Huntsville gets its first taste of Jeni's
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Jeni's has a central downtown location at 114 Clinton Ave. Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has landed in Huntsville — its first store in the Rocket City.
Why it matters: It's an ice cream destination offering something different from what you'll find elsewhere in town, bringing a late-night sweet-tooth fix to the heart of downtown.
Driving the news: Huntsville native Ayesha Cooley is the franchisee, and she's gone from chasing down Jeni's locations while traveling to bringing one home.
What they're saying: "Even New York, they had a little pop-up, and my husband — I made him walk 5 miles to go get ice cream," Cooley told Axios on the sidewalk in front of her shop Friday.
- You'll have to head to Birmingham or Nashville to get to the next-closest Jeni's location.
- "This is my dream, my opportunity to open a Jeni's," Cooley said. "Meeting the people, and learning more about the ice cream, I just fell in love even more."
The latest: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams will host its grand-opening celebration Thursday from 6-8pm at 114 Clinton Ave., offering free scoops all night of at least 20 flavors.
- The first 50 people in line will get some swag, and five lucky guests will win free ice cream for a year. Enter by downloading the app, signing up for rewards, and scanning in when you get there Thursday.
Zoom in: Cooley has a 2-year-old at home and another on the way. "One of the things I really, really love about our ice cream is that we use all natural ingredients, so no preservatives," she said.
- "I can feel good about giving it to my toddler without her getting Red 40 or things like that."
Derek's thought bubble: I went to try it out Friday after picking up my 5-year-old from school because she's a shrewd judge of quality ice cream.
- Her verdict: A speechless thumbs-up with a mouth full of the Buttercream Birthday Cake flavor. High praise indeed.
- For my part, I favored the Miso Butterscotch Brownie. The less-sweet butterscotch flavor pairs well with the savory miso, and it's all cut through with the brownie chunks. It comes together in just the right balance.
Zoom out: Other trademark flavors include Double Dough: cookie dough in cookie-dough-flavored ice cream; Brambleberry Crisp: like a berry pie mashed up in vanilla ice cream; and Milkiest Chocolate: a super-chocolatey version of the classic.
- "We use a very high-quality cocoa, and I think our chocolate is very superior to your standard chocolate," Cooley said.
- Her pro tip: Try before you buy. They offer free samples as you browse, so don't be shy.
The bottom line: "Ice cream is a simple thing, but it's a gathering," Cooley said. "It's usually a social outing for a family… or a date-night dessert… It's more than just ice cream. We're bringing people together."