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From left, Gene Harkness, Maureen O’Reilly, Anne Knight and Patti Puccilli enjoy a recent lunch at the UNH Dairy Bar, part of the New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail.
These customized flavors are some of the many options at Sub Zero Ice Cream Freeze, one of the stops on the N.H. Ice Cream Trail.
By Kathleen D. Bailey Special to the Union Leader
From left, Gene Harkness, Maureen O’Reilly, Anne Knight and Patti Puccilli enjoy a recent lunch at the UNH Dairy Bar, part of the New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail.
Granite State Dairy Promotion printed 10,000 trail maps in 2012; this year they are distributing 50,000. WHAT’S BETTER THAN digging into a mound of creamy cold ice cream on a hot day, with the ocean or a mountain or a quaint New Hampshire village in the background? Earning prizes. Lovers of the frozen treat have a unique way to keep up with their favorite spots and find new ones: the New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail, sponsored by Granite State Dairy Promotion. With a map and a passport to stamp, the Trail gives ice cream lovers a new way to enjoy their cones and brings new customers into the state’s purveyors of ice cream. Amy Hall, director of Granite State Dairy Promotion, said the trail was created in 2012. “It was a means to educate the public about New Hampshire’s dairy industry,” she said. The trail initiative is funded by contributions from New Hampshire’s dairy farmers and includes a map, state dairy statistics, facts and myths about dairy products, and topics including animal care, environmental stewardship, and the role dairy farmers play in the economy. The trail attracted 32 sites on the first round, and this year features 50. Sites on the trail range from new and relatively new facilities (Ilsley’s in Weare, Sub Zero Nitrogen Freeze in Manchester and Nashua) to classics such as the UNH Dairy Bar and Hayward’s in Milford, both in their 40s; from urban (Sub Zero again) to rural (Gould Hill Farm, Contoocook) to small-town settings (Velvet Moose, Warner). Hall characterizes the feedback she receives as “nothing less than amazing.” She has frequent flyers, or lickers, who “look forward to this trail every year.” She fields emails “in the dead of winter” from people eager to find out when the new map will be released.
These customized flavors are some of the many options at Sub Zero Ice Cream Freeze, one of the stops on the N.H. Ice Cream Trail.
The program works like this. Those interested in completing the trail mark each stop on their “passports” and receive a prize at the end. But the trail map can also be used simply to find good ice cream in a region. Your choice. Hall often receives notes along with the completed passports. The notes, she said, “regale their summer adventures across the state and the unforgettable memories created.” For perspective, she noted that the GSDP printed 10,000 trail maps in 2012, and now prints 50,000. Anecdotal evidence from state rest stop employees say that the trail map is one of their most popular brochures. Hall noted that while the shops on her map are different in scope and setting, each displays a “high level of commitment to serving local ice cream from New Hampshire or New England dairy farms.” The owners of the shops have a deep appreciation for the dairy farmers who make ice cream possible, according to her.
Rita McCabe and her husband, Mark, own the New England development rights to Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream, a relatively new concept to the Granite State. Her shops, in Nashua and Manchester, offer the hungry ice cream buff the chance to see their treat made from scratch. “We’ve been doing it for eight years,” McCabe said in a phone interview. “I saw it on ‘Shark Tank.’ The franchise operation is out of Utah.” The concept? The patented process allows the buyer to create their own ice cream. “When you walk into our shop, there is no ‘ice cream,’” McCabe said. “We make what you order. It’s complete customization — we can mix and match flavors. It’s a whole show.” With liquid nitrogen and flavorings, a Sub Zero staff member literally creates your frozen treat right in front of you. “It’s like the Benihana of ice cream,” McCabe said breezily. The McCabes have run the Sub Zero operation in Nashua for eight years, and have been part of the New Hampshire Ice Cream Trail for five or six of those. “It’s a great opportunity,” McCabe said. “It gets us out in front of new customers. It’s a good marketing effort.” While New Hampshire residents seem to be getting the idea, McCabe is eager to expose her concept to even more ice-cream lovers. “It is,” she said, “the coolest thing anyone ever brought to New England.”
The UNH Dairy Bar has been around since 1965, when a milk and ice cream service operated by the University of New Hampshire moved out of Taylor Hall into the recently acquired B&M Railroad station. The Dairy Bar came to life under Professor Ray Alonzo and students from the former Thompson School of Applied Science, who ran the ice cream and burger stand for their peers and the community. They served ice cream and diner-style breakfasts and lunches. In 2008 the UNH Dining Service took over the operation, with an emphasis on fresh, sustainable and local. Veggie burgers have joined hot dogs and pulled pork on the menu, and “grain bowls” fit with the way we eat today. The Java Tree coffee is fair trade and certified shade-grown. But the ice cream is still a draw. Diana Guy, an associate with the shop, said the Dairy Bar became part of the trail in 2010. “We are Stop No. 33,” she said proudly. Asked why the Dairy Bar affiliated with the promotion, Guy said with a shrug, “Why not? We have a unique location here.” The Dairy Bar is located on the same parcel as the Downeaster Amtrak train, and next door to the Whittemore Center. “It made perfect sense,” General Manager Brennan Rumble said. While locals never had trouble finding their way to the remodeled railroad station, Guy said the trail has brought a new crop of ice cream aficionados. “They’re from New York, Connecticut, and they’ve heard about the trail. Completing it is their summer mission!” The “hot” flavor this summer is Aroma Joe’s Peanut Butter Mocha, Guy mused. “It’s cold brew in an ice cream!” The younger set is going for Cotton Candy this year. While UNH no longer makes its own ice cream, the Dairy Bar has had good luck with Gifford’s, made in Skowhegan, Maine. “They do an amazing job,” Guy said. The proof is in the stats. Rumble called up one of his spreadsheets and said, “We sold 625 cones last week — and that was a slow week.”
While What’s the Scoop? is tucked away in a corner of Kingston, the N.H. Ice Cream Trail has given it more reach. Manager Sophia Borgesi said the stand, which uses Richardson’s and Blake’s ice cream, has been on the trail for approximately three years. “We just thought it would be a fun thing to get involved with,” she said. People using the map and the passports tend to come from Massachusetts and Maine, rather than locally. “They mostly talk about how they’re doing this for the summer, their road trips,” she said. Borgesi noted that this summer’s winning flavor among adults is Lemon Meringue Pie, while kids are going for Cotton Candy. While Hall wants to see tourists and residents complete their passports, the trail isn’t just about sugar, cream and flavorings. “While ice cream is a wonderful summer treat and every shop on the trail is special to us, there’s a vital educational component that shouldn’t be overlooked,” she said. “This allows us the opportunity to educate the public on the importance of preserving and protecting our local dairy farms.” Hall mused, “The Ice Cream Trail is undoubtedly New Hampshire’s greatest summer adventure. You’ll see areas of the state you’ve never visited. You’ll feel good about locally owned ice cream shops, and you’ll learn a lot about dairy along the way.” Many of the shops are owned by New Hampshire farm families, and, she said, “You may even come face to face with a few cows.” Hall’s favorite flavor? “Oh, boy,” she mused before coming up with, “Cookies and Cream or Mocha Chip.” And if you miss the summer promotion, there’s still time to tour New Hampshire’s attractions with another GSDP promotion: The Wine and Cheese Trail. Those who complete the entire trail can mail their completed “passports” to GSDP. This year’s ice cream fanatics will receive a free GSDP sweatshirt, and their names will be entered into a grand prize drawing for a $200 Amazon gift card and a basket of New Hampshire goodies. For more information and to browse a full list of participating shops, visit nhdairypromo.org.
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