There are sandwich shops and there are ice cream shops. Some shops even combine the two, but Melinda Shaw’s The Hangry Bear Creamery goes a step further. At The Hangry Bear, people can make their own ice cream.
“We’re definitely ice cream forward here," she said. The sandwiches and drinks are just to accommodate the ice cream studio so when we have an ice cream party, people can eat and drink while they’re waiting for their ice cream to solidify.”
The shop was a logical step for Shaw. She worked at the University of Delaware, running the dairy creamery there for more than a dozen years, she said and taught the science of ice cream and cheese to undergraduates at UD.
“We would always have people come in, non-UD students, asking how they could learn to make ice cream. I didn’t have anything to recommend, so this was our solution. People can come here to learn how to make ice cream, learn about the science, and also make their own flavors.”
There are no limitations on flavors as long as they have the ingredients in stock at the time. And in that vein, people, especially kids, come up with some interesting combinations.
“We have an extensive list of flavors of ice cream and ingredients you can add so the combinations are many,” Shaw said. “Someone accidentally just made a version of ambrosia salad. They were going for a piña colada [pineapple and coconut] but, as it went through it ended up as an ambrosia with marshmallow, cherries, and pineapple. It was actually better than we thought it was going to be. It was better than ambrosia salad. And that was just a kid. Some of the kids come up with some really tasty flavors.”
Shaw said The Hangry Bear’s niche is definitely with the ice cream studio. It brings in groups and it’s a place for ice cream parties, birthdays, and family events. People also use it for team building and networking, she said.
She added that people don’t need to go custom, they can just go online and order what The Hangry Bear itself has made.
“People can order a custom flavor, and we can ship pretty much anywhere in the United States.”
In addition to regular ice cream, Shaw said customers can make a nondairy dairy frozen dessert.
“We’re trying to give options to people that normally have fewer options. We have a lot of people come in who are gluten-free or vegan. They’re able to make something that accommodates their diet,” she said.
As one might guess, the name of the shop comes from a combination of the words hungry and angry.
“It’s being so hungry you’re angry, is the origin of the word,” she said, “but hangry is a family problem with us. We’re hangry people.”
For a full range of pricing, people should go to the website, but for a small group of four people to make one flavor, Shaw said that would be $90. For that money, the group would make eight pints of ice cream as well as have the experience of making the ice cream.
She added, though, “A kid’s birthday party with up to 16 kids is $329, and they’d make four different flavors and each kid goes home with at least two pints.”
Shaw said the shop itself is “a casual, family-friendly environment. We have ice cream and food to go or to have here. And it’s a great place for people of all ages to have a great experience.”
The Hangry Bear Creamer is in Kennett Pointe, 660 E. Cypress Street, Kennett Square. The phone number is 610-744-2722.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Comments