July is National Ice Cream Month — a designation first made by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 — and Utah knows how to celebrate it.
Utah has a rich history with ice cream. Many Utahns eschew some food and beverage items that are considered “sinful” — such as coffee and alcohol — but sugar and cream are not among them.
From the now-defunct Snelgrove’s to Richmond’s Casper Ice Cream churning out 500,000 FatBoys every day for 95 years, Utahns are happy to indulge in this cool, creamy delight at the height of summer and all through the year.
In 2021, U.S. ice cream makers churned out more than 1.3 billion gallons of ice cream, contributing around $13 billion to the economy, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
Statista reports that the average American consumes 12 pounds of ice cream per year, and Utah regularly ranks in a variety of top lists when it comes to the sweet treat, from consumption data to the sheer number of ice cream shops in the state.
To celebrate National Ice Cream Month, here’s a round-up of favorite ice cream delicacies across the state.
Bonne Vie
In the Grand America, 555 S. Main St., Salt Lake City; laurelslc.com.
Grand America’s Executive Pastry Chef Xavier Baudinet has brought back his gourmet ice cream for the summer season, available at the European-inspired patisserie Bonne Vie near Laurel.
Cool off with such classic flavors as vanilla bean and chocolate, Carol’s burnt almond fudge and strawberry cheesecake — or specialty flavors, such as cotton candy unicorn — in the Bonne Vie ice cream case during the week. Hotel guests can also order any flavor at the Grand America pool ice cream stand and dining guests of Laurel will find the custom ice cream cart live station on the patio during Sunday brunch for mini ice cream cones and root beer floats.
Each of the 10 flavors are available as a shake, single or double scoops, or in a house-made waffle cone. Vanilla ice cream can also be sandwiched between the iconic Grand America macarons, as well as a chocolate chip cookie and chocolate ice cream sandwich.
(Francisco Kjolseth | Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Cloud Ninth Creamery, a seasonal artisanal ice cream shop that's only open May-October, serves numerous sweet delights.
Cloud Ninth Creamery
928 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City; cloudninthcreamery.com.
Owner Josh Plumb learned how to make ice cream from his grandfather Corkey Vanderlinden, who had his own ice cream parlor in Salt Lake in the 1940s. With him in mind, Plumb makes super-premium ice cream, gelato, sorbet and Dole whip from Cloud Ninth Creamery at 9th and 9th, using local ingredients and fresh fruit.
Flavors change frequently, with favorites like the Death By Peanut Butter — with peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter Oreos and peanut butter cookie dough — selling out as soon as it’s announced in stock. The passion orange guava gelato is incredibly popular, as well as Cloud Ninth’s shaved ice on a hot day. Plumb’s mom makes the crust for the banana cream pie flavor and the creativity is never-ending.
Try the ice cream profiteroles — a collaboration at The Chocolate, with pate choux puff filled with Cloud Ninth vanilla ice cream and drizzled with passion fruit sauce.
(Heather L. King) Joseph Shumway, left, and A.C. Ivory, co-owners of Color Ridge Farm & Creamery in Torrey, Utah.
Color Ridge Creamery
135 E Main St. (State Highway 24), Torrey; colorridge.com.
Some artists work in watercolors or sculptures, Joseph Shumway works in ice cream. As the co-owner of Color Ridge Farm & Creamery in Torrey, his ice cream is transformative.
Before moving to the small red rock town in south-central Utah (near the west entrance to Capitol Reef National Park), Shumway helped his sixth-generation family dairy operation in Wyoming turn around to eventually be named by Food & Wine magazine as Wyoming’s best ice cream producer in 2021.
Shumway and his husband and co-owner A.C. Ivory now churn out unusual and remarkable flavors that are quickly making a name for themselves. Color Ridge looks to represent flavors found in their surroundings, such as juniper berry and lavender honey, along with traditional and sustaining offerings such as cookie dough and vanilla bean.
They also have partnered with next door neighbors Shooke Coffee Roasters for their coffee ice cream, and Wild Indigo Cafe in Boulder, Utah, is scooping up their ginger rose and vanilla chai this summer.
Enjoy a wine flight at your favorite wine bar? Color Ridge offers ice cream flights in 3- and 5-scoop options with accompanying flight card for tasting notes.
The ice cream shop on Highway 24 in Torrey will mix up any flavor of ice cream into a shake in a glass mug with a chocolate rim and sprinkles for Instagram-ready and delicious fun, as well as smoothies and paleo whips.
(Heather King | For the Salt Lake Tribune) The Dairy Farmers of America recently opened a new concept store, called The Creamery, in this rural Utah town of Beaver. Visitors traveling along Interstate 15 can sample and purchase everything from farm-fresh cheese to ice cream to other Utah-made foods.
The Creamery
165 S. 500 West, Beaver; 833-796-4551; thecreameryutah.com.
It’s hard to miss the giant black silo that signals Beaver’s commitment to Utah’s dairy farmers. The Creamery’s concept store, opened in 2018, offers a plethora of dairy products made from milk sourced from dairy farms within a 25-mile radius as well as hundreds of other Utah products.
One big draw for travelers passing by is the ice cream counter, scooping up 24 flavors of Farr Better Ice Cream. In addition to cones and cups, customers can build their own sundae with two scoops of their choice topped with caramel or chocolate sauce and whipped cream with a cherry on top. Ice cream shakes are also available along with root beer, cola or orange soda floats.
(Heather L. King) The July 2023 special at The Dolly Llama — a Los Angeles-based chain that opened its first Utah location in American Fork — features a Belgian Liege waffle, salted caramel ice cream, chunky Chips Ahoy! cookie pieces, whipped cream and hazelnut and cookie butter sauces.
The Dolly Llama
496 N. 990 West, American Fork; thedollyllamaus.com.
The Dolly Llama is a national chain that started in Los Angeles and recently opened its first Utah location in American Fork. Utilizing ice cream flavors custom-crafted by Salt Lake City’s Cloud Ninth Creamery, The Dolly Llama focuses on both waffles and ice cream.
Try the Party Animal signature waffle, featuring a warm bubble waffle wrapped into a cone shape then stuffed with salted caramel ice cream, Kinder chocolate bar bits and circus animal cookies and then drizzled with chocolate sauce. Dolly’s Dream pops with bright blue Ultimate Cookie Monster ice cream on top of a slightly crunchy OG Belgian Liege Waffle with fresh strawberries, brownie chunks and Nutella sauce.
For the month of July, The Dolly Llama will be offering the Dolly’s OG Belgian Liege Waffle with salted caramel ice cream, Chunky Chips Ahoy! cookie pieces and whipped cream and hazelnut and cookie butter sauces to celebrate.
Pre-designed and personalized combinations are also available in shakes.
(Heather L. King) The storefront of Farr Better Ice Cream in Ogden.
Farr Better Ice Cream
274 21st Street, Ogden; 801-393-8629; farrsicecream.com.
Now in its fourth generation of Farr family ownership, Asael Farr & Sons Company and the Farr Better Ice Cream brand have been making Utah families happy for more than 100 years.
From humble beginnings in Ogden making 20 gallons of vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream per hour, today the company conservatively estimates than more than one billion servings of Farr Better Ice Cream have been enjoyed in the past century.
Available in 17 states, Utahn’s can still enjoy the experience of the old-fashioned ice cream parlor on 21st Street in Ogden, with a scoop of Bear Claw and butter brickle, burnt almond fudge and Moose Tracks, or black licorice, rainbow sherbet, chocolate marshmallow and dozens of other flavors.
Leatherby’s
Three locations: 1872 W, 5400 South, Taylorsville, 801-967-2566; 304 E. University Parkway, Orem, 385-223-8140; 372 E. 12300 South, Draper, 801-571-1575; leatherbys.com.
Looking for an old-school ice cream shop with banana splits and ice cream sundaes that will feed an army of ice cream lovers? Look no further than Leatherby’s.
A part of family traditions for decades, Leatherby’s ice cream menu is filled with named creations. Owners have the Cooley’s Family Special — designed to feed a whole family — featuring a tall glass filled with vanilla, strawberry and toasted almond ice creams layered with pineapple, strawberry and caramel sauces, and then covered with Dutch chocolate chip, chocolate mint and Swiss milk chocolate ice creams and toasted almonds, whipped cream and a cherry.
If your ice cream eating crew is smaller, try Carolyn’s Caramel Cinnamon Twist with fresh churros on top of horchata ice cream, and smothered in caramel, sprinkled with cinnamon and topped with a cherry.
(Rick Egan | Salt Lake Tribune file photo) The sign marking the location of Normal Ice Cream, on 900 South in Salt Lake City.
Normal
169 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City; 801-696-4556; normal.club
Normal’s creator and owner, classically trained pastry chef and Park City native Alexa Norlin, is anything but normal. She’s lactose-intolerant, but opened an ice cream business. She makes soft-serve ice cream in a hard-pack state.
Her exceptional talent and unconventional flavors led to a first-ever ice cream shop being nominated as a James Beard Foundation semifinalist in the Outstanding Bakery category this most recent awards cycle. Normal’s composed cones are not only culinary masterpieces, they’re also Instagram-friendly works of art.
This month, try the rhubarb crisp, featuring tangy rhubarb soft serve with almond dip and oat streusel, or the “when life gives you limes…” with refreshing lemonada soft serve along with dulcey dip and pie crust bits.
Norlin focuses on using the highest quality ingredients for every flavor — most of which change each month. She sources her milk from Rosehill Dairy in Morgan and fruit purees from France. Her fanciful soft serve — how about a salted vanilla bean and Fudgesicle twist in July? — is available in cones and cups, pints, ice cream cakes (Normcore), cookie sandwiches and bars.
Visit the Normal Ice Cream truck at Millcreek Common at 1354 E. Chambers Ave. in Millcreek or the brick-and-mortar shop on 900 South.
Rockwell Ice Cream Co.
Two locations: 43 N University Ave. Provo; 115 Regent St., Suite 115A, Salt Lake City; rockwellicecream.com.
In 2021, Food & Wine magazine named Rockwell the best ice cream in Utah, at least in part due to using 16% butterfat and far less air, making for a dense and delicious blend.
In just a few years, owner and ice cream maker Justin Williams and his wife, Summer, have followed their love of food and particularly ice cream to bring two locations of Rockwell to Provo and Salt Lake City.
The G.O.A.T. won best ice cream flavor in America in 2019 and is still a fan favorite, with the rich goat cheese base studded with blackberry, lemon jam swirls and honey rosemary roasted almonds. Other local highlights include the Honey Comb with chunks of honeycomb candy folded into vanilla ice cream.