The perfect scoop: The Parlor Ice Cream Company prepares unique flavors, one small batch at a time

Pints of Salty Honey from The Parlor Ice Cream Company. Photo Courtesy of Facebook

Liz Gotthelf, Publisher•

BIDDEFORD — Baklava, gingersnap, blueberry buckle and pumpkin pie. These may sound like items from a bakery shelf, but they are just some of the flavors of small batch ice cream available from The Parlor Ice Cream Company.

At The Parlor Ice Cream Company, owner Jacqueline Dole makes ice cream from scratch using hand-picked ingredients and milk and cream from Maine farms.

“We make everything in house and source from local suppliers,” she said.

A former pastry chef, Dole switched gears in 2016 when she started The Parlor Ice Cream Company, using Fork Food Lab, a non-profit food business incubator and shared commercial kitchen in Portland as her home base. She moved the company to downtown Biddeford in 2018.

The Parlor offers a rotating selection of unique flavors. During the 2020 holiday season, options included eggnog, hot cocoa, jelly donut and sugar cookie. This month's flavors include oatmeal creme pie, lemon meringue pie and salted caramel.

Dole has also collaborated with other businesses including The Palace Diner for buttermilk flapjacks ice cream, Rose Food for bagels and cream cheese ice cream and Wyman’s for a wild blueberry cheese cake flavor.

Her favorite flavor is Salty Honey, with house-made honeycomb candy chucks folded through a salted sweet cream base.

"It's one of the flavors I try to always have in my freezer at home," said Dole.

Parlor Ice cream can be found at select stores and can also be delivered for home delivery. For more information, go to http://parloricecreamco.com.

The Parlor Ice Cream Company also caters events and can work with clients on custom flavors. For example, one couple asked for ice cream with jam made from fruit from their garden. Another time, a customer asked for BLT ice cream for his bride-to-be, and Dole created a sweet and savory mix with ingredients that included tomato marmalade and candied bacon.

“We are small batch so the sky is the limit,” said Dole.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.