When I heard Shanika Sheppard, co-owner of a new two-for-one spot in Gahanna, compare her signature cold treat to Italian ice, her accent was clear as a bell—the Liberty Bell, to be exact.
Using proper Philadelphia-ese, Sheppard pronounced her chilly, Philly-style specialty at The Water Ice Shoppe (formerly stationed at Easton) as “worder ice.” This was a promising sign of authenticity from an operation that sells another Philadelphia specialty—cheesesteaks—in the same space under the name of Marlow’s Steaks.
More promising signs surfaced on the establishment’s nice little Creekside-area patio. That’s where Sheppard’s husband and business partner, Jomar Sheppard—his nickname is Marlow, and he often wears a Phillies baseball cap—informed me that their cheesesteaks, which the Sheppards originally sold from a food truck, are made with meat and rolls imported from the Philadelphia area, and those rolls come from the beloved Amoroso’s Baking Co.
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