New York-based Van Leeuwen ice cream opens ts third North Texas location in Inwood Village Thursday, February 9. The artisanal dessert started humbly in 2008 by brothers Ben and Peter Van Leeuwen and Laura O’Neill, who had no commercial food production experience but a passion for premium ice cream and a bright yellow ice cream truck.
The trio learned, churned, and earned and, today, Van Leeuwen ice cream has 39 retail stores and is distributed in more than 2,000 markets. It has a cult following much like Levain cookies and once you taste it, you’ll know why.
Van Leeuwen uses only wholesome ingredients in their ice cream; fresh cream, eggs, lots of eggs, and pure cane sugar. In fact, turns out, when you use so many eggs in your ice cream, it must be designated “French Ice Cream.” Faites tout ce qui sera nécessaire, it’s worth it.
Van Leeuwen’s company motto is that if an ingredient is tough to pronounce, it’s probably tough to digest, therefore it’s not in the ice cream. The only exception to that might be the brand name itself which is pronounced “Van Lu-En,” the Dutch surname of the co-founding brothers who are a vital ingredient to the company’s success.
In addition to the full-fat ice cream, which they sell unapologetically, “A life without anything good is bad,” Van Leeuwen sells vegan desserts made with coconut milk and oat milk; again with no chemical agents or additives often found in other ice creams.
The differentiator with this ice cream is ingredients. Only the best. The pistachios are from a small farm in Sicily, the marionberries are from Stalhbush Island Farms in Oregon. Flavors change seasonally and I noticed that my favorite flavor brown sugar chunk with cookie dough, brownies, and walnuts is listed on the website as “Out of Stock,” so get it while you can at the Inwood Village store.
Van Leeuwen Inwood Village is located in the space formerly occupied by Gigi’s Cupcakes. The staff there is super friendly and enthusiastic, I mean, why wouldn’t they be, right? It opens at noon February 9; the first 100 customers will receive a limited edition Dallas Van Leeuwen tote bag. Additionally, to celebrate opening day, the shop will offer $1 scoops from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Van Leeuwen Inwood Village will be open from noon to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Guests can enjoy their treats at the scoop shop or order for takeout or delivery.
