Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the NYC born and nationally beloved brand known for its made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice creams, will open a scoop shop in Westport on February 6. The launch marks a return to its roots for co-founders Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen who are Fairfield County natives and whose ice cream journey began here twenty years ago.
In celebration, Van Leeuwen Westport will offer $1 scoops on opening day (Feb. 6) from 3pm-5pm and free totes to the first 100 customers beginning at 3pm.
The scoop shop will also showcase a special limited-time offering created by Westport-based cookbook author and creator Julia Dzafic (@lemonstripes). The vegan sundae features scoops of strawberry shortcake ice cream and banana pudding ice cream, and is topped with sprinkles, hot fudge and a “party hat” AKA a sugar cone.
To pick, or not to pick, that is the question that Nick Conti and a small crew of whiskey enthusiasts are faced with regularly when it comes to making barrel picks for his three spirit shops Sav-Rite Liquors in North Haven, Ye Old Wine Shoppe in Wallingford, and Greens Farms Spirit Shop in Westport.
The popular ice cream brand, Van Leeuwen, whose humble beginnings were as an ice cream truck in New York City, has just opened a scoop shop on Greenwich Avenue.
Owned by brothers and Greenwich natives Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen, who, if we’re really getting technical about their ice cream origin story, actually started in their hometown as the two rented a Good Humor truck to drive around and sell ice cream in for two summers beginning in 2002. And they’re both pretty stoked to not only be back in Greenwich, but to have opened their first suburban storefront.
When I was a kid, my family had a vacation home in West Yarmouth, Cape Cod. Just east of Hyannis, West Yarmouth is a small town on the south shore of the Cape. It was only about four hours from where we grew up in Connecticut. So, it was an easy trip to make if we wanted to just zip up there for the weekend. My brother and I had a small group of 10-15 friends all around our age that all seemed to go to the Cape the same weeks every year. Sometimes, we all used to sneak out at night to go sit on the beach and look for satellites or shooting stars. When we got a little bit older, maybe there was a beer or two involved. But, I beg of you, don't tell my mother. She'll ground me for a week!
There was a large overgrown field with a radio station tower in our neighborhood. Well, just as kids do, we explored it. During one of our reconnaissance missions, we stumbled upon someone's secret stash of liquor. I can only assume it was some kids from other weeks in the summer that we had not met yet. Here is where I had my first taste of Bourbon. Again, don't tell my mother, please.
