INSIDE SCOOP

BOYERTOWN ICE CREAM & WATER ICE FACTORY 835 E PHILADELPHIA AVE, BOYERTOWN, PA 19512 484-415-0315 • FIND THEM ON FACEBOOK • 11A-10P SUN-THURS / 11A-11P FRI-SAT

It was a whirlwind few weeks. We had just done a terri c ride in the south on some very tasty Triumphs. Returning home, we had time to feed the cats, change our clothes and hope back on our own bikes to attend the Oley Swap Meet with some friends. If you haven’t been, make sure you put that on your calendar for next year. Even if you aren’t into antiques, the people watching and certain oddities to be found are well worth the time.

John had plotted a ride from Oley back to his home and informed me that we’d be making a stop at a new ice cream shop that recently opened. Well, hell’s bells, doesn’t that just make for a perfect day. Not only was the ride great, I’d get some homemade ice cream.

Boyertown Ice Cream & Water Ice Factory (a mouthful but so is their ice cream) is the creation of Larry O’Toole, a fellow motorcyclist. In November of 2019 he was involved in a severe motorcycle accident which left him with many broken bones, as well as several brain bleeds. He went through many surgeries and returned to work in March, only to be let go on April 1. After a routine CAT scan, he was back in the operating room and, while recovering and pondering what he would do moving forward, he was made an offer ‘he couldn’t refuse’ from Argento’s Pizza of Boyertown to rent their ice cream shop next door. I asked Larry if he had previous experience making ice cream and he told me that he spent over 200 hours watching the Emery Thompson website (makers of ne ice cream machines since the early 1900s), experimenting with the recipes and taste testing at several private social clubs and parties. Finally, in March 2021 he was ready to set sail on his ice cream excursion with Boyertown Ice Cream & Water Ice Factory. Larry makes all his ice cream and water ice on premise, usually on rainy days when the ow of customers is lighter. Being a Jersey girl, I was not too familiar with water ice, which is a very Philadelphia ‘thing’. If you, too, are not familiar – water ice is a combination of sugar, water and various fruits, mixed together before

Page 22 being served, and often comes out a little slushy. Most of the world may know this as Italian ice, but in the Philly area, it will always be water ice. Larry offers 13 avors of hard ice cream, 11 water ice and 8 soft serve avor burst. These come in cups or waf e bowls, which are a much more civilized vehicle for ice cream than cones which tend to melt and drip everywhere (IMHO). Smoothies and milkshakes in a variety of avors, as well as hot beverages, are available. For a base before ice cream, they also serve hot dogs and Philadelphia soft pretzels. Being a NY Mets fan, I was having a little dif culty with all this Philly stuff, but once I tasted Larry’s ice cream, that melted away.

Our little group showed up and, with plenty of parking available, bellied up to the window to make our dessert decisions. The menu was enticing and it seemed that almost everyone went for a different avor, with the choices being Old Tyme Vanilla, M&M Plain Flavor, Oreo Crunch, Banana Cream Pie, Cookies ‘N Brownies, S’Mores, Old Tyme Chocolate, Coffee Crunch, Reeses, Milky Way, Apple Pie, Honey Vanilla and Frankenstein. I had to go with the Cookies ‘N Brownies and certainly was not disappointed. It was creamy, had a terri c texture and perfect balance of avor. I tried some of Brian’s Oreo Crunch and Coffee Crunch and had the same opinion. I only wish I had had room to sample the water ice – but that’s what return visits are for.

Not only does Larry make some great desserts, he gives back to the community is a great way. When he hosts an event for non-pro ts, he donates 20% back to them. In addition, any gift cards sold have the same 20% donation back to the charity and, when the gift cards are reloaded, the 20% keeps on going back – a never-ending fundraiser. It is an amazing thing for a business to continually give back, and that is exactly what Larry is doing.

Boyertown Ice Cream & Water Ice Factory has a large patio with several tables at which to enjoy your frozen delights. As I said, there is plenty of parking and Boyertown itself is a pretty cool town to explore before or after your ice cream.

I wish Larry success, continued healing and look forward to my next visit to get some of that Philly water ice.