Words by Colleen McNally Arnett
Sweeten Your Summer with Original Flavors at These Innovative Southern Scoop Shops
Leave it to Southerners to create new, delicious ways to stay chill in the heat of summertime. Blending milk, cream, sugar, and international ingredients, these cool treats are well worth the wait in line.
DOKI DOKI ICE CREAMERY
Savannah, Georgia
The self-proclaimed Hostess City of the South is no stranger to the goodness of ice cream. After all, locals and visitors alike have queued outside Leopold’s classic parlor for over a century. But for those looking for something slightly off the beaten path, take a detour down Bull Street and look for the pastel-colored world of Doki Doki. Although named for the Japanese onomatopoeia for an excited heartbeat that appears in anime and manga, this shop pulls its tasty ideas from all over the globe. With around 40 options on any given day, expect Southern staples like Banana Pudding and Key Lime Pie alongside options that are less commonly found in the grocer’s frozen aisle: Black Sesame Caramel Chip, Lychee Yuzu Sorbet, Miso Caramel Crunch, and Taro. The latter’s Asian influence is a nod to pastry chef/production lead Sarah Ridenour’s decade spent in Australia—a history she shares with Doki Doki owner Anthony Debreceny. “I’ve found that mixing the familiar with a more daring flavor is a good way to tempt people to go out on a limb and try something new,” adds Ridenour.
Of course, there’s also something special about a familiar taste reminiscent of your grandma’s famous pie recipe, your go-to coffee drink, or an old childhood snack. “Ice cream is special because it has the power to transport you back in time. One of my first memories is going to an ice cream shop and getting the biggest scoop of Blue Moon on a waffle cone, thinking it was the size of my head!” dokidokiicecreamery.com
BIG SOFTIE
Atlanta, Georgia
What started on Summerhill’s Georgia Avenue in 2019 has now grown to additional locations in Poncey-Highland and the Old Fourth Ward, along with an ever-evolving menu of soft serve ice cream. Among the bestselling classics, like a nostalgia Vanilla Swirl with sprinkles made with organic, Georgia dairy or Strawberry Sorbet with farm-fresh fruit, Big Softie’s kitchen manager and soft-serve maker, Katlyn Gagnier, suggests her favorite: Olive Oil with a sprinkle of sea salt and a chocolate hard shell. “The Olive Oil gives the soft serve a depth of flavor and a slight savoriness that I love,” she says.
Regardless of which you pick, every concoction is made from scratch with the same level of creativity and high-quality ingredients that Big Softie owner, Sarah O’Brien, is already well known for at her beloved Atlanta bakery, Little Tart Bakeshop. Gagnier’s inspiration can come from anywhere, whether it’s collaborating with a nearby tea company or traveling abroad to France, which sparked the ideas for last summer’s Basil Vanilla. From there, she taps into the Big Softie/Little Tart team’s wealth of knowledge to test batches and develop the recipe. New this year, Tahini will soon make its debut. “There are more that we’re testing, including some kind of wild ones, that you’ll just have to wait and see,” O’Brien says. bigsoftieatl.com
BIG SPOON CREAMERY
Birmingham, Alabama
Husband-and-wife team Ryan and Geri-Martha O’Hara and their ice cream have come a long way since 2014, when the concept started as a pop-up shop in their driveway, to a truck and then a brick-and-mortar store in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood. Fast forward over a decade, after two more locations opened in Homewood and Huntsville, locals and visitors still can’t get enough of Big Spoon’s handmade, artisanal ice cream. The Big Spoon team brings the same attention to detail that they honed while working in award-winning fine dining restaurants. On the menu, guests can choose from specialty seasonal creations that span every demographic and give families something to make memories around, such as King Cake during Mardi Gras season, or Ryan’s personal favorite, Honeysuckle Blackberry. “I love it because it’s uniquely Big Spoon and uniquely Southern,” he says. “Everyone who grows up in the South has experienced pulling honeysuckle flowers and tasting the nectar. We harvest wild honeysuckle blooms and capture that aroma and that flavor in a scoop of ice cream. It’s beautiful, complex, and nostalgic, and it brings me right back to that honeysuckle patch as a kid.” bigspooncreamery.com
After all, the sweetest part about ice cream is who you’re sharing it with. Tip: Bring extra friends and family along so you can try one another’s flavors.
THE CHERRY ON TOP
Scoop shops aren’t the only ones serving originality by the spoonful. Save room for dessert at these haute restaurants offering not-your-average ice creams.
MILETA
Lexington, Kentucky
Parmesan ice cream sundae? Yes, really. To reduce waste at this modern scratch restaurant, executive chef Alex Green saves egg whites and the rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano cheeses, leftover from making pasta, to infuse into other dishes—including ice cream. A play between a dessert and a cheese course that could be a cousin to the cheesecake, the ice cream is topped with fresh thyme, caramel sauce with balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and meringue. miletarestaurant.com
O-KU SUSHI
Alys Beach, Florida, and other Southern locations
After a full day of playing in the sea and sun on the shores of the Emerald Coast, O-Ku Sushi in Alys Beach (another favorite of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group’s collection) has a sweet salve. “Our ube-ja-infused soft serve base is frozen and served up with a fresh shiso mixed berry coulis and a white chocolate shell,” White says. “It’s the perfect, light frozen treat to end the meal.” o-kusushi.com
MARU ROOFTOP NIKKEI
Tampa, Florida
Celebrating the combination of Peruvian cuisine with Japanese culture, Maru Rooftop Nikkei offers everything from Pisco cocktails and temaki to an Andes Mountain-inspired take on a mint chocolate chip using a fragrant herb native to the range’s high altitude. “We steep our soft serve base with muña (akin to a Peruvian mint) and top with cacao nibs for crunch and chocolate flavor,” says Anne White, culinary director of pastry for The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, which oversees both Maru Rooftop Nikkei in Tampa and O-Ku Sushi in Alys Beach, Florida. marutampa.com
