The story below is a preview from our July/August 2018 issue. For more, Subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition.
Photos By John Park
The dog days of summer are upon us. But fear not! From craft ice cream to frozen lemonade and custard cones to pup cups, Roanoke has lots of tasty options for staying cool.
When you consider Roanoke’s exploding craft brew scene, what’s the first thing you imagine complementing it? Craft ice cream, of course.
At least, this is what one Roanoke couple thought. Jason and Carolyn Kiser moved to Roanoke in 2008. Carolyn (a Roanoke native), and Jason (from Pensacola, Florida), loved the burgeoning gastronomic scene gaining momentum downtown, the community feel of South Roanoke and—especially for Jason—the wonder of the mountain setting. Almost immediately upon moving, they started dreaming up ways they could be a part of it. This, coupled with their love of ice cream and their desire to pursue a creative outlet together, caused the Kisers to begin toying with the idea of opening a craft ice cream shop. It would take nine years of toying, however, before they took the ice cream plunge.
“It was a little bit of timing, little bit of luck and a little bit of our desire to do something together. And we enjoy ice cream very much,” says Jason of the perfect ingredient mix that finally pushed them into action.
The timing part involved the old Hits Ice Cream shop owners’ retirement. “Having Hits retire certainly was the spark for us,” says Carolyn. “Otherwise, we may have just talked about it; just circled around the idea.”
Instead, the Kisers got serious. Early in 2017, Jason traveled to Ontario, Canada and attended Guelph University’s ice cream makers short course—the second oldest running ice cream course in the world.
“[Making ice cream] is a lot more scientific than you’d think. I thought I’d go up there and learn how to mix flavors and get a good feel for that,” laughs Jason at his own ignorance. “It was mixed calculations, components of milk, what freezing does to sugar … It was like a fire hose to my mouth for seven days.”
Despite the information overload, Jason came home jazzed. The couple bought a small countertop ice cream maker and started spinning flavors, looking for inspiration everywhere they went. After four months of spinning and testing, purchasing equipment and prepping the shop, the Kisers were set for a 2017 Memorial Day opening.
Since that first day (which included lines of 300 customers strong), Blue Cow has been serving up scoops of deliciously different ice cream. They make everything from scratch—even dipping their dark chocolate pretzels. Their flavors, while not strange in and of themselves, seem strange written on the menu wall of an ice cream shop: strawberry balsamic goes on my salad, blueberry goat cheese on my cheese and charcuterie tray, lavender honey in my tea and Red Rooster coffee with chocolate chips … caffeine buzz anyone?
But at Blue Cow, I’m opened wide to the possibility of these flavors in my ice cream. And I love it. Strawberry Balsamic (inspired by a traditional Italian dessert) tastes like an extra tart strawberry in cold heavy cream. Goat Cheese with Blueberry Swirl is a creamy frozen version of the cheese itself. Honey Lavender (a seasonal flavor) is sweet aromatic relaxation in my mouth. Mint Chocolate Chip (my favorite childhood flavor) sets me at my parents’ kitchen table sharing a bedtime snack with my dad. And Banana Puddin’ reminds me of front–or back–porch sittin’ on dusky summer evenings with fireflies and Southern views.
I haven’t tried all Blue Cow’s flavors … yet. But every flavor I’ve tasted makes me happy. And I don’t mean a, ‘yay for ice cream’ kind of happy, though there’s that. When I’m standing at the Blue Cow counter studying the menu board, I get this, ‘I’m so lucky I live in Roanoke and can eat Blue Cow ice cream every day!’ kind of happy.
I’d say craft ice cream is, indeed, the perfect complement to Roanoke’s growing line up of craft breweries and restaurants. Thank goodness the Kisers had the vision—and the gumption—to make it happen.
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