Back in April, Good Food Pittsburgher readers were excited to hear the sweet announcement that Pittsburgh classic, Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in the Strip, was hosting their first ever “Small Ice Cream Shop Competition,” with the hopes of discovering the best ice cream in America!
In honor of the competition, Klavon’s is hosting a day-long block party in the Strip. On Sunday, July 16, 28th Street will be closed from 9:00 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the festivities getting underway around 11:00 a.m.
Visitors can expect inflatable obstacle courses (think American Ninja Warrior), magicians, bounce houses, and of course, plenty of ice-cream.
For the first year of the competition, the judge panel is themed “Women in the Ice Cream Industry,” and the judges will be ice cream legends Natasha Case from CoolHaus in Los Angeles, Crista Freeman from Phin and Phebes in Brooklyn, and Jennie Dundas of Blue Marble, also in Brooklyn.
On Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16, the judges will be blind sampling anywhere from 50 to 100 different ice-creams from all over the country as they make their final decisions.
There will be one “overall” winner, who will get the grand prize of $10,000. There will also be a winner in each of the follow categories: America’s Favorites” (flavors like Butter Pecan or Strawberry), “Unique” (something that sounds far out – like fish ice cream – but is actually delicious), and “Dessert Infused” (treats like sandwiches, ice cream-filled churros, and baked Alaska), “Other,” like sorbet and gelato, and a “Best Chef/Artisan Maker,” such as ice cream produced in restaurants.
Hanchar identified over 1000 ice cream shops in the United States, and reached out to every single one to invite them to the competition.
So far, the lineup of shops taking part in the competition include:
- Old Lyme Ice Cream Shoppe (Old Lyme, CT)
- La Lecheria (Santa Fe, NM)
- Artisan Ice Creams (Tempe, AZ)
- Woodside Farm Creamery (Delaware)
- Gracie’s Ice Cream (Boston, Mass)
- Ultimate Ice Cream (Ashville, NC)
- Hot Licks Ice Cream (Fairbanks, Alaska)
- Jack Frost Ice Cream (SC)
- Lynn’s Ice Cream (Florida)
- Sweet Peaks (Montana)
- Kurt Farm Shop (Seattle)
- Legato Gelato (Nashville)
- The Hop Ice Cream (Asheville)
- Area 51 (Mississippi)
Additionally, Pittsburgh ice-cream shops Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream and Antney’s Ice Cream are both competing.
While the ice cream being sent in for the competition is specifically for the judges to taste, any leftovers that exist will be shared at the block party on Sunday. The winner will be announced around 5:00 p.m.
So far, the competition is fierce for who will be picked as the best ice cream in the country.
“We are getting people who like to compete, and have a lot of confidence about their product,” says Hanchar.
Who will be the winner? Only time will tell! Keep your eyes on Klavon’s Twitter and Facebook pages in the upcoming days as more details about the competition, and block party are announced.
Klavon’s Ice Cream (2801 Penn Avenue)
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