Operation dessert storm

Rosette Gonzales

Customers might have expected their dessert to melt when Nicolette

Sheridan of “Desperate Housewives” served ice cream cake Monday at

Cold Stone Creamery in Burbank.

In exchange for a donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation, ice

cream lovers and fans of the show received a free slice of ice cream

cake from 5 to 8 p.m. But Sheridan, who plays Edie Britt on the

prime-time soap about the private lives of suburbia housewives drew a

crowd of paparazzi in addition to donations.

“This is all about the children and children with life-threatening

conditions,” Sheridan said.

It was also about publicity. Photographers were held at bay by red

ropes and bouncers, while camera crews and reporters flooded the ice

cream shop, next to AMC 16 Theatres. Flashbulbs popped continuously

as Sheridan, dressed in a cream, chiffon tank top, folded rainbow

sprinkles into chocolate ice cream.

“This is a very, very taxing job,” Sheridan said. “You need to be

in good shape to work in Cold Stone Creamery.”

After a series of interviews and photographs, customers who made

donations to Make-A-Wish were allowed in the store.

Burbank residents Ruth Leon and Debra Lacsamana stumbled upon the

event and were glad to help a good cause while seeing one of their

favorite television stars.

“Any time you want to help out a foundation it’s great,” Leon

said. “And we love this show.”

The whole production might have been over the top, but it served a

purpose, said Nick Kostalas, 17, a survivor of Burkitt’s leukemia and

beneficiary of Make-A-Wish.

“If people aren’t given the opportunity, they won’t normally

contribute,” Kostalas said. “But if something like this happens, it

lets people donate without searching after it.”

This is the fourth year Make-A-Wish Foundation and Cold Stone

Creameries partnered to raise funds, which go toward granting wishes

of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Last year’s

event raised $675,000, said Kelli Seely, president and chief

executive of the foundation. The foundation grants more than 12,000

wishes annually, and last year about 200 of them were because of Cold

Stone Creamery fundraising, Seely said.

Cold Stone Creamery stores across the nation participated in the

event Monday, and Seely expects this year’s efforts to yield more

funds because more stores opened in the last year.

The store raised $603, employee Timothy Baiady said.

Owners Dave Siemienski and Howard Davidson opened the Burbank

store in April 2004. It sees a steady stream of customers, partially

because of its location next to the movie theater, Siemienski said.

But having a real star in the store attracted extra attention,

even if passersby didn’t know it was a fundraising event.

“She’s just serving ice cream, and they’re making a huge

production of it,” said Jesse Ward, who innocently followed a camera

crew past bouncers and into the store just to see what was happening.

From a distance, he couldn’t tell the event was for Make-A-Wish

but said he’d make a donation after being told.

Manager Kimmi Stephan beckoned customers toward the store, and

they trickled in. Larry Jemison, his wife and their 2-year-old son

waited for about 15 minutes for a few slices of chocolate ice cream

with white cake.

Despite the wait, the cause and ice cream were both good, he said.

* ROSETTE GONZALES is a news assistant, She may be reached at

(818) 637-3205 or by e-mail at rosette.gonzales@latimes.com.