The Ice Wars are heating up … well … a bit.
The newest contender: Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, which opens in November at 2862 S. Durango Drive near The Lakes.
You may have noticed that we have a lot of ice cream parlors in southern Nevada, more and more. So why the Brusters?
“Because it’s the best ice cream in the world,” said Dave Soumas.
What you’d expect from Soumas since they’re the local franchisee continuing the western expansion of the 200-unit Pennsylvania-based company that already has operations in Southern California and Phoenix. Soumas is an IT professional who discovered Bruster while living and working in Pittsburgh, near the company’s headquarters in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania. After returning to his hometown of Los Angeles, marrying his high school mistress, and moving to Las Vegas in 2016, he looked for a business to open and that was Bruster’s franchise.
Because, said Soumas, it’s really different. The cream used to make the ice cream comes from the idyllic area near Bridgewater with 884 residents on the Beaver River.
“It all starts with everything coming from a dairy that the brand controls,” said Soumas. The high butterfat blend is made in a slow pasteurization process and shipped to stores – a process the company likes to call “cow to the cone”.
“We have a unique process where we don’t freeze anything to zero degrees,” he said. “We keep the ice at 8 to 12 degrees so that it doesn’t get any ice into the product. Our freezers don’t even have defrost cycles. “
Soumas said that after learning about the industry and becoming an “ice cream snob”, he realized that most people don’t know that many ice cream parlors don’t make their products locally.
“There aren’t a lot of people in town who make their own ice cream,” he said. “Cold Stone and Maggie Moo use a similar process (like Bruster), but we put all of our goodies in the ice cream when we make it,” instead of focusing on mix-ins like these chains do. After the ingredients have been added to complete the flavors, it takes up to 12 hours for Bruster’s ice cream to reach the ideal temperature.
Bruster’s will also make waffle cones in the shop; “It’s not uncommon to smell this when you go upstairs,” he said. Ice cream cakes, pies and other items are also offered.
And go up, the Bruster shops don’t have indoor restaurants.
“It’s a walk-in window service, just like the pudding shops in the east,” said Soumas. “It’s about bringing the kids and going to the window.” Out of consideration for the local climate, he is planning a 2,000 square meter covered “mini park” with seating, lawn and fog. It will also be one of the few Bruster shops with a drive-through.
The company’s recipe book lists 150 flavors, 30 of which will change daily. They’ll likely include Soumas’ own favorite, a birthday cake, and the mint chocolate chip his wife Jill prefers. His 7-year-old daughter Rebecca has a thing for chocolate, and she and other classic flavors like vanilla, strawberry, butter pecan, and cookies and cream will be in heavy rotation. Sorbets, ice cream, and sorbets with vegan, sugar-free, and fat-free options will also be available.
Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.
