Now there’s a place where you can lick — and learn about — ice cream!
AN ice-cream factory grows in Brooklyn.
A week ago, Ample Hills Creamery opened a new outpost just a block from the South Brooklyn Ferry dock in Red Hook. But it’s not just another scoop shop. In addition to serving up signature New York City-inspired flavors, the 15,000-square-foot facility in a refurbished 19th-century warehouse will give dessert fans an opportunity to learn about and watch how ice cream is made.
In a self-guided “museum,” ice-cream enthusiasts will read about dairy pasteurization, pint packing and flavor concepts. As they read, customers will also be able to watch real cooks and bakers churn out the finished product — some 1,600 gallons per day — through giant windows which look into their newly minted production kitchen.
An 8-foot-wide magnetic scrapbook gives kid chefs a chance to share the flavor of their dreams. The pages are already full of inspiration for future flavors, including Sweet Corn Rocky Road, “Gigglecrunch” — presumably made of giggles — and Pizza, “Because it’s New York,” the young ice-cream dreamer writes.
The grand finale at the new Ample Hills — the name comes from a line in Walt Whitman’s ode to New York City, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” — is the 22-foot-wide 3-D map of Brooklyn, featuring handmade and painted landmarks throughout history, such as Grand Army Plaza, a kid’s climb-through tunnel representing the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Ebbets Field — complete with a vintage Dodgers banner and a statuette of Jackie Robinson.
“This is what all the work was for, so these little hands could get thumbprints all over it and it could be appreciated,” says Ample Hills’ art director Lauren Kaelin, who had a big hand in bringing the space to life.
Owners Brian Smith and Jackie Cuscuna intend to build on the immersive experience, with plans to continue adding educational and interactive elements, and to host private parties and classes for those seeking a hands-on education.
Two-year-old Elle of the Upper West Side enjoyed the new spot during a recent visit — up to a point. “Mommy, I think I’ve had too much ice cream!”
Open noon to 10:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 421 Van Brunt St., Red Hook; AmpleHills.com