Staff at Foster Brook Creamery are back at it again, proving that ice cream consumption does not necessarily require warm weather.
The much-loved burger and ice cream stand will open its doors once again for the 2024 season at 11 a.m. Friday. They will be open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This will be the third season for owners Norm and Kelly Strotman, a father-and-daughter team.
“We bought this place in 2022 from Chip and Marsha McCracken, who started the business in 2017,” Kelly Strotman said.
“They had an excellent foundation in place for the business and we just tried to take their good work and expand from there.”
The Creamery’s menu features everything from burgers to stuffed milkshakes, one of their most popular additions.
“It is a milkshake with candy around the rim, on the outside. Then we put either a piece of cheesecake or a piece of peanut butter pie on top to finish it off,” Strotman said.
“It is very popular. The kids just go crazy for it, and the adults love it, too,” she added.
New this year, the menu will include several flavors of popping boba.
“I call it like the FBC version of boba — my version of boba,” Strotman laughed.
On offer will be three types of boba pearls — strawberry, blueberry and raspberry — that can be added to either Starry soda or sweet and unsweetened tea.
“Another thing that people can do is add boba to their ice cream, and we think that might become a popular thing,” Strotman said.
“This way it is a little faster for the kids to get out the door,” she added.
This season, the creamery employs 20 teens and young people in part-time positions. Once the school year is finished, the Creamery will expand its hours to 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
“One of the exciting things this year is that we are trying subs,” Strotman said.
They will offer ham, turkey, roast beef or salami subs in 2-foot, 1-foot, or quarter-sized portions.
“We have a lot of single or older people who come in and would be able to eat the full half of a sub,” Strotman said.
“This is something new for us so we are going to try it and hope that it takes off,” she added.
Another thing that Strotman has tried to do is make the menu more inclusive to those with food sensitivities. In addition to the 50 flavors of hard ice cream they have, there are now several non-dairy options. Four of the flavors are even vegan-friendly.
“What brings it all together for me is to see that smile on someone’s face when they get a treat,” Strotman said.
“Expanding our menu simply ensures that everyone can find something here to enjoy.”
