Recently, Scoops Ice Cream owner Jerry Dunn said he mentioned to someone that has lived in Avalon for over 40 years that he had to leave to go make ice cream and when he asked “You make your own ice cream?”, Dunn realized then how little was known about Scoops.
The Islander asked Dunn to tell us a little more about the popular shop and how it came to be.
How did Scoops come to fruition?
Dunn: Scoops opened on September 15, 2015 after over a year of learning and research. Originally, my focus was on where to buy the best ice cream for the shop. While researching, I found out that the best ice cream was always made “in house” in what is known as a batch freezer. Following this realization and further committing to our vision of serving the best ice cream, my wife and I adapted our plan. This meant amongst other things, numerous talks to a third-generation batch freezer manufacturer, the grandson of the producer of the first U.S. made batch freezer. Later, we traveled to Florida to take ice cream making classes, and visited various ice cream shops using batch freezers. Several of the stores we saw had lines out the door. I never dreamed that could happen to a store with a small footprint on Catalina.
The Island Company didn’t embrace our ice cream shop idea at first. It took some convincing to convey the vision that we would be doing much more than simply selling ice cream, but rather make it “in house” and become more of a gelato café serving the best fresh made ice cream. After many talks and emails, they gave their blessing and we started on the design and development of the Scoops concept.
Explain your process in making ice cream
In my research, I had found that the Italians more or less invented ice cream. Determined to deliver the best, I opted for the Italian style display known as Pozzetti. Unlike the traditional visual display, which allows the ice cream to be seen through a glass top, the Pozzetti doesn’t display the ice cream, but rather stores it in perfectly tempered stainless-steel cylinders. These cases are known to not only keep constant temperature, but also prevent exposure to light and air which deteriorates the ice cream. This went against all common sense as people make decisions with their eyes. Not showcasing the ice cream could be a big mistake. After seeing several gelato shops, I decided to have a gelato case with the gelato decorated and showing and the ice cream in the Pozzetti cases.
Few people know that gelato is made exactly the same way as ice cream. The main difference between ice cream and gelato is butterfat content. Ice cream has to be at least 10% butterfat, while gelato is between 5% and 8%. At Scoops, we make our ice cream with 14% butterfat and our gelato with 8%. Heavy cream is the key ingredient of ice cream, both in price and richness of flavor. Most commercial companies stick to the minimum of 10% to avoid the extra cost at the expense of flavor.
What were some of the challenges of getting up and running?
Dunn: Once all equipment was in place, we were trained on site by an Italian ice cream chef. He showed us how to cook down fresh fruit for fresh strawberry, peach and other fruit ice cream. His recipe for “Triple chocolate” ice cream is a decadent combination of French Verona chocolate ice cream, fresh baked bits of brownies, and variegated warm “stracciatella” liquid Italian chocolate, which freezes into small bits when it hits the cold ice cream. A chocolate lovers’ heaven! It was very exciting to see our little shop begin to make the best ice cream with his help.
We constantly experiment with new and seasonal flavors. Our most recent addition is Banana Pudding ice cream, a huge hit, which is made with fresh bananas and small bits of vanilla wafer cookies. Our Pumpkin Walnut is a nice fall flavor to enjoy with any holiday dinner.
Ice cream and gelato remain our specialty and we continue to make them fresh every day with the best ingredients we can find. We have, however, added a few other treats over time – ice cream paninis and hurricanes, Starbucks coffee, fresh lemonade, French crepes, and acai bowls.
How have the challenges of 2020 affected Scoops?
The news that over 100,000 small restaurants across the United States have closed and are likely not coming back is disheartening. I feel blessed that we are able to operate with certain restrictions and keep our great staff working. We are creating moments where you take a break, sit on a bench with a friend or loved one to enjoy an ice cream with a bit of “happiness.”
I hope this helps all those that live in Avalon, as well as the visitors, to learn a bit more about Scoops and what we offer.
Does your business have a story to tell? Contact the Islander at editor@thecatalinaislander.com, or 562-317-1100.
