As any good travel agent will tell you – there are a million ways to enjoy a tropical summers day on the island of Oahu.  You can take a swim in the crystal clear Pacific Ocean, shop in many of the local markets, but when it comes to cooling down – theres just one place to go. Matsumoto’s Shave Ice.

Its not in downtown Honululu either, so done think you can just ride a bike or hoof it down there, which is was makes the whole experience a little more special in my opinion.  The people who line up everyday for there ice cream, black bean, shave ice and condensed milk experience have made a special and concerted effort to be there.

And dont worry if you feel you wont be able take home a souvenier of your visit. Stan Matsumoto is the merchandise king. From shirts, swimmers, googles keyrings and dancing hulu girls – he’s got it all. In fact you would be forgiven in thinking that this place was a T Shirt shop with a little shave ice booth in the back.

To find out more about Matsumotos and how to get there, go to his website at www.matsumotoshaveice.com

 Well – As Steve so eloquently put it – Christmas is all about one upping the rest of the family, and this Egg Nog Ice Cream Pie will certainly acheive its goal come Christmas Lunchtime.

Steve drops in on the Great Day St Louis folks, of CBS 4 in St Louis to share, perhaps not an old family recipe, but a new spin on an old favorite. Egg Nog, Ice Cream and Pie are the three main food groups for Christmas, and this recipe throws them all together for a Christmas Extravaganza.

The recipe for this delicious dessert on found on our Recipe Page.

A Very Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Ice Cream Bloke

Saint Louis Missouri – As the Director of the Frozen Dessert Institute, I have many people asking me what our courses entail and what can I learn about running my own ice cream shop.  The FDI has been running classes for over 12 years and has many success stories of our attendees.  Our 4 days classes not only focus on making great ice cream, but also teaches the importance of many business topics to help out students open, operate and grow their own ice cream businesses.

The class are held in a operational ice cream store in St Louis.  The store is unique in and of itself as we offer a multitude of different ice creams in one location. 6 flavors of premium ice cream, 4 gelatos, 2 sorbets, 2 frozen yogurts and 2 fresh frozen custard flavors. Not only does this create a great learning environment, but our customers love it too.

Details for all of our classes are on line at www.frozendessertinstitute.com.  Also, serach for us on facebook as we have weekly updates for our students and friends on running their shops.

We would love to see you in class one day and help your ice cream dreams come true.

You basically only have a couple of options for black ice cream when Halloween rolls around. Vegemite and Licorice.

We skipped over the first to bedazzle the crew from Great Day Saint Louis last week on CBS 4 St Louis.  The bloke dressed up to the 9′s for the special occasion and the end result was simply – breathtaking.  Full recipe can be found on our recipes tab.

If you want to bypass the intro to the show – skip to 3.00 minute mark.

And Happy Halloween!!!!!

Rimini Italy – Each January, ice cream lovers from all over the world flock to the tiny seaside town of Rimini.  The Beaches are closed, the streets are empty and most of the hotels are vacant.

But – not far away at the Rimini Fiera (Convention Center) tens of thousands are lining up to get a look at what is new in the industry for the coming year. The show boasts exhibits focused on Gelato (Italian Ice Cream), Bakery and Chocolate and practically everything in between.  This years show featured some special events and features.  The worlds largest ice cream cone, verified by the Guinness World Record folks and one of the largest cakes you’ve ever seen – in the shape of the country of Italy.

Gourmet popsicles and how they are made – its all happening on this episode of the ICB

 Dole is a name synonymous with high quality fruit. As a worldwide employer of growers, packers, processors and shippers, you can guarantee that if “you’re eating Dole – You’ve kicked a goal”.  By the way, thats my line and I’ve copywrited it.

Dole soft serve products have also gained much market credibility as a high quality, delicious and refreshing frozen dessert.  Dole pineapple soft serve is served at many high profile locations around the country including Disneyworld, Disneyland and the where it all started – the Dole plantation in Hawaii.

In this video Steve shows ice cream shop owners the features and benefits of using the Dole product and how it can increase your bottom line without increasing your bottom.

  Brooklyn NY – Walt Whitman penned the words “I too lived – Brooklyn, of ample hills, was mine”  back when Brooklyn was ample hills, valleys and livestock. 

Today not so much, but the carefree and relaxed feeling of old has returned to the Empire State.

Located at 623 Vanderbilt Ave, the store is in the epicenter of food and culture in the Brooklyn area. Brian and Jacquie Smith opened the store earlier this year with a plan to make ice cream from scratch and teach the process to their customers. Their open batch room is a testament to their passion for ice cream and their willingness to share the process. 

But its not only flavors that make them unique.  Try a salted buttered caramel slushee or a custom made spiral cone and you will realize what a unique ice cream experience the Smiths offer their customers.  For more information on Ample Hills, go to their website at www.amplehills.com

St Louis Missouri – Ice Cream Eating in the summer has always been a family activity in St Louis.  The hot steamy conditions are perfect for a cool creamy treat.

But add to that treat a 2 minute time limit, no utensils of any kind except your face, and a wild and screaming gallery and you have yourself an Ice Cream Eating competition.  Mr C’s Ice Cream Emporium, the Ice Cream Blokes Ice Cream base held their inaugural contest over the Memorial Day weekend and the final was held the week after.  And boy did the crowds turn out.  After 8 hotly contested heats, 8 finalists fronted up with their eyes on the prize and they didn’t disappoint.

Did little Billy take on the big guns and win it all? Does green hair give you the upper edge? Does tag team eating with your brother give what it takes to take awy the cup.  Press play and all will be revealed.

Chicago IL – If you are a Techie and love Ice Cream, then this year’s National Restaurant Association show was all for you.  As always, the NRA show draws culinary experts, business owners and foodies alike but this year the ice cream contingent was all about what is new in Ice Cream technology. 

First up , the first ever Wi Fi compatable ice cream machine.  The Stoelting Company have brought ice cream making into the 21st century with a machine that can send data over the world wide web. Store operators can now have a technition access information and trouble shoot machine issues from their computer or smart phone, thus saving operators time and money on unnessecary service calls.

Then there is Cid. Every kids dream come true.  A robot that can assemble your own sundae with ice cream and candies layered together. The team at Robo Fusion have worked long and hard to bring this concept to a reality and you will not doubt get to meet Cid and his other Ice Cream cohorts at a theme park or attraction near you.

April is National Soy Foods month for the “non whole foods shoppers” out there, and the world is your soyster when it comes to healthy non dairy options for a cool and refreshing treat.  The folks at Great Day St Louis on Channel 4 asked The Ice Cream Bloke to pop in and share his recipe for Soy Ice Cream and a bit of shananigins as well.

For the full recipe – pop over to the recipes tab for this and many other great ice creams you can make at home