Inside Scoop
Is Jeni Britton a passionate artist or clever ice cream tycoon?
By Steve Croyle |
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I'll be honest, I was expecting to be a little disappointed when I met Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. She's been the subject of so many interviews, profiles and Q & A pieces about her and the success of her artisan ice cream endeavor, it seemed there'd be little more to talk about. It all started with a little space in the North Market eight years ago and now, Jeni has her eyes on a sixth location, this one in Clintonville.
Bully for her, but I was skeptical. Is Jeni a person or a persona?
"It wasn't because I'm greedy," Jeni said of her operation's growth. "When I started out, I just wanted a career. I was happy just serving customers out of the North Market."
Because they were filling restaurant orders, Jeni said that regulations forced her and her husband, Charly Bauer, to move production out of the market. They found some space in Grandview and that led them to open a shop on Grandview Avenue at a location that had seen its share of failed endeavors. Of course, Jeni's bucked the trend and the rest is, as they say, history. A history that includes drawing the attention of foodies from around the country, and those contacts have opened the door to a publishing deal with Artisan Books.
"We were fortunate to have our pick of publishers," Jeni said. "We chose Artisan because they're a family-owned company with similar values to ours."
They're also selective, limiting their publication of food-oriented books to just 12 a year, Jeni said, adding that she was lured by their work with chefs such as Top Chef's Eric Ripert.
None of that really surprised me. If you've ever tried Jeni's ice cream, you understand that this stuff is definitely special. People have been known to stand in line for upwards of an hour to get a few scoops of the latest seasonal flavor. What surprised me is Jeni's sincerity. All that talk about local ingredients? She's practically giddy about it. She absolutely adores Ohio, and believes that it is an agricultural mecca.
"Ohio is one of five states that has over 50 percent prime soil," she told me as she explained her belief in local products. "I don't remember the other four but that's pretty special, I think."
Jeni views herself as an artist and sees her staff as a "colony of artists" kept on track by CEO John Lowe. He provides the structure and direction needed to ensure the tiny production facility maintains pace with increasing demand. Even so, she notes that there are still a lot of last-minute changes that get pushed through. "I am Jeni, after all."
She doesn't talk like a typical business person. In fact, some of her practices are seemingly counter-intuitive, such as her exclusive partnership with Snowville Creamery: "Our growth is limited to what they can supply. We won't use another source."
Other outside-the-quart business decisions include ordering crates of fresh-picked Polter Farms strawberries through Wayward Seed Farm, and using specially grown mint from Jorgenson Farms. Superior products? To be sure, but washing and prepping fresh ingredients is a step most ice cream producers - even the premium brands - skip in favor of extracts and concentrates. To them, it's not worth the added expense.
Jeni, who is a co-founder of Local Matters (See article on page 65), understands that it's not easy to pursue local products, but still gets frustrated with people who claim to use local ingredients whenever possible.
"What is that?" she asked. "We push through roadblocks in pursuit of local. We'll spend more money to support our local suppliers in order to make sure we get the best products."
For more exotic ingredients that can't be sourced locally, Jeni relies on suppliers such as Lulu Sturdy, who provides fair trade Ugandan vanilla beans, and Sean Askinosie of Askinosie Chocolates for single-source, fair trade chocolate. Fortunately, fair trade and top quality go hand in hand as the exploitative exporters aren't afraid to settle for lesser quality. There's a story behind every ingredient that goes into her ice creams, and Jeni seems willing to tell it if you'll listen.
All Hail the Jeni's Empire
The Book
Jeni just put the finishing touches on her manuscript, which means she'll be enduring the editing phase in the coming months, but the book is due out in June of 2011. If you're looking for a sneak peak of sorts, check out her blog at www.saltycaramel.com.
Clintonville Location
Various rumors have been circulating, but Jeni did confirm that this is in the works. There's an issue with parking but it's another roadblock she feels they can push through. They aren't rushing anything, but she already has the seating picked out and waiting to be put in place.
Original Flavors
Ohio Sweet Corn and Black Berry: This is a popular summer flavor that captures the essence of Ohio. If you've ever had really fresh Ohio Sweet Corn, this makes sense.
Peach Lambic Sorbet: The sultry weather thus far has the peach crop looking exceptional and Jeni's excited about sourcing some top-notch Ohio peaches - not something she is always able to do - for a special fruit-based confection that sets the bar high for sorbet. "Make sure you tell people about this year's peaches," Jeni said enthusiastically.
Plum Lambic Sorbet: Lambic, in case you don't know, is a Belgian style of beer that is known for a unique sourness imparted by wild strains of yeast. This is offset with fruit flavors. Jeni's lambic sorbets seem to capture the effervescence of the namesake brew. Ohio's plum haul should be a doozy.
Originally Published: July 1, 2010
