WITH LOCAL WIZARDS OF ICE CREAM, FROZEN CUSTARD AND NONDAIRY DELIGHTS

IT’S A SEASONAL RITUAL that goes back centuries in the United States: People stand in line on near-sizzling hot pavement, patiently waiting for their favorite scoop or dip or cup or swirl of ice cream or frozen custard. These desserts aren’t just beloved: People are passionate about their summer—and often year-round—treats.

We found some local frozen sweet-treat purveyors who don’t just love ice cream, they live it. Put them on your summer radar. If you choose to document your visit with a snap—or have another great place to share—tag #ediblewow in your social media feeds!

Finally, everyone we spoke with emphasized that the frozen dessert business is a lot of hard work and long hours. Still, none of them would trade it. “It just makes people happy,” says Matt Ahearn of Wally’s Frozen Custard. “People come and they’re usually happy standing in line. And even if they’re not, by the time they walk out the door with their cone they’re smiling.”

We wish you delectable experiences and zero brain freeze.

“Ice cream really brings people together.”

—ROB HESS, GO! ICE CREAM

THE AMBASSADORS

GO! ICE CREAM

“Ice cream has shown me a lot about myself,” says Rob Hess. “I was working a regular job, and just fell in love with making it.”

Hess began by selling his own homemade blends at farmers markets. “I was this 40-year-old man in Spandex on a weird old-timey tricycle. I wasn’t sure people would get it. They loved it, and what amazed me was that folks that normally wouldn’t catch each other’s eyes at the market were suddenly mmming and ahhing and talking to each other about their grandmothers and things. Ice cream really brings people together.”

In 2016, Hess and his wife, Lara Zeilin, converted a handful of offices in downtown Ypsi into the GO! brick-and-mortar store, furnishing it with an old-fashioned soda fountain.

“The fountain limits us to six scoopable ice creams at any given time, so we can highlight special flavors,” says Hess, adding that many more varieties are available in pre-packed pints, both at the shop and at grocery stores throughout Metro Detroit. He loves experimenting with new blends.

“In a lot of my flavors, I’m breaking things apart: Like, for our carrot cake ice cream, we use the spices from the cake and coat the walnuts with them, we use cream cheese and roasted carrots. They’re classic flavors reinvented from a handmade perspective.”

They always offer at least one vegan ice cream, the chocolate sorbet: “Completely dairy free; doesn’t even have nut milk. It’s very rich and fudgy.”

GO! Ice Cream: 10 N. Washington St., Ypsilanti; goicecreamgo.com; @goicecreamgo

THE ARTISANS

BLANK SLATE CREAMERY

Boutique flavors—Balsamic Strawberry, Vietnamese Cinnamon, nondairy Coconut Matcha—share the counter next to classics with a modern slant, like Garden Mint Chip, Madagascar Vanilla and Salty Caramel.

The Ann Arbor store has been so successful that there’s now a second location in Brighton. Blank Slate is dedicated to top-quality natural ingredients and avoids unnecessary additives like preservatives, artificial colors, stabilizers and emulsifiers.

Blank Slate Creamery:

300 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor, and 126 E. Grand River Ave., Brighton; blankslatecreamery.com; @blankslatecreameryannarbor

THE IMPRESARIOS

RAY’S ICE CREAM

“I had a boyhood dream of owning an ice cream parlor,” says Jason Eddleston.

So he and his wife, Lindsey, bought a locally iconic one in 2022.

Established in 1958 and named after its original owner, Ray Stevens, this beloved ice cream parlor has been serving up fresh homemade ice cream ever since. It’s a family place, both in its clientele—some of whom have been frequenting Ray’s for decades—and management: Ray’s great-granddaughter, Jenna, still works there.

Eddleston vowed to keep the old-fashioned ambiance and “premium milk mix made especially for us.” And he loves to experiment with new flavors inspired by anything from seasonal produce to special events. “I’ve been making cereal ice creams, and Fruity Pebbles is my all-time favorite,” he says. “Piper’s Pebbles was created in honor of my daughter, who just celebrated her 6-month birthday.”

A collaboration enthusiast, Eddleston loves working with local vendors, including the Franklin Cider Mill and Birmingham-based Cooper Street Cookies. Area chefs who’d like to work with Ray’s on a unique flavor are invited to get in touch. “People want to buy local, eat local, and we love supporting that,” says Eddleston.

Ray’s Ice Cream:

4233 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; raysicecream.com; @raysicecreamco

THE SPECIALISTS

DAIRY MAT

Inside this vintage 1940s soft-serve counter is a state-of-the-art machine capable of turning out over 20 flavors of melt-in-your-mouth soft-serve ice cream.

“I had to cover up the name,” laughs Carol Okragleski. “People kept trying to steal it.” She and her daughter, Kathy Reisdorf, have owned and operated this unique shop for 26 years.

People love the custom-blend flavors available, which include Amaretto and Piña Colada, as well as chocolate and vanilla on their own or swirled together. But Dairy Mat’s signature is its orange soft serve, available solo or twisted with vanilla. “We’re known for it,” says Okragleski. “We’ve had people come from as far as Key West and Arizona.” Ice cream is also available for takeaway in pints. “I have one woman who stops in every week. She gets her ice cream, then drives up north.”

Dairy Mat: 35032 Woodward Ave., Birmingham; facebook.com/dairymat/; @ dairymat

THE MULTITASKERS

MISTER DIPS DETROIT

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Mister Dips opened its only other location in 2021 in Detroit. There you can feast on various—sometimes unusual—types of “Dips,” including burgers, chicken and Dairy Dips, and specialty soft serve cones. Flavors are fun: the Berry Gibbs, featuring strawberry, Nilla wafers and sweet cream; and Chocolate P.B.D., with cocoa and salted peanut butter drip; are just two offerings. Floats and shakes are also available, including the adults-only Boozy Doozies like the Java Buzzed with Baileys Original Irish Creme and Irish whiskey livening up a caramel cold brew.

Mister Dips Detroit: 19 E. Grand River Ave., Detroit; misterdips.com; @eatmisterdips

THE INDIVIDUALISTS

WALLY’S FROZEN CUSTARD

Let’s be clear from the get-go: Frozen custard is NOT ice cream. “Custard has a higher butterfat, it’s richer, it’s not served, it has more egg yolks,” says Wally’s owner Matt Ahearn. “Honestly, I think it’s far superior.” He laughs, but he’s serious.

Ahearn and his wife, Eliza, have owned Wally’s for 20 years now and have used the original 1947 recipe that entire time, with zero alteration to the custard base.

“Every week we have one flavor that changes,” says Ahearn. You can confidently bring friends with special diets: Wally’s Dole Whip is a dairy-free vegan alternative, as is fat- and sugar-free frozen yogurt.

Wally’s Frozen Custard: 22501 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; wallysfrozencustard.net; @ wallysfrozencustard

THE TIME TRAVELERS

COLD TRUTH

An early tagline for Cass Corridor’s Cold Truth half-joked “Proud to be setting back the ice cream industry 60 years.” With its classic soft-serve machines and lack of dyes and other “artificial stuff,” owner Tim Mahoney hit the proverbial nail on the head with his scratch-made artisanal-yet-machine-centric vegan soft-serve ice cream.

Mahoney started Cold Truth as a side hustle, before planting it nicely into a snug brick-and-mortar walk-up spot on the corner of West Canfield and Cass at the tail end of 2019. With only 500 square feet—“It’s a broom closet,” jokes Mahoney—he had to decide: vegan or dairy? He chose vegan and it’s been that way ever since.

“These soft-serve machines are really made for a mix—just add water or whisk it—but we’re basically putting super-premium ice cream in,” says Mahoney.

Having recently secured a kitchen space at Eastern Market, Cold Truth will have room to experiment with other dairy alternatives, so long as they “have some heft.”

The new space (not public-facing, sorry) will allow Cold Truth to keep making pints—20% of their business, after a pandemic pivot—during the summer. It also means more chances to make small batches for private events, including weddings, the first of which happened in mid-May when Cold Truth provided soft-serve sundaes and ice cream sandwiches from their new-to-them 1963 former bread truck.

On the regular, Cold Truth offers four flavor profiles at a time. Mahoney says they win people over with their lavender.

“Horchata is another one. We toast our own coconut and that’s unique for a lot of people—to have soft serve with real toasted coconut.”

Last year Cold Truth also earned a following for its watermelon slushie, consisting of watermelon, agave, mint and lime.

“A lot of people aren’t familiar with fresh fruit soft serve. The texture is what you come for, and that visual appeal, but to have that other layer of strong fruit flavor, that’s an area where we excel.”

Cold Truth: 4240 Cass Ave., Unit 100, Detroit; coldtruthsoftserve.com

Nan Bauer loves ice cream any time of year and treasures a fine vanilla. Her go-to is Iorio Gelato in Ann Arbor. Contact Nan at her website, headroam.com.