entree
Jeni’s
splendid
Journey From Snowville Creamery in Athens to a Clintonville scoop shop, the story of how one Jeni’s ice cream flavor came to be Story by shelley Mann l Photos by jodi m iller 9 0 l C o l u m b u s C r av e . C O M l FA L L 2 0 1 2
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ach scoop of Jeni’s ice cream is a masterpiece, a small-scale work of art dreamed up by Jeni Britton Bauer and brought to life with lots of help from lots of people. Help from Warren Taylor at Snowville Creamery, first of all, whose unorthodox approach to dairy finally gave Jeni’s ice cream the rich, velvety texture she’d lusted after for years. Help from any number of the two dozen small farmers she enlists to grow the fruits, vegetables and herbs used to flavor her treats. Help from a lucky group of confidants who taste and tweak until each flavor is perfect. Not made-in-a-factory perfect, mind you. As Jeni herself says, “It’s not perfect—and that’s perfect.” And help from the kitchen staff who lovingly makes each batch, hand-packing and hand-labeling every single pint. We followed a pint of Jeni’s Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries—a flavor that just screams Ohio, right?—from a cow in Athens to a scoop shop in Clintonville. Here’s a look at how the magic happens.