Blue Ridge Ice Creams

Do you remember when Blue Ridge Ice Creams used to be over on Coliseum Drive? I think K&W was still on the second level at that time. Blue Ridge opened over there about 20 years ago. It seems like they've been at 135 Stratford Road, next to Schiffman's Jewelers, forever.

Around Winston-Salem, it's hard to talk about really good ice cream without thinking of Blue Ridge. Deb and Scott do such a great job of creating flavors, it really seems like a science.

If you are unaware, we have two competitions for the restaurants at the Taste of the Town. One is determined by the patrons, voting on their favorite dessert, non-dessert, booth design and best all-around restaurant. Additionally, we have three professional chefs who judge their top three favorite all-around restaurants. I had no idea how competitive the restaurants were before we started giving the awards.

In 2007, Deb made two new flavors for Taste of the Town. Since, after all this is a Kentucky Derby party, she brought a Mint Julep Sorbet plus a chocolate-nut-caramel ice cream that for lack of a better term we'll call Kentucky Pie (due to copyright infringements, we can't use the real name). More on this another day.

The judges that year were Michael Hastings, Food Editor for the Winston-Salem Journal; Al Romano, instructor at GTCC's Culinary Arts Program; and Don McMillan, long time Winston-Salem chef and GTCC instructor as well.

They got up on stage to announce their three best restaurants. They explained how ice cream NEVER wins any culinary prizes but that they had to make an exception because Debbie's new flavors were so extraordinary. They awarded her a special prize for her Mint Julep sorbet and "Kentucky Pie" ice cream!

Debbie makes Italian gelato at her shop as well; it's a lower fat ice cream, a European version, and it is delicious. I asked what some of her new flavors were and she said the Honey Lavender and Strawberry Balsamic were new and soon she'll have a Hummingbird flavor, like a Hummingbird Cake.

Music on the courtyard beside Blue Ridge begins this year on Thursday, May 21st at 6:30. Opening that evening will be the Triad Youth Jazz Ensemble, followed by Martha Bassett! By then the weather will be perfect for eating ice cream and listening to some smooth sounds. Every Thursday during the summer you'll hear music on the courtyard beginning at 7pm, so check it out.

To find out what else is new at Blue Ridge Ice Creams, check out their website at www.blueridgeicecreams.com. If you come to the Taste, you can try Deb's new flavor!