Nothing says summer more than fresh produce: juicy peaches, sweet strawberries, crisp corn on the cob, bright and fragrant herbs. Why not add this delicious harvest to an already beloved warm-weather treat?
The Bay State consistently ranks in the top 10 of most ice-cream-obsessed places in the country, according to various studies. And for those obsessed locals seeking some variety in their refreshing summer treats, they can look no further than these local vendors innovating the ice-cream game.
At Third Time Together in Cambridge, Nick and Sari Ladin-Sienne offer a seasonal rotation of flavors that entice a closer look from the customers. With current options such as “Basil Cheong,” a green plum ice cream with notes of basil and chewy apricot pate de fruits, and “If You Prick Us,” a prickly pear ice cream with candied cactus pad, Sari described their ice cream mission as “tell[ing] a culinary story, like a journey with each flavor.”
Nick, who creates the recipes and makes all the ice cream in-house, is committed to finding new ways to think about and serve ice cream. Part of his process involves finding potentially unusual flavor profiles and combinations, and, perhaps, a little wordplay.
“In Korea, they make what’s called maesil cheong,” Nick explains. “You take these green sour plums, and you shove them in so much sugar until they deepen in their flavor, and you get this incredible syrup out of them. So this is kind of how most of the flavor generation goes for me: ‘Okay, maesil cheong. Maesil sounds like basil. Do basil and plums go together? I think so. All right, let’s turn it into a flavor.’”
Far Out Ice Cream was co-founded by August Radbill and has multiple locations in the Boston area. The store separates itself by offering New Zealand-style ice cream, which involves mixing real frozen fruit and ice cream in a special machine that produces a result similar to traditional soft-serve ice cream but varies in texture depending on the fruit.
Radbill, who was working in tech before a trip to New Zealand inspired his interest in opening his own ice cream shop, said a recent summer favorite at Far Out was its peach flavor. He said he and the staff were curious about the interest in the flavor, and if it would outlast the warm weather.
“We were trying to figure out if the peach was like a McRib situation where it’s like, all right, is it popular because it’s only around for a bit or is it something we should have on the menu all the time?” Radbill said. “And we had it on the menu in the fall and it just dropped off. And so it spoke to the fact that people really were paying attention.”
The seasonality of the flavors adds an important component to both stores’ business models, where they can maintain customer loyalty without serving the same thing over and over.
But for now, summer and its flavors continue for a few more weeks.
“There is something really special about ice cream, especially in the summer; it’s like this indulgence that we allow ourselves, and it’s just nostalgic and great,” Radbill said. “And I think it ties to a lot of great memories for a lot of people. I know it certainly does for me.”
Guests
- Nick and Sari Ladin-Sienne, founders of Third Time Together, an all-day cafe and award-winning ice cream shop in Kendall Square in Cambridge
- August Radbill, co-founder of Far Out Ice Cream, which sells New Zealand-style ice cream out of its four locations in Brookline, Cleveland Circle, Fenway and Cambridge
