Ice Cream Society
By Laurence Civil
The line from the Lord’s Prayer confirms the global need for freshly baked bread daily and assesses how it has become a part of our dining ritual. Although in Asia bread is commonly replaced with rice in the local diet, the term to “to break bread” means to sit down at the table and share an intimate meal with family or friends.
It is generally accepted that the concept of Ice Cream originated in China as early as 3000 BC and was introduced to Italy by Marco Polo. The ice creams we enjoy today are said to have been invented in Italy during the 17th century.
Ice cream is a frozen food made from a mixture of dairy products that must contain at least 10% milk fat to be labeled ‘ice cream’ while such products as frozen custards, frozen yoghurts, sorbets are sometimes informally referred to as ice cream in common practice, legally in accordance with Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 they can not be labeled ice cream.
Ice cream was introduced to the United States in 1774 by Phillip Lenzi, an Italian caterer who freshly arrived from London. It’s from there that most of the ice cream consumed in ice cream parlours in malls all over Thailand originated. The first ice cream parlor in America opened in New York City in 1776. American colonists were the first to use the term "ice cream", the name came from the phrase "iced cream" that was similar to "iced tea". It was later abbreviated to "ice cream", the name we know today and was first served in The White House by Dolley Madison, wife of U.S. President James Madison at her husband's Inaugural Ball in 1813.
Sunday is the day of the week that belongs to the Christian church and is only fitting that ‘a gentleman of the cloth’ should be responsible for creating the ‘Ice cream Sunday’, the word that evolved into Sundae. Every Sunday after church, Reverend Chester Platt would take a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the Platt & Colt Pharmacy in downtown Ithaca New York. One Sunday he decided to put his vanilla ice cream into a champagne saucer, poured cherry syrup over the top and decorated it with a few cherries. The dish was named after the day it was created – Cherry Sunday.
The first ice cream cone was produced in 1896 by Italian immigrant Italo Marchiony who was granted a patent in December 1903. There is, however, controversy of who really did invent the ice cream cone. At the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, Ernest A. Hamwi, a Syrian concessionaire was selling a crisp, waffle-like pastry ‘zalabis’ in a booth right next to an ice cream vendor. Due to ice cream's popularity, the vendor ran out of dishes. Hamwi saw an easy solution to the ice cream vendor's problem; he quickly rolled one of his wafer-like waffles in the shape of a cone, or cornucopia, and gave it to the ice cream vendor. The cone cooled in a few seconds, the vendor put some ice cream in it, customers were happy and the cone was on its way to becoming the great American institution that it is today.
Ice cream etiquette suggests that the polite way to serve ice cream is in a china or silver cup. Wafers, mints, and other tidbits are very nice to serve along with the ice cream. Additionally, a small glass of ice water should always be served with each order.
Swensen’s
Earle Swensen loved ice cream. He opened his first ice cream store at the corner of Union and Hyde in San Francisco in 1948 atop Russian Hill offering his ice cream as "Good as Father Used to Make”. The business was built on three founding principles that have never changed; Quality, Quantity and Value for Money.
Using only the finest ingredients and exacting techniques, Earle developed the perfect blend of smoothness and taste to create the ultimate ice cream experience. Today Swensen's is enjoyed all over the world, and it is still known as everyone's favourite old fashioned ice cream parlour.
The Minor Group was founded by William Heinecke in 1970, and has been responsible for bringing a hefty slice of Americana to Thailand, in importing foods he "missed as a child", like the Swensen's ice cream he savored on furloughs to the U.S. The Minor Food Group first became the Swensen's franchisee for Thailand in 1986 and has built it into the country's largest premium ice cream concept. With over 90 outlets, Swensen's holds an estimated 75% of the premium ice cream market and is the clear market leader.
Macadamia
A vanilla ice cream loaded with roasted macadamia nuts is very creamy and sweet tasting. Fun to eat but the taste just touched the tip of the tongue and melted away.
Reversible Chocolate
A mixture of white chocolate and dark chocolate ice creams. In the white chocolate ice cream there is interwoven dark chocolate chips, while the dark chocolate ice cream is laced with mini marshmallows. The combination of the two produces a strong chocolate taste that lingers pleasantly in the mouth.
Mocha Almond Fudge
Coffee ice cream loaded with roasted almonds and rich chocolate fudge. Overall, a very pleasant taste, however, coffee was the dominant flavour with the taste of the others ranging from less obvious to missing.
Häagen-Dazs
Reuben Mattus, a young entrepreneur started his entry in the ice cream business working for his mother’s ice cream company in the Bronx. Then in 1961 he launched Häagen-Dazs with only three flavors; vanilla, chocolate and coffee using dark chocolate from Belgium as well as hand picked vanilla beans from Madagascar. His daughter Doris opened their first Häagen-Dazs shop in 1976, this quickly followed with more all over the country.
In 1983 he sold the business to The Pillsbury Company. Today it is available in 54 countries around the world. Their ice cream is made exclusively in Arras France from 100% pasteurized fresh milk and cream to maintain the quality of the product. From there it is distributed worldwide.
Häagen-Dazs came to Thailand in 1996 as a joint venture between HD Distributors and S&P. They opened their first branch in Bangkok at Maneeya Center on the ground floor of Panunee building. They now have 14 branches in Bangkok, three in Phuket, two branches each in Samui, Pattaya and Hua Hin plus one in Chiang Mai.
Ice Cream Fondue
A pot of chocolate wrapping and raspberry sauce placed in the centre, kept warm by a night light. It is surrounded by three third-of-a-circle dishes with mini scoops of ice-cream, fresh tropical fruit and bite sized bakery items. Using a fondue fork, customers can dip each of them into the two sauces, neither of which drip with the chocolate forming a hard coat within a couple of minutes. This is a mature fun ice cream experience to share with friends.
Belgium Passion
A combination of freshly baked waffle, a scoop of both strawberry and banoffee ice cream, fresh slices of fresh banana, and a quartered strawberry on a bed of whipped cream. It is delicious indulgence for two friends looking to each others company in an afternoon.
Flower Blossom
A colourful selection of mini scoops of ice cream served in a wafer basket garnished with quartered fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
Justifiably this is the most expensive ice cream in Bangkok. A super premium product with an assertive taste that lingers plus a taste that matches perfectly with its menu description.
The Cream & Fudge Factory
This is an ice cream company that was indirectly born out of a pizza company in India. Lebanese businessman Fred Moonward, whose primary business was precious gems had the idea to open a pizza restaurant in Chennai India in 1996, the country was the second most populous in the world after China. His primary idea was to become a franchisee himself, however, he quickly saw the problems involved. Instead, he launched his brand Pizza Corner vowing to build the company and one day franchise it.
In 1997, one year after launching Pizza Corner in India, Fred saw a similar opportunity in Thailand in the coffee category and founded Coffee World in Bangkok, running the two companies as separate ventures. In 2004 he consolidated the businesses and formed Global Franchise Architects (GFA). Fred's vision was to build one company with a sole operating system to manage multiple brands in several countries. At the same time, the company would continue to do what it had done previously, namely to build its own brands. In 2006 ‘The Cream & Fudge Factory’ was launched as one of the GFA brands in Thailand.
Using fresh milk and a higher content of cream than other more commercial ice creams, they offer freshly made super premium smooth ice cream that they claim is the creamiest in the world and is completely vegetarian. During the production process, ice cream contains a considerable quantity of air which if it did not would make it similar to a frozen ice cube. The air-run in their ice cream is lower, resulting in it being denser plus creamier with a texture that is more elastic, suitable to mix with other ingredients. That is the cornerstone of The Cream & Fudge Factory ice-cream experience. After the customer selects their favorite flavours of ice-cream, it is then hand-folded together with the customer's choice of mix-ins of nuts, fruits, candies and fudge on a frozen marble stone.
All Berry Cheesecake
With a base of breadcrumbs has been laid the fruit combination of blue berries, strawberries and cherry pulled together with chocolate fudge. It has the cheesecake syrupy rich overlay for a touch of decadence.
Chocolate Truffle Sensation
An irresistible marble texture ice cream mixed in with pieces of doughnut, chocolate truffles, crushed Ferrer Rocher chocolate and crunchy hazelnuts. This is the ice cream for milk chocolate lovers.
Chocolate Lovers
A combination of dark chocolate chips, brownies and chocolate fudge make this the experience for the lovers of endofin intense dark chocolate.
They offer 16 flavours of ice cream @ THB 75 for 1 scoop and THB135 for 2. Creations with their added goodies work out @ THB 95 for 1 scoop serving and THB 165 for 2.
Baskin Robbins - America’s Favorite Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop
75 years ago, two brother-in-laws Burton "Burt" Baskin and Irvine "Irv" Robbins shared a common dream to create an innovative ice cream store that would be a neighbourhood gathering place for families.
Irv’s dad suggested that to start with they should each run their own business. In 1945 Irv opened Snowbird Ice Cream in Glendale California selling 21 flavours of quality ice cream served in a fun personalized atmosphere. The following year Burton opened Burton’s Ice Cream shop in Pasedena, California.
As the business grew, they realized that to maintain high standards each of their stores would require a manager who had an ownership interest in its overall business. Little did they realize at the time but they had pioneered the concept of franchising ice cream.
By 1949 they purchased their first diary in Burbank that gave them complete control of their ice cream production.
In 1953 the separate identities of Snowbird and Burton’s were dropped and Baskin-Robbins was born. An advertising agency created the “31®” logo to represent a flavor for every day of the month, they used cartoons to bring their flavours alive with personality plus to graphically highlight the name and delicious ingredients.
Everyone involved with Baskin Robbins shares the philosophy that they are “America’s Favorite Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop”.
Baskin Robbins opened their first store in Thailand at Central Ladphrao in 1991. The Central Restaurants Group has a total of 40 branches in Thailand of which 32 are in Bangkok, additionally there are another 10 operated by independent franchisees.
Jamoca® Almond Fudge
A powerful flavoured ice cream with roasted almonds and a rich fudge chocolate ribbon. It has a medium length taste plus refreshes the cleft of the palate.
Chocolate
Extra rich chocolate ice cream that is soft and creamy with a significantly strong chocolate taste.
Very Berry Strawberry
Strawberry ice cream loaded with strawberries that have an intense strawberry taste with a great rich creamy texture.
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