Rodeo Jive: The Beverly Hills Ice Cream Man

Remember the ice cream man? Many of us have fond memories of the Good Humor truck rolling into our neighborhood back in the '60s or '70s and upon hearing his magical "Yankee Doodle" theme song, we would run down the block in record time to secure our purchase of a "50-50 Bar" (aka The "Dreamsicle," with orange sherbet and vanilla ice milk). There were also Bomb Pops, Big Sticks and the famed "Sparkle Bar" with its chocolate cake crumb coating and fudge-filled center.

Here in Beverly Hills, we have our own ice cream man and his name is Amir Shan. His truck is parked outside the swim gym at every day and all the kids know him by name.

Shan has been a "snack vendor" (a term he prefers) for 24 years at Beverly High as of last May—something he's very proud of.

"I treat all the kids as if I am their father. I make sure they aren't buying too many snacks and to be honest, I sell more Gatorade, juice and water to the students and athletes at the school than anything else, including ice cream," Shan said. He also offers nuts, granola bars and even has sold fresh fruit at times to enourage healthy eating. A novel twist for an ice cream man.

"I own an ice cream and snack novelty company in Culver City," Shan said of his business, S&A Distributing Co. "So I don't really need to do this. But this is what I love. I want to see the kids everyday. I am their friend, not just the Gatorade and snacks guy."

A true friend indeed, Shan is very generous and trusting with his customers. He offers them credit when they don't have enough money to make a purchase when school lets out or after practice.

"I want to be more than the corner store to these students. I want to teach them the importance of honoring a commitment," Shan said. "To most all of my customers, I am the first experience they have buying something with credit."

Many of the young kids who buy fudgesicles and Tweety Bird ice cream bars (with bubble gum eyes) have parents who may have bought ice cream bars and snacks from Shan back in the late '80s when he first started at BHHS.

"I must be doing something right," Shan said with his typical self-effacing humor. "Or they wouldn't keep inviting me back each semester."

Shan makes occasional weekend appearances at , but his "main event" is in the BHHS parking lot.

Charming, kind hearted and gregarious, Shan remembers everyone's names, including my own daughters Sofia and Olympia (ages 5 and 3) after meeting them once. Seeing as he usually serves hundreds of kids in a day, this is impressive.

Concerned with the recent emphasis on healthy eating, Shan began stocking more healthy products like trail mix, granola bars and fruit juice. I even convinced him to start carrying my own healthy snack of choice, Power Bars, which have no refined sugar and are eaten by world class athletes.

Still, there is something magical that connects you to the innocence of childhood when purchasing an ice cream bar from the ice cream man on a hot summer day. I highly recommend stopping by Shan's truck one afternoon this summer. Pick up a 50-50 Bar and while unwrapping it, think of riding your Schwinn Sting Ray around the block with your buddies back in the halcyon summer days of the 1960s. 

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