The North Shore Dish Freshly Churned Nostalgia By Virginia George
As the weather warms up and we start digging ourselves out of our hibernating holes, we can begin our spring preparations. Now, I know it was technically spring some time ago, but with a wet and cold April, we Northlanders are on a delayed schedule and we take our summers seriously. They are short enough that we need to squeak every last moment out of them, so it’s time to tune up the bikes, check your swimming suit for moth holes, and if you haven’t taken the snow tires off yet, it’s probably safe. It’s also the time of year to start thinking about stalking your favorite ice cream joint. It must be a Minnesota thing, because plenty of people I know have never heard of an ice cream shop closing down for the winter. Near my childhood home, we had a small Dairy Queen that closed down and became a Christmas tree lot every year, and some of my favorite ice cream shops here in the Northland are seasonal as well. It turns out I have a lot of nostalgia tied up in ice cream, but more importantly, the relationships that have been nurtured around it. My earliest memory of ice cream magic involves a gallon of Kemps Tin Roof Sundae. Ice cream was certainly not a seasonal affair for my grandfather, a Danish immigrant and certified sweet tooth. With a twinkle in his eye, he’d ask who wanted dessert and send one of the grandkids to the overfilled chest freezer on the porch to return with a gallon of ice cream. He’d scoop out the bowls and pass around the Hershey’s chocolate syrup. A few years ago, I was picking up dessert for my own family, and as I scanned the freezer cases, I came across the Tin Roof Sundae. I hadn’t had it in ages, but nostalgia kicked in and I decided to introduce my own kids to it, but without the chocolate syrup. Though they never had the opportunity to meet my grandpa, they feel a sense of connection to him through slow churned cream, fudge and peanuts.
Merla Mae, Thunder Bay
Merla Mae is one of those summer sensations, with a lot to offer. It is an old timey drive-in ice cream shop and burger joint. Merla Mae burgers are made from fresh, local beef and a Bennett’s Bakery bun, truly keeping everything as local as possible. Merla Mae also makes all their ice cream in house and they offer a variety of flavors, as well as dairy-free options. Ice cream flavors
Merla Mae in Thunder Bay is an old timey drive-in ice cream shop and burger joint. They offer a variety of ice cream, as well as ice cream cakes. | MERLA MAE NORTHERN WILDS
MAY 2022
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