FAVORITE FLAVORS: “Tough to say which is a favorite flavor, although we both really love nectarine sorbet and milk chocolate hazelnut. Matt especially loves the bourbon whiskey caramel. Actually, I love that too. Very hard to choose!” Matt Errico and Gabrielle Carbone, owners of The Bent Spoon, are shown enjoying ice cream cones of their choice.
By Jean Stratton
When did you discover the delectable pleasures of ice cream?
Maybe you remember your first taste while sitting on the porch with your grandmother, or perhaps it was walking downtown with your father to get that first ice cream cone. Or even, as a child, making your own ice cream as part of a special family tradition.
So many reasons account for nearly everyone’s love of ice cream. Of course, it tastes great, and there are so many flavors to tempt the taste buds!
Indeed, ever since it was created centuries ago, and later discovered by succeeding generations, it was an immediate and continuing hit.
Whom To Thank?
Whom are we to thank for such an all-time favorite?
Legends abound, but reality checks are less definitive. Some believe the ancient Romans created a form of flavored ice shavings; others attribute it to Marco Polo’s return to Italy from China, bringing a recipe that somewhat resembled sherbet. Some say Alexander the Great enjoyed snow and ice, flavored with honey and nectar.
It may have been introduced to France by the Italian Catherine de’ Medici when she married Henry II of France in the 16th century. England may have had its first taste of ice cream in the 17th century when Charles I served it (only to the nobility!).
Hard to pinpoint any of these as “facts,” but most historians believe ice cream’s beginning to be in seventh century B.C. in
China.
The first report of it in the New World was in 1744, when a letter reported a special treat served at an event at the home of the governor of Maryland: “A Dessert, which was Compos’d with some fine Ice Cream which, with the Strawberries and Milk, (we) eat most deliciously.”
The first known advertisement for ice cream in the Colonies appeared in The New York Gazette in 1777, announcing that it was available “almost every day.”
Favorite of Presidents
It continued to grow in popularity, and it is known that it was a favorite of early U.S. presidents, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln.
Never falling out of favor over the years, as more and more flavors became available, it was a desired dessert or afternoon treat for people around the world.
In the U.S., ice cream parlors and soda fountains drew people to enjoy ice cream while sitting at a counter, or walking out with their favorite cone, often topped with sprinkles.
With advances in technology, pre-packaged ice cream became available in grocery stores and supermarkets, and traditional ice cream parlors began to fade. However, new specialty ice cream stores have gained popularity, bringing in customers who recall the ice cream shops and soda fountains of days past, as well as new generations of ice cream fans.
This brings us to today, and to The Bent Spoon, which has elevated its ice cream creations to super stardom!
Located at 35 Palmer Square West, it was opened in 2004 by Gabrielle Carbone and Matt Errico. It offers a unique concept, focusing on a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables which become ingredients in their high quality ice cream.
HOT CHOCOLATE SPECIALTY: An upcoming special treat is The Bent Spoon’s traditional European-style hot chocolate. “We make local honey and vanilla bean ‘marshies’ (marshmallows) that we hand-cut and toast, with fresh vanilla bean whipped cream on top of a fair trade thick rich ‘drinking chocolate.’ Everyone loves it, and we will have it as soon as the weather gets chillier,” report The Bent Spoon owners.
Seasonal Flavors
“Matt and I both love getting to use all the beautiful bounty that New Jersey has to offer. It’s the Garden State. What a joy!” says Carbone. “When we opened in May, we thought of focusing on the flavors of the season. No one else in the area was doing this.”
Both owners are New Jersey natives, and have backgrounds working in Princeton restaurants.
“Matt and I met at The College of New Jersey, and we both came from Italian ‘food families.’ And we both loved ice cream. I even made some with my family when I was a child,” explains Carbone. She also later attended the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.
“We try to include local and organic ingredients as much as possible. These can be pumpkins, plums, grapes, bananas, blueberries, and strawberries — we get 400 pounds of strawberries, and we use them all. Also corn, tomatoes, mushrooms, beets, and for our chocolate habanero hot chocolate and ice cream, I drive to Pennsylvania to a Mennonite farm to get special peppers. We have 15 varieties of heirloom peppers, which we dry and then make into a powder.”
Carbone creates the recipes, and she and Errico come in before 5 a.m. to start making the ice cream. It is freshly made on the premises all day long, with 24 flavors available.
“We post our starting flavors each day on Instagram Stories. All socials are with the handle @thebentspoon,” she says. “Developing all these recipes is a very creative activity, and after 22 years, I think it is intuitive.”
Regulars and Repeats
There is certainly no question that the customers love it. They come from all over the Princeton area, and beyond, including New York City. Many are regulars and repeats, and they frequently come in more than once a week.
“After all this time, many have become friends,” adds Carbone. “We also have a lot of Princeton University students, who love our ice cream, and their parents come in, too, when they visit. And then we get the alums when they come to Reunions and other University events.
“With the addition of vegan ice cream, including such flavors as tomato and peach sorbet, cookies and cream, vegan chocolate, and many others, we are getting a lot of vegan customers,” she reports. “Most of our vegan ice creams, except for the chocolate, use coconut milk as the base.
“Also, there are other people who want dairy-free, which includes our sorbet. Others might just be curious and want to try some of the vegan flavors. Actually, Matt and I have been surprised at how many people love sorbet and want to have vegan and dairy-free options.”
Of course, no ice cream establishment could exist without the time-tested vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry (as previously mentioned, many pounds of strawberries are needed to supply the demand), and they are always available.
“These are always popular, and we offer versions of each,” notes Carbone. “For example, we have a delicious dark chocolate, also milk chocolate, and caramelized white chocolate,”
Tree Lighting
Keeping up with the seasons, as the days become chillier, and autumn and winter set in, new flavors and choices are added. Pumpkin varieties are popular for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and as she points out, “at Thanksgiving, cranberries are favorite ingredients, and we also include flavors with mushrooms. In winter, we do a lot with apples, and we also have bourbon and whiskey flavors.”
“Our biggest day is the Tree Lighting after Thanksgiving,” she adds. “Everyone comes! And during Christmas, we do a lot of peppermint ice cream. One is ‘Peppermint Shtick.’ We also have ‘Christmas Tree’ ice cream, which includes evergreen fir tree ingredients with chocolate and New Jersey honey. It tastes just how Christmas smells. It’s incredible!”
The Bent Spoon’s options are so plentiful and intriguing that it is hard to choose a favorite. The quality is so high that customers cannot resist its enticement, and return again and again.
At times, though, it can be challenging for Carbone and Errico, who work hard to maintain their high standard. “One of the biggest challenges is when some of our most anticipated seasonal flavors (as this year with nectarines, peaches, and apples) have a challenging growing season. The limited availability means limited amounts of those
ice creams.”
In addition to ice cream cones, cups, pints, and shakes, The Bent Spoon offers mini cupcakes, baked by Carbone, for those who would like a pastry
to accompany their favorite ice cream.
Also, dogs are not forgotten at The Bent Spoon!
“We have ice cream for dogs,” says Carbone, with a smile. “We have this four times a year. We consulted with a vet, and it includes soy milk, hazelnut, banana, honey, and peanut butter. All proceeds from the sales go to area animal shelters.”
Taste For Every Taste
If you have not yet savored the treasures at this ice cream establishment, you will find a taste for every taste — and even tastes you didn’t know you had. How about Mongolian peach sorbet? Black licorice? Prune Armagnac?
As she reflects on the evolution of The Bent Spoon, Carbone is grateful and enthusiastic — and just a little surprised.
“We never really expected this to become so popular. Matt and I just wanted to make things we loved. I think ice cream is popular for many reasons. There is
a certain nostalgia attached to it. People have memories of it when they were children, and we have become a place where people want to make new memories. We’ve even had engagements take place here!
“Of course, people really love it because it tastes wonderful!”
The Bent Spoon is open Monday and Tuesday 12 to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 12 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 12 to 10 p.m., and Sunday 12 to 9 p.m.
For further information, visit the website at thebentspoon.com.