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| The Sign in front of Jeni's Clintonville location |
I had just been introduced to Jeni's line of ice creams earlier in
the month during a visit of my then long-distance girlfriend and current
spouse. We had closed out a "date night" with a Jeni's "One
Night in Bangkok" sundae, a gloriously delicious combo of bananas and
Bangkok peanut ice cream, spiced with cayenne pepper, and topped by caramel
sauce, whipped cream, cherries, chopped Spanish peanuts, and a fortune cookie.
My better half already was into making ice cream at home, and I
thought a signed book would be a terrific surprise for her upcoming birthday.
Two thoughts crossed my mind: could I make it to the signing considering
rush hour traffic and lack of parking (not a chance; incidentally, she still did get the book for her birthday courtesy of her mom) and could Jeni's actually
make an impression outside of Ohio?
Well, three years later, we know the answer. Jeni's Splendid
Ice Cream pints are now available in stores across the country, including the
Bay Area. Jeni's stores are now established in several major cities around the
U.S. Ms. Bauer has also just released her second book and is now in the middle of her second nationwide book
tour.
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| Jeni's Mock Turtle Sundae honoring aviation pioneer Jerrie Mock |
My spouse and I have sampled numerous creations from Jeni's and have rarely had a scoop that had a "hmmm, that's just okay" impression. Over this time, both my spouse and I have made it routine to sample frozen confections from elsewhere, especially from shops in the San Francisco Bay Area. We're both unanimous that Jeni's more than holds its own.
That got me to thinking: what ice cream shop that I've tried in my former stomping grounds
did Jeni's remind me of the most?
After some thought, I gave that distinction to Humphry Slocombe, mainly for their own wild combinations
that many would never figure would work in an ice cream. Interestingly enough, the owner of Humphry Slocombe, Jake Godby, was raised in nearby Zanesville (as detailed in this New York Times article), which only adds to this state's reputation for producing great ice cream. However, the owners of these two nationally recognized stores take different tacks in regard to their frozen concoctions.
Godby takes a daring, more provocative approach in tweaking ice cream and food conventions in general; as stated in the New York Times article, Godby's "ice cream addresses two major grievances in the contemporary culinary scene: boredom with menus that all look the same, and irritation with the orthodoxy governing how we’re all supposed to eat (local, sustainable, organic, etc.)" This notion is further reflected the over-the-top names/flavors featured at his shop such as Prosciutto, Government Cheese and the flagship Secret Breakfast.
In contrast, Bauer takes the more conventional (as gourmet ice cream goes,) more measured and more inviting approach. As she has stated in interviews such as this one for Scoopalicious, flavors which make the final roster are developed and tested via team effort, and has firm belief that adults and especially kids are open to new flavor ideas beyond the typical ice cream shop fare. She is also firmly into sourcing locally at all her locations; for example, her Nashville location has partnerships with local brewer Yazoo and an excellent distiller that my spouse and I discovered on a trip into Kentucky, Corsair Artisan.
Godby takes a daring, more provocative approach in tweaking ice cream and food conventions in general; as stated in the New York Times article, Godby's "ice cream addresses two major grievances in the contemporary culinary scene: boredom with menus that all look the same, and irritation with the orthodoxy governing how we’re all supposed to eat (local, sustainable, organic, etc.)" This notion is further reflected the over-the-top names/flavors featured at his shop such as Prosciutto, Government Cheese and the flagship Secret Breakfast.
In contrast, Bauer takes the more conventional (as gourmet ice cream goes,) more measured and more inviting approach. As she has stated in interviews such as this one for Scoopalicious, flavors which make the final roster are developed and tested via team effort, and has firm belief that adults and especially kids are open to new flavor ideas beyond the typical ice cream shop fare. She is also firmly into sourcing locally at all her locations; for example, her Nashville location has partnerships with local brewer Yazoo and an excellent distiller that my spouse and I discovered on a trip into Kentucky, Corsair Artisan.
Well, what about those flavors? It's really impossible to pick out a favorite for me, so maybe it's more instructive to demonstrate my experience with a flavor that I would have looked at with a bit of askance in the past.
After sampling the very nice Petit Saison by local brewer Rockmill Brewery for dinner, I had business over in Grandview Heights at local coffee roaster Stauf's. When I passed by nearby Jeni's, the muggy conditions and mindset (I had had Jeni's newly released Pineapple Upside Down Cake flavor on my mind for several days beforehand) meant little resistance to drop by and sample one or two scoops.
Lo and behold, I had not known that Jeni's had also released a Saison with Sunflower Seeds and Flax flavor in collaboration with Rockmill. I asked for a spoon sampler, and my tongue was coated with a wonderful cornucopia of sour, sweet and salty goodness melting around the unexpected but welcomed texture in the pepita and sunflower seeds. This scoop was easily the taste highlight of the evening, and only confirmed that, indeed, Jeni's is doing something rather splendid.
4247 North High St (Clintonville - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 447-0500
- and -
1281 Grandview Avenue (Grandview Heights - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43212
(614) 488-2680
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Hi Jo & Chris! Can't wait to try Jeni's ice cream when we visit in September. You'll have to choose for us what flavor to try but I'm sure no matter what flavor...it's all good!! Nice "Blog" site.
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