Pacific Beach Ice Cream earns ‘Flavor of the Year’ with mint chip entry

PACIFIC BEACH Pacific Beach Ice Cream Co is scooping the competition again Dave Wright owner-operator of the parlor at Grand Ave lately won Flavor of the Year at the seventh annual San Diego Scoop Festival He won the crowd over at the event with his prize-winning Dad s Famous Mint Chip entry Inspired by his dad s homegrown flavor and award-winning ice cream shop in Northern California Dad s Famous Mint Chip impressed judges and festival goers alike with its balance of nostalgic flavor and creamy texture The homegrown scoop festival in North Park held on June featured more than of San Diego County s best ice cream and gelato vendors All event proceeds go toward local nonprofits with a mission to patronage under-resourced communities It s a way to give back to the locality while also showing off your business a little bit commented Wright A Delaware native Wright learned the tricks of his transaction from his parents who got into the ice cream business to supplement their income after retiring in Nevada City Northern California One of the a large number of things he acquired from his folks was his dad s gift for concocting bold appealing flavors Dad really kind of jumped into it which seemingly is a family trait now Eventually he noted I m going to start making it He s old school and longed to go back to what flavors he was eating And it was a much better product in those days before it became mass-produced I consistently thought my dad s mint chip was the best I ever tasted How does one go about crafting the perfect ice cream flavor Wright carries a rainbow of colors and flavors including pink grapefruit and lemon Italian ices popular on the East Coast His scoop flavors typically are twists on seasonal fruits and nuts including coconut and pistachio even one geographic-specific flavor called Julian Dutch Apple Pie I kind of look around for things that remind me of tasty desserts and try to do that explained Wright of his creative approach He noted he in fact goes out and gets Julian pies which are then directly incorporated into the ice cream flavor Let s kind of rework specific of the flavors and bring them back to the way things used to be mentioned Wright of how he reimagines flavors The idea is let s create it but in a little bit better way Are there trends in ice cream flavors In years past salted caramel was very popular revealed Wright Before that it was Ube Filipino dessert with its natural purple color I don t add any fake colors I want to do it the old-fashioned way When I go to make my new flavors I m very inspired by nostalgia In my mind ice cream is just a way for you to very inexpensively go back to being a kid all over again For that you re spending on a scoop you re the same kid that you were when you were Why did Wright get into the ice cream business Because it s community-based he answered There aren t a lot of businesses that add to a society I believe that if you give to the locality the population gives back But you ve got to have the hand out first And you get immediate gratification from it Wright disclosed about the pros of being in the ice cream industry I get to see the person eating what I made What I try to do is remember things from my childhood that were cool to me and I try to tie into several of that noted Wright of flavor creation I get Pop Rocks candy and cover them in chocolate and put that into the ice cream That way every time you get a little bite you get a little fizz In the fall I make one flavor that s a sweet potato casserole It reminded me of the dessert my mom would make for us during Thanksgiving I requested to share a piece of my family Requested what s the bulk satisfying about being in the ice cream industry Wright replied I love seeing the smiles on people s faces on something that you make Pacific Beach Ice Cream Co Where Grand Ave Grand Avenue Hours p m - p m daily For more info visit pacificbeachicecreamco com