Whether it’s in a cone, in a cup, or straight out of the carton, Central Ohio residents love their ice cream. Ohio ranks third in the nation for the amount of ice cream produced, trailing only California and Indiana, according to www.makeicecream.com. What better time to celebrate our penchant for the frozen treat than during July, National Ice Cream Month?

DENISE’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

2899 N. High St. in Clintonville
It’s zany, whacky and definitely delicious. This Clintonville hidden treasure is the brainchild of Stan and Denise Zafran, who opened the store in 2004.

Though Denise’s doesn’t offer seasonal summer fare, the menu of more than 60 flavors boasts the traditional as well as the experimental, such as Chai Tea, a mixture of black tea, milk, sugar, honey, ginger, and other spices; Guinness Stout, a malt and barley ice cream flavored with Guinness beer; Sweet Corn, rich with the hint of buttered popcorn; Cucumber, embodying the vegetable’s distinct taste; and White Gold, butterscotch ice cream with white chocolate chips and a cinnamon-caramel swirl.

The store also offers frozen yogurt in flavors such as Ginger Snap Cookie and Black Raspberry, and sorbet flavors perfect for summer, such as Blood Orange, Pink Grapefruit and Sex on the Beach, made with orange juice, cranberry juice, Triple sec and peach liquor.

“What I do is traditional ice cream, plus eclectic, creative flavors that can be put in any city in the state of Ohio,” Stan says. The Boston native learned the trade at Penn State and in Italy, but adds his unique spin with fun flavors inspired by his favorite dishes and everyday snacks. One of his newest flavors is “Fish Food,” a chocolate ice cream dotted with Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers. In the past, he’s come up with concoctions such as Fig Newton, Whiskey and Coke and Clam Chowder ice creams.

And Stan knows ice cream, from how to create the perfect consistency to when to add ingredients for the perfect aftertaste. It’s hard to visit Stan without walking away with a scoop on the ice cream business from the inside. “This is what I do,” he says. “I’m always making new flavors – all day, every day.”

If you have trouble choosing a flavor, watch out. Stan and company are known for feeding patrons sample upon sample, part of Stan’s philosophy of allowing the ice creams to shape customer’s perception of the store. “I don’t have any neon signs. I don’t have a cartoon or other icon to promote my store,” he says. “I allow the product to create the image, and I like that.”

Stan’s creations speak for themselves: It’s the far-out flavors and comfortable, artsy ambiance that’ll keep you coming back.

Online special -- click here to register to win a scoop of CityScene Ice Cream from Denise's!


JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS

Short North, North Market and Grandview locations
Exotic and unique flavors made with fresh, local ingredients have made Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams a Columbus staple. A self-taught artisan ice cream maker, Owner and Columbus native Jeni Britton finds inspiration in quality ingredients. “I was inspired to make ice cream the way pastry chefs make desserts. I really wanted to pull out the natural flavors of ingredients,” she says.

Customers flock to Jeni’s three (soon to be four) Columbus stores to enjoy popular flavors such as Salty Caramel, Dark Chocolate Gelato and Lemon Yogurt and Blueberry, which is “hands-down the most popular, though it’s only offered for part of the year,” Britton says.

This year’s summer flavors include Uganda Vanilla Bean; Fresh Strawberry Buttermilk; Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Fresh Sour Cherry Compote; and Sour Cherry Lambic Sorbet, made with Linderman’s Kriek Lambic (a dry, spontaneously fermented beer from Brussels), which recently won the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal, the only artisan award in the country.

JOHNSON’S REAL ICE CREAM

2728 E. Main St., Bexley
Debuting in 1950 in Bexley, Johnson’s Real Ice Cream has become the oldest ice cream shop in Columbus, offering regular, low-fat and sugar-free ice creams and homemade sorbets and yogurts.

“Our niche has been to make just about anything for anybody,” says Co-owner Jim Wilcoxon, part of the third generation of the family-owned store.

Johnson’s hand-packed ice cream is available in about 65 flavors, including yummy summer treats such Creme De Menthe, White Chocolate Chip, Strawberry Sherbet and Tropical Coconut Pineapple Pecan. Johnson’s is available not only in its Bexley store, but also in select restaurants.

CityScene Ice Cream: The Flavor of Columbus

Visit Denise’s Homemade Ice Cream, in Clintonville, and try CityScene Ice Cream. Available from July 1 through Labor Day, you can help decide if the creation will become a classic! Drop in and sample Stan’s creation for CityScene Magazine. Need more motivation?

It contains chocolate!

Liza Martin is assistant editor of CityScene.