The 104 degree heat that blanketed the parking of Project Yes on Lawrence Avenue in Ceres on Monday afternoon primed a small crowd for the delicious ice cream being sold from the new Cold Stone Creamery Mobile. It was the first time any crowd has been served by the trailer, the first for the company in California.

Nirmal and Rani Ahluwalia, owners of Ceres Dry Cleaners on Fourth Street, purchased the Vintage Faire Mall Cold Stone franchise in December 2012 and were looking for ways to expand sales.

"We decided that with the mall the way it is, we're not actually accessing a whole lot of people there," said Rani. "We are getting some but we can actually come out to the community and with the trend of more and more people going into mobile catering we followed that idea and we'll see how it goes."

The couple said they worked hard to save the cash to buy and retrofit the trailer, which can be requested at corporate events, birthday parties, weddings, quinceaneras, and school functions attended by at least 100 persons. The trailer may be requested for fundraisers as well.

The trailer was parked outside the Project Yes headquarters on Monday with the company sharing profits with the agency, which helps Ceres youth find jobs. The visit also lended itself to a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Ceres Chamber of Commerce.

Steve England, an area developer for Cold Stone, said the trailer is the first one in California and follows a successful model operating in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"This is the first full-service mobile trailer," said England.

The next big fundraiser will be in Oakdale on Aug. 9 for the Children's Guardian Home. England said the trailer will be taken to all over Northern California but primarily in the Valley.

Shaved ice refreshments, chocolate dipped strawberries and caramel apples are also sold from the trailer.

Requests for the trailer at an event may be emailed to vfmcoldstone@gmail.com or by calling 577-5500.