Ice Cream That’s “Yummo!”
Trying a new ice cream place doesn’t take much convincing. Sure, we all have our favorites but new ice cream joints, or flavors, can entice even the most devout dairy lovers. So, when newcomer Yummo Ice Cream announced their new line of super premium ice cream would be available at Elm Street Bakery, my sweet tooth led me to East Aurora. Elm Street is a staple in the village and my go-to when hunger strikes while in EA. And while they’re not your typical roadside ice cream stand, the artisanal touch they put into all their offerings assured me they wouldn’t stock just any run-of-the-mill ice cream. It had to deliver BIG. Plus, it’s called “Yummo.” How could it be anything but delicious?
Yummo is the brainchild of Elm Street cook, Griffin Schultz, already a long-tenured employee at age 23. His passion for ice cream reached its peak after a solo visit to Sicily based on an episode of the Netflix series, “Chef’s Table,” about Sicilian gelato.
“Maybe it was just jet lag, but when I finally made it to Caffe Sicilia in Noto and tried the almond granita and sheep’s milk ricotta gelato, my eyes welled with tears,” said Schultz.
Griffin took that passion and coupled it with the trust and support of Elm Street owners, Kim and Jay DePerno, to launch his line of ice cream straight from the Bakery.
“I make everything in-house — all the bases, add-ins, cookies, candies, sauces and sorbets,” added Schultz. “Because of this, I have a lot more control over individual flavors, which range in batch size from four quarts to twelve quarts.”
Yummo offers six unique flavors that change with the season. Some of the current flavors include: Maple Nut, Ricotta Rhubarb Ripple and Chocolate Problems. “I like the idea of keeping a tight knit group of flavors with strict attentiveness to their consistency,” Schultz told me.
It’s always tough to decide when deliberating over flavors and I landed on Maple Nut and Chocolate Problems. After just a few bites of each, it was hard to find the words to accurately describe that burst of flavor I experienced. I’m a super fan of maple walnut ice cream and Yummo brought it to the next level. Perfect creaminess, perfect crunch, perfect balance and most importantly, a bold maple flavor that wasn’t too over the top.
“We always strive to use the best ingredients, so it really is super premium. It’s rich and sumptuous, because it should be — it’s ice cream,” said Schultz
Chocolate Problems delivered on the unique qualities as well. Think more milk chocolate with hot fudge and cookie crumbles woven throughout. My kids devoured it. Now we have another problem on our hands, order the same flavors next time or try something new? Chocolate problems are the best kind of problems to have.
Griffin may have another problem on his hands, too.
“It’s been overwhelming in the best sense possible,” he said.
He still works full time as a cook at Elm Street and ice cream production happens on his own time, before or after his regular shift.
“My main ambition is to be better, get better and keep on improving even if it’s only in ways I notice,” he said. “It’s a labor of love. I think I’ve found my passion and it’s deeply satisfying.”
Follow along with Yummo on their Instagram: @yummoicecreambars
