Photo courtesy of CJ Shaver
Big Spoon Creamery has launched its first-ever "Local Chef Series" this month in collaboration with Birmingham chefs. This unique partnership aims to create specialty, limited-edition ice cream flavors for customers to enjoy.
The "Local Chef Series" will feature a new ice cream flavor every month from November through March at each of Big Spoon Creamery's three locations: Avondale, Homewood, and Huntsville.
The first flavor, Neapolitan, debuted in November. The flavor was created by Chef Frank Stitt, who owns three Birmingham restaurants—Highlands Bar & Grill, Bottega, and Chez FonFon.
The partnership with local chefs is a unique way for Big Spoon Creamery to showcase the talent and creativity of local chefs while introducing customers to new and exciting flavors. A new chef will introduce a fresh flavor combination each month, highlighting the ingredients and flavors that make their cuisine stand out.
Owners Geri-Martha and Ryan O’Hara met while working at Bottega, but after getting married and starting a family, they both yearned to have a slower lifestyle. Because of Geri-Martha’s expertise as a pastry chef, the couple “kicked around” a few business ideas before landing on an ice cream shop.
“We kept coming back to something we were both passionate about from a consumer standpoint. We both love ice cream,” Ryan said. “We both saw an opportunity because Birmingham is a great food city, but there was very little [at the time] happening in terms of dessert places.”
Ryan proudly says that this partnership with local chefs was his brainchild.
“We have so many great relationships in the industry. We knew it would be feasible, but we just had to do it,” he shared. “It’s a celebration of the rich culinary food scene here, and for us, it’s a chance to collaborate with a former mentor, a former colleague, and friends in the industry.”
Customers can look forward to new and exciting flavors every month. Chef Rob McDaniel of Helen will debut his flavor in December, Chef Adam Evans of Automatic Seafood & Oysters will debut in January, Chef John Rolen of Slim's will release his flavor in February, and Chef Brian Somershield of El Barrio will round out the list in March.
The chefs will each create unique flavors over the course of this series. Big Spoon Creamery will announce each new flavor via social media so customers can stay informed and visit their nearest location to try the latest artisanal flavor. The Limited-edition ice cream flavors that are launched as a part of this series will only be available for the month and then replaced with a new flavor.
“We are serving it [each flavor] as a scoop in all of our locations, but it will also be available as a pint. If someone really loves it, they need to buy a pint to savor it before it’s gone,” Ryan mentioned.
Ryan also shared that they did not interfere with the chef’s ideas for each ice cream flavor. “We suggested nothing. We really wanted it to be their concept,” he said.
The partnership supports chefs and restaurants in the area and promotes the use of locally sourced ingredients. Big Spoon Creamery is known for using local, organic ingredients in the production of its ice cream, and this partnership will lend support to that effort and continue to promote the sourcing of ingredients from local partners.
“We saw Frank [Stitt] just the other day, and he tells us that people keep saying at his restaurants, ‘Oh, I went to Big Spoon, and I had your flavor!’ People have been really excited about it, and it’s been really well received,” Ryan said.
For more information on Big Spoon Creamery and its partnership with Birmingham-area chefs, visit their website bigspooncreamery.com.
