I never tire of talking to good cooks. I love discussing and tasting their food: humans literally wouldn’t exist if we didn’t have food. More importantly, however, I believe that many culinarians are also humanitarians. For them, the act of feeding people’s bodies somehow morphs into feeding their souls.
Cooks care about nurturing the world around them, both physically and metaphorically. A prime example of such nurture can be found on Main Street in Greenfield at Ice Cream Alley.
The owners of this tiny storefront (it is, in fact, in an alley) are committed to making life in Greenfield rich and joyous.
“We got into this not to make money but to improve the town,” said co-owner Bryan Dolan. He shares ownership of the establishment with his brother Tim, a mystery partner the Dolans call “the quiet one,” and with their newest partner, Beth Diamond.
The partners share the responsibilities and Diamond does the lion’s share of the in-shop work. She manages the place from day to day and sometimes acts as scooper.
Her partners clearly appreciate her hard work and sunny personality. Tim Dolan told us that getting her on board and making her an owner was the best thing that has ever happened to Ice Cream Alley.
Bryan Dolan takes care of maintenance, building and woodwork. (He is a woodworker by trade, currently specializing in coffins for green burials.)
Tim Dolan is the business’ main administrator and handles the paperwork. He also plants and maintains the small but profuse garden. The quiet partner is an attorney so he handles legal and financial chores.
The shop specializes in high-end ice cream and is careful always to have vegan and gluten-free options on the menu.
I like dairy as much as the next person — actually probably more than the next person — but I have to admit that the vegan options we tried, including a soy latte with whipped coconut milk and a dairy-free “flight” or sampler of ice creams, could satisfy any ice-cream cravings I would ever have.
I asked the partners to identify their favorite cold concoctions. Bryan Dolan opted for a coffee ice cream drink with “nugget ice,” small bits of relatively soft ice, for the warm weather of July.
Tim Dolan said that he is always game for a classic cone. “It can be any flavor of ice cream,” he explained, “but it has to have a waffle cone … and something crunchy on top. I love rainbow sprinkles.”
Diamond stated that she adores a hot fudge sundae with coffee ice cream, garnished with broken-up salted, roasted almonds to add flavor and texture.
I asked how the pandemic affected the business, and the three admitted that times had been hard. Even with a business model that allowed customers to come up, grab ice cream, and walk off without being in close contact with employees, they lost income when most local residents were staying home.
They kept going thanks to ongoing support from loyal fans and some government aid. They were happy to report that they are doing much better this year than they did last year and the year before.
As we sat sampling ice cream, including an amazing milkshake made with burnt-sugar-and-butter ice cream and crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies, we discussed the past and future of Greenfield.
The Dolans noted that soon after they opened Ice Cream Alley in 2018 they thought Greenfield was on the verge of a rebirth. Unfortunately, the pandemic interrupted that flourishing. The brothers hope that with care the city will finish its comeback now.
While Greenfield awaits its future, the denizens of Ice Cream Alley have their own plans. They currently serve gourmet ice cream made by such committed local businesses as Bart’s, Herrell’s, and Flayvors of Cook Farm.
They hope in the next year or so to begin to produce their own ice cream. They have certainly put in enough research to know what they like.
Meanwhile, they concentrate on what Bryan Dolan calls their “magical little spot.” They like to share little moments of magic and joy with their customers.
For Pride Month, they constructed a seven-foot-tall “book” made of cardboard. A customer could close themselves in, and a disco ball would come down to inspire laughter and a little dancing.
The disco ball and its book are now gone, but the owners are currently planning to attach a misting station to one of their trees for summer heat. A button on the tree will release mist to cool customers off.
This luscious milkshake conquered my heart.
The milkshake is named after its creator, Nick Martin, who was on duty at Ice Cream Alley when we visited. “He’s not just a scooper,” Diamond said of Martin. “He’s an artist.”
Ingredients:
8 ounces Herrell’s burnt-sugar-and-butter ice cream
7 ounces milk
crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies to taste
whipped cream to taste
1 maraschino cherry (for color)
Instructions:
In a blender, combine the ice cream, the milk and most of the cookie crumbs. (Reserve the remaining crumbs.) Blend the mixture about half as long as you would a regular milkshake.
Place the milkshake in a glass and top it with whipped cream, the remaining crumbs, and the cherry. Serves 1 generously.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning author and singer. Her next book will be “Pot Luck: Random Acts of Cooking.” Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.