The scoop on Connecticut’s best ice cream

Connecticut Public, StoryCorps and Morning Edition are marking America's 250th with a time capsule of stories featuring you. Match with a stranger from a different part of the country and talk about your lives. Sign up at connect250.org. This is where we live from Connecticut Public Radio. I'm Catherine Shen. So we still got about more than a month of summer left, and nothing says summer quite like one classic treat. Made up your morning, Jeff? I'll take chocolate. I like ice cream a whole lot. It tastes good when days are hot. On a cone or in a dish, this would be my only wish. The only good thing about being wounded in the buttocks is the ice cream. No ice cream, no peace. No ice cream, no peace. That's my ice cream cone. Great. Now let them have it. You can have it. Say thanks. No! So, of course, we're very excited to talk about ice cream today. Did you know that your average American digs into about 5.5 gallons of ice cream every year? That's 44 pints, according to the ice cream scholars known as Ben and Jerry's. Today, we're going to get the inside scoop about how we love this sweet treat so much. We'll go behind the scenes at one of Connecticut's best-known dairies to learn how ice cream is made, meet the makers behind some of the state's most creative scoops, and hear from an ice cream lover who's tried nearly every stop in Connecticut. Joining me now is Chris Casiello, Eratusa Farm Dairy's plant manager. Chris, thank you so much for being on the air, being on the show today and on the air. That's good. Thanks, Katz. It's wonderful to be here. Okay, so Arithusa Farm Dairy in Litchfield County is known for its award-winning cheese and ice cream. And of course, today, we're going to go behind the scenes to learn about how that frozen treat makes us way from the farm to the freezer. But before we get to the ice cream itself, Chris, tell us more about Arithusa Farm. What makes it such a special place? Well, the farm has been around since 1868, you know, so it's got a huge tradition in Litchfield. You know, we've just protected those 140 acres as a nonprofit foundation that we're going to use to educate children on. So we'll have that for generations to come. So. I love the history behind the farm and sort of coming to a present day moment. How did you find your way into this work? Did you always know you want to make cheese and ice cream? No. So people come into the dairy world in two ways. Either they come in through the farm side or the culinary side. I came in on the farm side. So I was milking cows for about 10 years of a small farm down in Fairfield County. And I was using the milk down there in different products. And then George and Tony, the founders of Erethusa, came along and I had some contact with them, and they really wanted to use the milk from their 300 cow herd in their own product. So I transitioned from making stuff on a very small scale there to making stuff on a much larger scale at Erethusa. What was the transition like? Was it a challenging one, a difficult one, or pretty straightforward?

It's scary, right? There you go. You went from making 30 gallon batches to 300 gallon batches. So it was slightly terrifying, but it's fun. You know, I come from really a science background, and all of this is a mixture of chemistry and artistry, and I think that's the fun part. So it's always a challenge, and that's been exciting for me for the last 18 years. Well, and with that sort of transition in mind and being in this space today, when someone walks into the dairy store for a scoop, what do you hope they're tasting besides the obvious flavors? Well, you know, I want to, we really have an old school model here, you know. We don't, we do basic flavors really well. So, you know, I want them to. field of freshness, you know, that it's, it is local and that every flavor has been, you know, handcrafted individually to make the best possible product. You know, I think our base products, the vanilla strawberry and chocolate just super stand out. And then the other flavors, you know, are really just taking it to the next level. So we're going to talk more details about all the flavors and all the ice cream that's available on the farm. And a lot of dedication, of course, goes into making a delicious scoop of ice cream where we live, producer Chloe Wynn, got a chance to visit the Arathusa Farm and Retail Shop. Let's take a listen here. It's 1 o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, and nearly every bench outside Arithusa Farm Dairy is filled with people enjoying ice cream. Inside, I meet Sharon Rising. She works behind the counter, and she has an essential task. We scoop the ice cream to make people happy. We bring happiness to people. At Arithuza, happiness comes in lots of flavors. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, coffee, sweet cream with chocolate chip. But getting that perfect scoop starts much earlier than the ice cream counter. I'm Patrick Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. I'm the Arthusa Farm Foundation manager for the whole farm. I take care of all the animals, the property, and the facilities. Whether he's caring for sheep, chickens, goats, or cows, Patrick's goal is simple. Keep the animals happy. Happy cows mean to produce milk. So cow comfort's super important. It turns out a lot goes into cow comfort. Beds, you know, that's one thing, the bedding. There's fans. It's too hot in the barn. A lot of people put scratchers in their bonds or misters, and they're going to keep them cool and happy. I was expecting to hear mooing cows, but in here, right now, they're quiet. Patrick says that's a sign they're happy. It means they're not stressed, yeah. They've been mooing like crazy, and of course, when you come, they're not. Getting ice cream to the scoop shop takes a few more steps beyond the milking parlor. So when we milk them goes into the tank, it's chilled immediately, and there's a spinner on the tank that keeps it agitated, and then the milk truck driver will pick it up that day, and we'll ship, and it end up to a processing plant like Arithusa. For plant manager and head cheesemaker Chris Cassiello, all that work pays off.

So there is some satisfaction where you see that customer enjoying that and the kids come in and there's a line out the door on Saturdays and that's something to be proud of. And I think my staff takes a lot of pride in that. So whether it's one in the afternoon on a Wednesday or nine in the morning on a Saturday, Sharon Rising at the counter says there's never a bad time for ice cream. People come in and say, oh, I feel it's too early for ice cream. And I say, absolutely not. That's your calcium for the day. Plus, it's a good mental thing. It just perks you up. It just gets your day going. So Sharon just gave us a really good reason to go get ice cream right after the show today. And I think there's a lot of people nodding, not just at the table, but also behind the scenes. So we just had a look at the Arathusa Farm and retail shop in Vantam. Chris, people think of ice cream as a simple treat. But really, making good ice cream is surprisingly technical and quite complicated. So what are some of the details that people don't usually see? Well, you know, at Erethusa, we make our own, we make a different mix for every flavor. So it's, it's really from cow to cone, and we balance all those flavors, the sugar, the solids, the flavors that you add, the fat level, all has to be. mixed correctly to get the same mouth feel with every different flavor. You know, if I make maple walnut, I add a ton of maple syrup, right? It's not just a background flavor. And that changes that sugar level in a huge way. And that's a different sugar than than the normal cane sugar. So you have to balance that with some added solids. And, you know, when you're making coconut. ice cream when we use coconut cream in there. There's a lot of added additional coconut fat, and we have to balance that out with pulling some cream out. So it's, I think the difference between Erethusa and a lot of other ice creams is the fact that we've tailored every single mix to every single flavor. So, you know, mint chip is different than vanilla and, you know, sweet chip is different than coffee. I think it really shows when with the consistency across all of them with the mouthfield and then the in the way the flavors just kind of jump right out. And so when you're developing a new flavor like the like what you were describing just now, where do you begin? You know, is it inspiration, ingredients, texture, what comes first and who gets to decide what flavor, what new flavors to try out? Yeah, like I said before, we, you know, we like to keep them fairly simple. You know, I don't, you know, I don't think we need moose tracks or, you know, like something with a ton of stuff in there, right? I really want to showcase the ice cream. And then the inclusions just, just help it out, right? So, you know, we did all the basics to start, you know, our best selling flavor is the flavor has no flavor in it. It's sweet chip, you know, it's just the ice cream base the way it's made with some, with a beautiful chocolate flake at it.

Uh, the The process really comes down to what we think is going to work well. You know, we do like to do traditional New England flavors. You know, I do a rum raisin in the fall. I do a cranberry, which is fun. We do an amazing pistachio. But the basics, the coffee, the chocolate, strawberry, mint chip. They're all, I call them like adult flavors. There's a lot behind them. They're very strong. And I really like to get as much. much flavor out of those uh out of those basic flavors that i can have you ever had a flavor gone wrong sure uh i mean the first some of them you know i make uh i make a peppermint stick and in around christmas and i didn't realize how how much that peppermint was going to melt in that in that final ice cream so it was just so soft it was hard to scoop And it only makes it once a year. So the learning curve is pretty steep. Well, there you go. Well, I bet the scientists inside of you is relishing in the experiments. Well, and if someone handed you a spoonful of dairy-based ice cream with no label, what tells you immediately whether it's well made? Well, you really know by the mouth feel like ice cream is a foam. It's a frozen foam. And the amount of air in it. you know, is really depends, you know, is what will carry the flavor. So too much air, like 100% overrun, as they call it, at least 100% added air, will soften those flavors. So we're, we run like a 30 to 40% overrun. So it's a very dense ice cream of high butterfat. So you can feel that in the mouthfield and you can feel the density of it when you take a bite. And then really what the, how the flavors come out, you know, are they? Is it just one note or does it kind of rise and then fall as you try it? So I really, if I go into an ice cream shop, the first thing I do is I ask for their vanilla and then I try that and I know right away whether they're doing a good job or not. Well, happy news for vanilla fans. And from here, from happy cows to the perfect scoop, there's a lot more behind ice cream than meets the eye or meets the mouth. Coming up, we'll meet the founders of Viola Lacteia, who's a frozen dessert shop putting their own spin on this iconic summer treat. And let us know what's your can't miss ice cream spot. And what about a favorite flavor? We want to hear from you. Find us online at where we live. Email us at where we live at CT public. or give us a call 888720967. This is where we live. Stay with us.

Support for this podcast comes from Hartford Health Care. Elevating Health is funded by Hartford Health Care. Hernias are not uncommon and they shouldn't be ignored. Dr. Patrick Crosby, a minimally invasive surgeon at Hartford Health Care, describes what they are and why they won't go away on their own. Hernias are very common and they happen in certain locations, some more common than others, like your belly button where your umbilical cord used to be or the groin or areas in when you had prior surgeries and that tissue is just weaker than it was before. So a hole can open and stuff from inside your abdomen can go in through that hole and get stuck. They won't disappear. So even if you notice a bulge that doesn't cause any symptoms, you should still look for a surgeon. Most hernia surgeries are much less invasive than they used to be. Dr. Crosby explains. 80% of the surgeries we do are outpatient surgeries, and surgery takes about two, three hours tops, and you go home the same day. When you do get a robotic surgery, recovery is way faster. To learn more, go to ctpublic.org slash elevating health. This is where we live from Connecticut Public Radio. I'm Catherine Shen. There are countless ways to make ice cream, and some makers are rethinking what that process can look like. Still with us is Chris Casillo from Eritusa, or he is the Eritusa Farm Dairy's Plant Manager. And joining us now is Renato Sanchez and Lori Alessaya. co-founders of Vea Laktea, which is an ice cream company that started as a small experiment between friends and grew into a James Beard nominated business. Thank you so much, Lori, and Renato for being with us today. Thank you for having us. So, Lori, take us back to Puerto Rico. You weren't exactly planning to build an ice cream empire. So how did a fun day making ice cream become the beginning of your ice cream store? Well, I would say that it comes from just loving the treat. Like, if you love something and you just become more and more curious about it and find out that, you know, this is something that people need, not just something that people like. We tend to say that we are always, like, surviving and striving to be ourselves and be a good person in the world, but sometimes you just need to chill. You just need to, like, live. And it's so, like,

how do you say, small experience that lasts like a minute and you have to savor all of it before it melts. So we love that and we love the creativity that goes behind it. And that's how we started. So many thoughts going through my brain right now, as you can kind of witness. But I'm thinking the experience is sort of small, big joys is kind of what I call them. And I appreciate you not only helping us surviving, but also help us thriving. Exactly. Exactly. Well, Renato, tell us more about what was it like making that first batch. You know, where were you both? We were at a small galley kitchen at Lori's apartment. We. probably made about a gallon of ice cream and we were like oh my god this is so much ice cream now it's like nothing so yeah that was our first experience and i remember distinctly because i am heavily lactose intolerant and lorry the first time she got me to her kitchen we made a plant-based dark chocolate which is my favorite and so i would have chocolate for the first time in like seven years and it was Amazing. Well, congratulations. That is a really big deal. Yeah, I remember he sent me a picture of the pint and it had a bite mark. And I was like, oh my God. And he's like, this is crazy. Like, how did we actually make this happen? Can't confirm. I did bite into it. The fact that it has teeth marks in it, that's telling you something. So, I mean, I want to know more about how did that come about? Because when we think plant-based, I don't know what people think about when we're talking about plant-based, but I'm assuming it's a process to get to that moment. Yeah, so everything started in 2018. We actually did dairy-based, and then we did some plant-based favors. That's how we started. But we found out that... shortly because of customers that they wanted plant-based more because we were the only place that was really putting an effort. It wasn't just some sorbet. Yeah, we were making praline, chocolate, chocolate, coffee, pistachio. And so, yeah, because they were like, oh, wait, they're doing traditional flavors, but plant-based options, and it's actually creamy. It's actually, you know, there's some thought behind it. And we noticed after a couple of years of opening a story in Puerto Rico that dairy sales were dropping and the plant-based sales were going up. And we decided to, you know, get some action based on sales. That's how it started. Streamline the whole thing. Well, and then talking about streamlining, Lori, because once you committed to plant-based ice cream, you realized that there wasn't really a roadmap. And I remember sort of being in the midst of that cultural shift, I think, where many people...

prefer to go dairy-free or they just want to change up their palate. So most of the science and education around frozen desserts assumes you use dairy. So how do you build something creamy and scoopable when you're essentially inventing the recipes ourselves? So since I am not that, I'm a little sensitive to dairy. So I have had a lot of dairy in my life and I have had a lot of, you know, a reference to actually make a plant-based ice cream be creamy and, you know, that mile full and the ice crystals could be smaller. Like, I went to Penn State short course for ice cream science. So I did have a little basic. I didn't make any ice cream then. So I think I had something of reference. pretty rounded. And, you know, you have to substitute the fats. You have to substitute basically the proteins and other solids. But it's basically the same thing, I would say. Our ice cream, our frozen dessert is... High in fat, actually. And we do have the air incorporated in it, like the overrun it's there also. So I would say that it's pretty much the same thing. We're just substituting a couple of things. The chemistry behind it is essentially the same. Also, she will be humble and she won't say that she was the pastry chef for a top restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Yeah. So she was trained in classic pastry, empathy. Yeah. So, I mean, she did just confirm that. Well, and I love that you have the course ice cream science in your CV. So because of your background as a chef, as a pastry chef as well, were you surprised at the amount of science and chemistry that goes behind it? Because I think it's one of those things where I think most of us are aware of the behind the scenes, but that's not really the first thing you think about when you're enjoying your ice cream cone. Yeah. So the science behind it is... I'm not very good at math or science, but I love to. I'm very curious. So if I know that something is mostly fat or mostly sugar, I know how to balance things out. And I don't know, I have this ability, I guess. I don't know, you would call it. I like to... I don't know, if I have a problem, I want to solve it. And I try to get as many options as I can. And so I'm more of a creative part, and then Rinaldo is more of the numbers part. So that's where he comes in and helps me out a lot with this stuff. Like formulations, I'm like, oh, this is more fat. Okay, so how many grams do we need of? coconut fat. Oh, I think it's, I would say 100 grams. And he's like, oh, maybe 50. I think that's too high. So it really is a thing of...

someone that helps you out in the process. I appreciate that because I'm one of those people that when I'm cooking, I'm usually channeling what my ancestors are telling. That's how I do it. Measuring cups. I'm a chef, you know, so. Well, and Chris, I want to pose this question to you because you're working with dairy. And even though the two places, your ingredients, I'm assuming, is a little different. How much leeway is there when you're creating your dairy-based ice cream? Are there measurements that are tricky to get exactly right? Yeah, it's all about balance. You know, any ingredient that I add or flavoring that I have to add, I have to pull something out or bring something in. So like chocolate is a – chocolate's a fiber, right? So it adds a lot of solids, and I want to much flavor in there as possible. So I add as much chocolate as possible. But, you know, if you don't pull out a little bit of the milk solids, you know, it would be so thick you can't even get a spoon in it. So it's stuff like that you have to play with it really get to get a balance. Well, then Ram Nadal, Chris, same question to you, that you're working with dairy with different ingredients. Tell me about your process. You know, is there an overlap in what you're chasing in the finished product, texture, mouth feel that we've been talking about, the melt? Yes, for sure. I think I echo Chris that whenever you add a different ingredient, you always have to make sure that the percentages are there. So it's because, yes, number one, it has to be scoopable. I've seen people struggle just making a scoop if it's too solid. Right. And for me, the... We like coconut milk in our flavors because it does provide that necessary fat in order to make creamy ice cream. That's why we have avoided nut milks. Aside from the whole, like, I can go on about the allergy aspect of using like almond or cashew milks. Coconut milk is way less of an allergy thing. And we're not bringing necessarily a lot of ingredients in there. The coconut has everything we need. We just have to find a way to sort of communicate it effectively depending on the flavor. Exactly. Yeah. So something I say about coconut milk is people are, oh, it tastes like coconut. And I'm like, of course it tastes like coconut. Like that's the base. And they're like, when you eat ice cream, you're going to taste the milk. So in this case, you just have to close your eyes and be like, okay, this is what's going on. Like, let me just shift it, the mindset, you know? It's not that different, actually. And it's a lot more neutral too. So the flavors are like... bursting in your mouth like instantly. So it's not going to melt as well as dairy, but you do get this aroma that is crazy different and very exciting to have. But also whenever we need to, we can hide the coconut. Yeah, we can hide it. We know how to do that. I've had people taste our chocolate be like, wait, there's coconut in this? Uh-huh. I don't like coconut, wait, but I like this. So how does that make sense? And that's where the chemistry comes in, because I'm going to give you a little hint for everyone that's hearing. The coconut flavor comes from something called loric acid.

let's, we can do the chemistry right there and see how to neutralize. And that's how you do it. Well, we're all writing that down. Well, and Chris, as you're listening to this, we were talking earlier about you pay a lot of attention to the mouth feel. And of course, you know, people come to your farm too wanting simple flavors. And I feel like that's the theme today where we're not going too complicated. We're not going too fancy. We're kind of going back to the simplicity of ice cream. Do you find people coming to the farm? Are they, this sounds like a funny question, but do you feel like they're tasting things differently? Because I feel the context for me is I never thought I was going to have a conversation about ice cream that's going into this kind of detail and talking about the texture, right? Talking about the ingredient, talking about the chemistry. And I'm thinking, are people coming to your shop asking or looking for sort of a different experience with their ice cream? I think so. I mean, we're an old school ice cream shop and an old school dairy. We keep our ingredient label really simple, right? I mean, I don't use any, you know, the emulsifier is egg yolks. I use a ton of egg yolks. So I think they come in expecting the, there's no toppings at Erethusa, you know, it's just the ice cream and we make our own waffle cone. So I think they really want a traditional experience where they're showcasing that ice cream and what dairy can do, you know, like from the farm, coming full circle from the farm to, you know, from the cow to the cone. So they can have that whole experience and really kind of simplify it down to the basic what makes ice cream great. Well, learning so many of these things today, including chocolate, did not know that was a fiber, Chris. Is there any flavor that you make that's consistently a fan favorite? You know, anything that your customers are begging you to keep on the menu. So our pistachio, you know, when I make pistachio, I don't make it. You know, a lot of pistachios are really almond-based flavorings, you know. So our pistachio is just pistachio. And so I get the pistachios flown in from New Mexico and I grind them up into make a pistachio butter. And then I use that as the background. And then I added the salted roasted. pistachios in as we go. It's just super labor intense, and I have to charge a lot for it because there's about, there's two pounds of pistachio in every gallon of mix. So, yeah, it gets price quick. But it's just amazing, and I think it really pairs well with, you know, with the butterfat levels that we have and the way we make it. It's really mind-blowing. So lots of nodding here when it comes to pistachio. So Renato and Relori want to ask you, too, what are some of the flavors that are the biggest hits among your customers? At least in our story, New Haven, the top flavor is praline, or as locals like to call it, butter pecan. So we make our house-made caramel. We roast our own pecans. We candy them. And then we do a caramel base in it as well. I think that if I ever stop making it, they will find where I live.

and I need to keep making it. In fact, we're going to make that today when we go into the kitchen because we're low again, I'm pretty sure. Yeah, well, in Puerto Rico, I would say people love our chocolate. Like, our chocolate is the most difficult ice cream to formulate, if I'm honest. And chocolate is very difficult to finding good quality and a good price. And we've been having to change that formula throughout the years a couple of times. I would say like six times. Because we need non-dairy. We need non-dairy chocolate, exactly. So we tend to use 100% cacao. So it's not sweetened. It has any other ingredients in it. And then the other ice cream that, well, it's not read it. Ice cream is a sorbet. People love... coconut and passion fruit together. Like, they go crazy for it. It's very traditional in Puerto Rico and also the lemongrass ginger. And we use local product as well for those. Well, and then so Renato, clearly the recipes you use at Violacteia are working because the two of you were nominated for a James Beard Award. So that is incredible and amazing. Can you tell us about the morning that you found out? What was it like? It was amazing. So I woke up to a very beautiful text from a good friend that I haven't heard from for a... three months being like, you deserve it. Congratulations. This is so well earned. And I'm like, what is that? Thank you so much. What are you talking about? It's like, haven't you heard? And I'm like, I'm just barely waking up. No coffee in my system. When people know me, they know I need coffee. And I'm like, no, what's happening? And she sent me the Eater article about it. I thought it was a prank. I thought I was being made fun. I'm like, where's the cameras? So I got online. I saw it. I opened Instagram. My notifications on Instagram are muted because my phone would die. It started, my phone started glitching. So I know, I'm like, this is real. So I called Lori. You were already, like, at the office working or something? I was decorating an ice cream cake. And I was covered in ice cream and frosting. I'm like, please drop everything. You need to get in your computer right now. And that's how we found out, a very beautiful text from a friend. Yeah. So it sounds like you were both in the most perfect place for what happened. Grinding. Well, and what is that like now that you have some time for that to sink in and you've experienced that? And to know that this started as a fun day with a fun experiment with a good friend. And now that you're here.

must be surprising or a shock in a good way, obviously. I keep being surprised because we're always working so hard and so much. And we almost never take the time to be like, oh my God, let's step back and see what have we done. Usually, Raynaldo's the one that does that. It's like, Lori. We did this. And I'm like, oh, my God, yes, we did. Oh, my God. That happened. I would say the word that I would like to use is validating. Validating. Having that recognition on the stage, this big stage. Because that category, the outstanding bakery category, doesn't have a region like chefs to do at the James here. So it's all 50 states and territories. And we were also the first dessert shop in Puerto Rico to receive that as well. So one of 20. is a big deal. Well, I want to ask you sort of a side note question because you said the word validating. If I were to pose a question to both of you to create a flavor that tastes like validation, what would it be? Oh, my God. That's a good question. I think it would have something from Puerto Rico. Yeah, of course. I think we need to, that's one of the ways we create our flavors is we, number one, we see what's fresh in the market, but we also try to honor our roots and our heritage. So I would say it would have to be something with guava. With guava. I would love to have, like, instead of just a flavor, I would do a Sunday because I love a good Sunday. So I remember once we made a coffee ice cream with cocoa nibs. The coffee was local. The cocoa nibs were local. And we had also a passion fruit sorbet. And I made a Sunday out of that. And I was so proud of making that because I know that a lot of people, a lot of the hands were behind all that. And I was making it shine. I was like, oh my God, I can't believe. Like, I'm so proud of this, you know. So I would say, I would say I would make that again. Yeah. Well, and actually, Chris, I want to pose the same question to you because coming from, you know, we're talking about heritage and roots and you are coming from a lot of history with Erethusa Farms. If you were to create an ice cream that sort of validates the history of the farm, what would you, what would you go about doing that? How would you go about doing that? Yeah, wow, that's a tough one. You know, I think that the... The basic flavors that we do, you know, are really validate. You know, when I see the line out the door and the kids, you know, the kid's mouth covered in chocolate and the mom's trying to keep the cones from melting all over the place, you know, that's my validation right there, you know, the fact that they can, you know, they run out of waffle cone. You know, they'll make 800 waffle cones and run out of waffle cones in a day. So, you know, that's kind of it.

Have you ever witnessed a kid licking their ice cream and then the ice cream fell off their cone? You know, the waffle cones are really big and so there's a lot of room in there. I'm sure it's happening. Because I have had that happen to. I would look away. I would look away. I had that happen to myself. It was traumatizing. It was not a waffle cone. It was just like one of those cake cones. So I think I was a little too aggressive. But the lady saw it happen. So then she gave me a replacement cone. So it could have been a lot more traumatizing. She should. Good. Right. Thank you. Thank you. Talking about cones, something that's very validating. I want to keep it in subject is we offer, we started offering a gluten-free cone at our store because we wanted for everybody to be able to eat it. And I remember we were selling this a couple years ago. I don't know if you remember this one. But there was this little kid with mom. And they were having some of our flavors. And the mom asked me, oh, is this really gluten-free? Like, is this real? I'm like, yeah, we make them. Like, I'm sure. And she's like, okay, so he'll have a cone. And the kid, like, sad face, pulled on mom's dress and was like, no, mom, I can't have that. She's like, no, no, no, you can. The kid's face. Enough validation. That was it. Like, he was so, we were his first cone ever. Yeah. Well, we all are starting to cry. Thank you so much. And then sort of following that threat of thought, and before we go to break, I want to pose a question to all three of you. Because, I mean, that story about the cone is perfect for this question in terms of you are all so incredibly intentional about how you make your products. And that extends beyond the recipes, right? You know, you've also thought a lot about the environmental impact of running your businesses. So can you tell me more about how you do that? Chris, why don't you go first? Yeah, so we try to do, we try to keep everything, like I think of this full circle model, you know, from the, from the farm, you know, the open space that the farm provides, the other farms that we're keeping in business by bringing their milk in, you know, it's just, it's, I think keeping it local is really. The best way to do that, you know, to add the jobs to the economy, the employees that we have here. And I think that really makes us sustainable. And what about you, Renaud and Lori? So in our case, we first started with the mission of doing everything compostable. So it would be a zero waste experience for customers since day one, which was a little bit difficult sourcing everything in Puerto Rico. Here in New Haven, it's been a little bit easier. And then also in Puerto Rico, over 50% of all of our energy needs are met through solar because we have our own solar production. area and so that's the majority that the bulk of our energy comes through that because you know it's always shining on a tropical island so it's it's the best way and you know it's very green ice cream yeah and we use uh even the um the flesh of the fruit like the we don't discard it we make syrups we make a lot of stuff so we like to use everything till the last bit

We've been talking about the science and creativity behind making ice cream, but there's another reason why we love this so much is the memories attached to it. Coming up, we'll hear from an ice cream enthusiast whose visit shops all across Connecticut and talk about why a simple scoop can sometimes mean so much more than a dessert. This is where we live. Stay with us. August is National Make-A-Will Month. Connecticut Public has partnered with free will to offer a free, simple, online estate planning tool. Enjoy peace of mind and security for your loved ones by setting up your will today in less than 20 minutes. You can also create a lasting legacy gift to Connecticut Public that supports your favorite programming for future generations. Your legacy starts here. Visit ctpublic.org slash visionary today. You don't have to travel far to discover something amazing. Connecticut's Hidden Gems is back with a new season exploring unique destinations, local favorites, and unforgettable experiences across the state. Whether you're looking for your next day trip or simply want to see the state in a new way, there's always something waiting to be discovered. With support from the Mortensen Foundation, watch Season 2 of Hidden Gems Now at ctpublic.org slash hidden gems. This is where we live from Connecticut Public Radio. I'm Catherine Shen. This hour, we've been screaming for ice cream and we focused on the craft of making this delectable dessert. So now, let's talk about the reason why all that work matters, the people who eat it. Joining us now is Craig Behoon, who's a Connecticut teacher who's made at his mission to visit ice cream shops across the state. Craig, thanks so much for joining us. Absolutely. I'm always up for talking about ice cream. Well, your quest to visit Connecticut's ice cream shops started because you were trying to get your son to fall asleep in the car, right? Which I think would resonate with so many people. So tell me more about that. How did that become a statewide hobby? So my son was born in 2015. The Connecticut magazine had just come out. I think it was the June issue, and they had their top 10 ice creams places to try. So we said, you know, let's go try all these out so he could get some naps and we could try some stuff. I was also on a mission to find a great chocolate chocolate chip, which isn't out there much. I ended up finding it at Ashley's. But so we started with those 10 and then we just kept going and going. And now we've been to 345. total places 264 just in Connecticut many have since closed many have opened since so there's always something new to try but like now if we want to try a place we haven't been to it's at least an hour drive and Connecticut's not that big so to drive an hour Connecticut is we've made everything in our little sphere

So putting a lot of mileage into your... I just actually traded in a truck. I had a pickup truck. I traded in for a hybrid Kia just to get better gas. Speaking of environmental impacts, I were talking about. Yeah, it's a tax write-off too now. Well, so I'm not aware of too many ice cream haters out there, but what do you think it is about ice cream that makes us such a beloved treat? You know, talk about... it being sort of a beloved summer tradition, you know, kids having their first licks of an ice cream cone, or in my case, first sort of downfall of a scoop of ice cream when I... Was too aggressive. Do you know how many shoes I've ruined? Not pants or shirts, but sneakers that I've ruined by spilling chocolate ice cream on them. Okay, well, that makes me feel so much better than myself. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. I mean, what is bad about eating ice cream? You're out having a good time. It's never a bad experience, I would hope, except for some laundry issues. But... You know, it's usually celebrating something, maybe a good report card. Maybe you had a baseball game. Maybe you're just, you know, the family's around. So it's always associated with good memories. I said once before, I don't know how people took this, like, you know, you don't go. to Carvel to tell you that Grandpa died or anything, you know, like you want to have good memories associated with your ice cream. You know, you just reminded me that my grandma did trick me into getting a flu shot. That's a good. Literally just a memory that I remembered right now. So, yes, incentivize your ice cream trip. So have your children joined you on this sort of love for ice cream? I would imagine it would be a little tough if they didn't like it. Oh, yeah, yeah. But sometimes they're like, oh, no, we don't want any more ice cream. I'm like, you don't realize how spoiled you are. You're taking the refrigerator. Not something that you hear from a young person very often. No. Well, because Craig, you've been listening to what Chris and Renato and Lori have been sharing and describing all the work that goes into making great ice cream. So, and we've also talked about how I think people are sort of tasting their foods differently today. Can you actually taste a craftmanship? You know, what separates an unforgettable skis? scoop from one that's just you know all right um so yeah every time we go to a new place uh i get the same uh chocolate and chocolate chip if they have it so that way i could always compare it like apples to apples um and you could just like the first bite the creaminess the flavor the it's a lot to talk about mouth feel today um so yeah i mean it's it's pretty evident within a bite or two whether or not it's a good product and then i assume if you can make a good chocolate or good chocolate chip Everything else is probably on par with the craftsmanship. So, yeah, that's our stock flavors. And then we go from there. Well, and I want to ask you about some gems that you would like to shout out in a second here. But you extended this into a business, correct? Tell us more about that. So three years ago, we bought an ice cream truck from a place called Tipsy Cones out of Stratford, and they made alcohol.

infused ice cream. You actually had to be 21 to eat a lot of their flavors. And they were done. They had a good 10, 12 year run, and they just, they were teachers as well, and they wanted to have their summers to themselves. So we bought the truck, put a little bit of work into it, not much, mostly cosmetic. And then I had already made so many connections in the ice cream world that I said, hey, you know, if we bought this truck, would you be willing to sell us a few tubs a year, like of your best sellers? So. We've kind of just made it like a rolling all-star lineup of flavors from Connecticut and all the dairies and creameries around. There's still a couple we'd like to get on the truck, Chris. Got some radio eye contact that's happening right now. So hopefully a friendship partnership will be happening. And we always get asked for non-dairy. So. More eye contact that's happening. There we go. Well, and so we know our listeners will definitely be checking our Erethusa Farm Dairy if you haven't already and also Violacteia after listening to this show. Any other hidden gems, Craig, that you visited, that you want to shout out? I know there's so many. Yeah, how much time do you have? We have actually about nine minutes. Oh, okay. That's plenty of time. So I post my top 15 every year, and it sometimes changes. It's usually like the same 11 and 12 are going to be in there. And there's always contention about it. And again, a lot of them that we really love, we just put on the truck. That's kind of the whole point of it. So Ashley's, the coffee Oreo is a huge seller. Rich Farm in Oxford, Bristol, and Middletown. They have a Rasmian devil and a German chocolate brownie, which mostly German chocolate brownies made with coconut, but not this one, so that's why I can dig in. Big Dipper has a million things that we like, but we did an ice cream eating competition in March, and we ate two and a half gallons of black raspberry. It was me and two of my buddies. We had an hour and a half to eat it. We did it in 56 minutes and felt very bad, and nobody else finished in the hour and a half, so we didn't have to rush so much. The next few days after that weren't great. So Big Dipper's great. La Croy's in Plainville just opened a couple years ago. They've been fantastic. We get their s'mores, which has a marshmallow base, as opposed to most people make it with a chocolate or a gram-flavored. Ornoke Farms and Shelton, they... Started off as a pie company, and now they just jam their pies into the ice cream that they're making, and it's fantastic. Obviously, Yukon, we go to Yukon. As Chris was saying, the vanilla, if you have a good vanilla, then you know everything you need to know about that ice cream place. Ferris Acres, highly rated nationwide. Their caramel apple pie in the fall is phenomenal. We go to Gopher down in Fairfield County. We get a special flavor called Constitution Cookie Crunch, which is Biscoff cookies with chocolate flakes.

Speaking to chocolate flakes, Arathusa's sweet cream chip, they use the perfect-sized flakes, so thank you very much for that. I don't like when there's the massive hunks of chocolate. I like a little bit of flake or maybe a chip. Deborah Ann's in Ridgefield, if you haven't been, there's a chocolate shop. They make their own chocolates and they make their own ice cream, and a lot of times they combine them, so they make homemade peppermint patties, and then they put it into their mint patty ice cream, which is a huge hit on our truck. God, where did I go? Dark chocolate cherry at Toledo Farm and Simsbury is fantastic. Salem Valley Farm has a key lime pie. Anything from Sweet Scoops in Brookfield, Walnut Beach, Creamery, and Milford. We love all these places. And anything from Violactia, of course. You know what I like about that list? Yes. People that make their own ice cream. Oh, yeah. Because I like the post you did on Instagram about top 10, Connecticut. I saw that. Yeah. We should elaborate on that if we have a minute. Well, actually just really quickly, for those of... For those listeners who are interested in the list and more, where can they find you, Craig? Instagram, C.T. Ice Cream Tour. We also have a website, but the website really isn't, I'm not a good website builder, but I'm working to get more pages that has all these lists, like, you know, best settings, best scenery, places you can see live animals. You want to bring your kids, like best social media, but most Instagramable sort of thing. So, yeah. Also, I have on Instagram that I have to add to the website. Well, there you go. So for those of you who want to check it out, please go check it out and elaborate on the list a little bit more. Yeah, so it's like every summer ice cream lists come out. These are the best 10 places in Connecticut. And I can't even look at them because I rate. And a lot of them don't make their own ice cream. And that's fine. That's fine. We don't make our own ice cream, but we don't claim to. And we're very upfront about where we get our ice cream from. and then they'll have a place that sells someone else's, and they're on the top 10 list, but the place that makes the ice cream isn't, and I don't get how that could be possible. Yeah. Well, and then back to this idea of ice cream being a comfort, and you've gone on these road trips with your family, and I imagine you have a lot of memories, and we're talking about memories with ice cream and nostalgia. Is it more than just ice cream for you now? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, now one of the big things for me is information, like... When these lists are coming out, I was like, oh, well, I haven't been there. How can I make a judgment about the best if I haven't been to them all? So I try to get to the mall so I actually can have like, you know, a little skin in the game and say, yeah, I've been there, I've had it. And I have a long spreadsheet of... every place I've been to, what's good about it, what's, is it homemade? If not, where do they get it from? So I really like information. And Connecticut's small enough that you could do these journeys. I can't even imagine trying to do something like this in New York or Texas or California or something like Connecticut is accessible. And I think we've almost exhausted all the places we can, but now it's just revisiting places or seeing what's changed. Almost.

Almost. Well, and then I want to go back to the comfort here. We have a couple minutes left in the show. You know, Chris, we've been talking so much about the chemistry of ice cream, the process, and the nostalgia. Why do you think ice cream seem to comfort us in ways that made few other foods do? So when I think comfort and ice cream, we, and Craig jarred my memory with this, we, you know, we always made a, you know, great chocolate. And then I used to. make a one every now and then we put a couple of chocolate chunks in it the girls would at work and i was like it's just too much and they were like no no it's not you know so um i call it our breakup flavor you know there's nothing more comforting than our chocolate chocolate chunk ice cream the the chocolate chunks are so soft that uh really it's hard for us to make in the summer because they melt so quickly so um that that it's just it's just comforting to people and i think they associate that with with certain good feelings and to sit down with a pint of chocolate chocolate chunk and good rom-com. You're good. Well, I want to share a quick antidote here before I go to the rest of the guests here. So our Connecticut public colleague, Janae, our social media, associate social media editor, Janice Spenado, shared a very helpful, helpful story with us about ice cream. She said, ever had an ice cream that's so good and made you cry? In my 20s, I'm working three jobs just to keep a roof over my head. I worked 12, 14-hour days, six days a week. After months of this, I was in deep depression that I was literally too busy to notice. The brightness of life have been completely gone. But one day, my roommate came home with a little bowl of ice cream for me. She'd pick up from a new ice cream spot. only open during my orking hours. It was literally just a scoop of vanilla ice cream. When I took that first bite, it was so sweet and creamy and full flavor that I legitimately start crying. I haven't felt pure joy like that in almost a year and I was overwhelmed. That was a turning point for me in getting myself to a better place. Thank you so much, Jene, for sharing that story. And I feel like a lot of people would resonate with that. Really quickly, we had about a minute and a half here. Renato, does that sentiment surprise you? It doesn't. Sometimes we need to be forced. Ice cream was a vehicle that forced her to stop and evaluate. And the sweetness was the vehicle of that train of thought. So I'm glad that, yeah, that story resonates really well with me. Lori, what about you? Yeah, for sure. It just sparks a lot of memories from where I had my happy days. I just want to remember my grandma, I just grab a pint of her favorite ice cream. That's the person that most inspired me, so I can relate. She really loved just the plain coconut ice cream. She topped every dessert that she made with that. And Craig, last thoughts. Speaking of that story you just shared, I went to Ilbaccio and Danbury one time, and there was a woman who got out of her car. You could tell she just got out of work and she must have had a bad day. I used to bartend. People used to come in looking like this and they would get a shot of Jack Daniels. This lady just chugged the milkshake and looked amazingly happy and relieved.

Well, we're all about smiles and laughs today. Thank you all so much for sharing our stories with us. You've been listening to Craig Bahoon, who's a Connecticut teacher and ice cream enthusiast. Craig, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me. And also Chris Casaleo, who's the Arathusa Farm Dairy's plant manager. Chris, thank you so much for your time today. Thanks, Kat. And also, Lori Alasea and also Renato Sanchez, who are both from Violettea. Thank you so much, Lori and Renato for being with us today as well. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening. And happy ice cream eating, everyone.