Ice Cream Since 1915

The small, ordinary sign “Tony’s Ice Cream and Sandwiches” on the northeast corner of a nondescript yellow brick building in downtown Gastonia, NC, poorly describes for passersby what treats lie inside. As I was driving through Gastonia after attending a barbecue cookoff in nearby Kings Mountain, a parking lot packed with rows of cars grabbed my attention. 

The streetside sign modestly indicates the location of a long-time favorite.

Then I saw several people walking out as they licked tall Styrofoam cups or drank from straws. (Only later did I learn that the cups were carrying milk shakes.) I immediately made a U-turn to see what I was missing. When I saw a sign on the wall that says, “Since 1915,” I knew that I needed to go inside to verify its accuracy.

An exterior wall of Tony's proclaims its service for several generations.

The interior of the store looks like only modest renovations have been made over the decades. A vintage 1947-era pink and green neon clock told me that mid-afternoon had arrived, although the long lines at the counter indicated that it was prime time for ice cream. Every booth – covered in its original red vinyl – was also occupied.

The line of customers waiting for ice cream never seems to end.

A display that says Tony’s Cheerwine ice cream is “delicious” convinced me that I should choose that flavor. This choice is unusual for me, but Cheerwine is an area favorite and has a cultural connection. Because many customers were enjoying milk shakes, not ordering at least one would be a mistake. Fortunately, my wife agreed and ordered a shake that we shared – and it was better than the ice cream cup. Each milk shake is made with three scoops of ice cream, which is fresh because it’s made in the plant next door to the restaurant.

The historic wall clock has kept time for decades.

Cheerwine was my choice
of ice cream flavor.

For more than 100 years, the business has been family-owned and -operated as it still is by the third generation of the founding Coletta family. Carmine Coletta, an immigrant from Glasgow, Scotland, came to America in 1911 and began making ice cream in 1915 that he sold from push carts and horse-drawn wagons, which were taken to mill villages, ball games, carnivals and camp meetings. Trucks replaced wagons in the 1930s, and the current building was opened in 1947 by the second generation of Colettas. In 1976, ownership was passed to the third generation, the sons (Robert and Louis) of Antonio (or Tony as he was known and for whom the business is named) Coletta, the youngest son of the founder.

A milk shake has more ice cream that you can imagine.

In the Gastonia area, Tony’s is a cause célèbre. It’s been successful for more than 100 years and was cited recently by the Gaston Gazette as one of the 10 oldest restaurants in the county. If it retains its loyal following, it’ll continue to be celebrated for many more years.

Trucks at the plant next door waiting to begin their next deliveries are . . .

much more efficient than earlier delivery techniques.

Learning About Cheese Making (and Feeding a Baby Goat)

[Note: This post, prepared originally for the NC Folklife Institute's NCFood blog, is hosted on the institute’s website, with excerpts and a link to the website posted here.] 

To watch cheese being made, taste some artisan cheese samples, and take home a package or two, I headed to the Blue Ridge area of our state to travel part of the Western North Carolina Cheese Trail. Little did I expect to be bottle-feeding a day-old baby goat. Within minutes after arriving at Round Mountain Creamery near Black Mountain, NC, I was holding a full bottle of warm milk for an eager kid who cared little about who was feeding it.

Linda Seligman, creamery owner, teaches
me how to bottle feed a newborn goat.

The feeding was all part of the tour that I had arranged the day before. Before visiting the creamery, I reviewed information about the Western North Carolina Cheese Trail online. The trail, established in 2013, links together farms and creameries that show how artisan cheeses are made from goat and cow milk and inform visitors about the art and science of cheese-making. Helping to promote the cheese trail is the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), which builds local food connections and helps area farms succeed. 

Continue reading at the NCFood blog ...

It's Time for Snow Cream

Has it snowed for more than two hours? If so, what are you waiting on? It’s time for snow cream.

Few people remember how to make snow cream today because everyone has ice cream in the freezer. But better than ice cream is an old-fashioned, homemade creation of freshly fallen snow flavored with a little dairy, vanilla, and sugar. In the South, snow cream is treasured because snowstorms are infrequent and often breathtaking.

The directions are simple. In a large bowl, combine evaporated milk, vanilla, and sugar until smooth. Then slowly stir in snow and keep adding snow until the mixture is thick — you want it thick. The result is thinner than ice cream but very tasty. Don’t save; don’t freeze (although you can). Eat at once.

What are the secrets? Use evaporated milk because it gives a creamier texture than milk. (Because the snow waters down the taste, the richer you make this mixture, the better.) Some folks also chill all ingredients (and the mixing bowl) first; this keeps the snow from liquefying rapidly and watering down the flavor. In fact, if you can, stir the snow into the mixture outside where the chilly temperature should keep the snow almost intact.

The most important step is to collect only clean snow. If young kids help you with this project, stress the importance of making sure that the snow is clean and using only clean snow. My family always insists that we can’t use the first flakes of a snowfall. We make sure that the snow is clean by waiting until it has snowed at least two hours and more is on the way. (The last snowfall more than passed the clean-snow test.)

Another idea fairly obvious: Collect the snow where birds and other animals have not visited. Take only the freshest snow – collect it from the top of the snow that has fallen and while it is still coming down.

Other options: Some folks like to add one or two beaten eggs to the mixture before the snow is stirred in. If you can’t eat raw eggs, skip that option (or use an egg substitute).

The rewards are immediate. Gather the young and young-at-heart, enjoy a homemade creation that connects many generations, and tell a few stories about the old days. Then watch the forecast for another snowfall so that you can repeat this experience.

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Ingredients

1 can evaporated milk (12 fluid ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
1 gallon snow