The funky, freeze-dried snack that’s been embraced by backpackers, soldiers, and apocalyptic survivalists has one surprising secret: Among space explorers, it never took off.

In New York’s sultry summer of ’77, a whiskey-swilling old man befriends three latchkey kids with cartons of ice cream and haunting stories they’ll never forget.

He founded and sold gelato giant Ciao Bella. But nothing could keep him from getting back in the kitchen and dreaming with ice cream.

From the delight of a fresh scoop to the horror of the last lick, an autistic two-year-old’s first taste of gelato opens a window into his mysterious mind.

In the truck with a Mister Softee veteran who's been melting hearts in Queens for 27 years.