Food Memories

One of the wonderful aspects of food is the memories that it can help create. Baking with a parent. The smell of a grandparents pie. Picking fruit with your family. If you are Italian I'm sure drinking wine is involved in most of your food memories. I know a favorite food memory of mine was sharing a magnum of wine and making gnocchi with some great friends.

I am bringing this topic up though because I was thinking of a great story that I just have to share. I was living in Vermont attending culinary school and it was a Friday night, early evening really more like 5 pm, and 2 friends and I felt like getting some soft serve ice cream. Doesn't sound too hard right? It was late spring, almost summer really, in New England. There would definitely be some cremie stands open.

So we set out and headed to a local spot that we knew was open and had soft serve. Well we arrived and found out it was actually a drive-in and there were no spots left to park. Next. Found another stand down the road but it hadn't opened yet for the season. Next. Drove around for about 15 minutes and found another stand that HAD CLOSED FOR THE DAY ALREADY. It was about 6 pm now and they were CLOSED! What the hell we are thinking.

Now I should mention that we were around Montpelier Vermont and none of us really had any knowledge of the area. We figured we would have no issues. So moving on we now really didn't know where we were (smartphones and gps units were not prevalent) so we picked a direction and drove. We found some signs after a while for another stand so we of course followed them to find that that stand was closed!!! Really Vermont really?

At this point one of my friends remembered seeing some signs in a nearby town for a stand so we of course headed off. Found the sign for the stand. Sign said the stand was around back of the building so we went around back to find nothing. Nothing at all.

We were desperate at this point. We figured we would give it one more go and then just head home and buy some Ben & Jerry's (by the way the grocery stores in Vermont have the WORST selection of Ben & Jerry's ice cream). So we headed off from the phantom stand and within 15 or 20 minutes found another stand at a local farm. Few cars in the parking lot so we pulled in only to find out after walking up to the door that the stand was closed. It is now about 7 pm and the ice cream stand is closed. Did I mention it is a Friday? My one buddy out of frustration bangs on the door and as we are walking away the owner opens the door, listens to our rambling story, and gives us ice cream. I would like to put an official thank you down in writing to that fellow. I would plug his farm but damned if I can remember the name. Nice building though. Proper Vermont.