roasted ginger and plum spiced Italian ice. "We just made that on a whim because a customer was talking about how good the plums were right now,” he says.

The name of their truck is a mouthful but represents an homage to Tonkin's grandfather, who they called Pop-Pop. He coined the term “Feducchi” as a nickname for his grandchildren.

“We have not been able to find anything like it in the Italian language, but it was a term of affection,” Cappleman says.