A new business in West Valley City can trace its roots to ABC’s popular TV show “Shark Tank.” Actually, its roots go back 300 years before that.

Crispy Cones opened its doors on Feb. 6 at 2885 S. 5600 West. It’s the third store owned by Andrei Popa and his wife Khemia. It offers a sweet treat that has been a European favorite for more than three centuries, but it’s still a bit new to the United States. Crispy Cones offers a fresh dough cone, grilled rotisserie-style and covered with cinnamon and sugar or a specialty powder. It’s then filled with gourmet soft-serve ice cream that can be topped with fruit or a variety of favorites.

“Our company founder, Jeremy Carlson, first learned about the cones when he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Czech Republic,” said Andrei, who is a native of Romania. “He wanted to make the dessert over here.”

Carlson, who was a student at BYU at the time, began experimenting in the kitchen with his wife Kaitlyn. In 2018, they set up shop in a canopy tent on the side of the road, selling grilled dough cones stuffed with fresh fruits. The turning point came when they added soft-serve ice cream, and the couple opened two storefronts in Logan and in Jeremy’s hometown of Rexburg, Idaho. The young couple were successful, but financially challenged in their early years of marriage.

“They took the idea to ‘Shark Tank’ in 2023,” Andrei said. “That’s when one of the sharks, Barbara Concoran, offered $200,000 for a 20% equity in the business.” From that point on, Crispy Cones expanded and began franchising locations. The Popas are franchisees for three stores, the other two in Provo and Draper.

“Everything we make in our store is done from scratch,” Andrei said. “We mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then roll it out on some dowels and wait for the dough to rise. Then we put them on our grills. It takes about an hour and half from start to finish, a lot of time but necessary to create these cones. We are a true bakery.”

Khemia, who grew up in the Salt Lake Valley and attended Brighton High, said the cones are a big hit with Utah families, especially young children who are fascinated by both the taste of the cones and ice cream, and their decorations. 

The Crispy Cones franchise has grown markedly, with more than 30 locations open or in the planning stages in 16 states. In addition to the Popa’s stores, there are two locations in Logan and Layton.

The Crispy Cones West Valley store is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 11 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to midnight. It’s closed on Sundays.

You can find the menu at crispycones.com/westvalley.