Holsten's Named Finalist For Best Ice Cream In North Jersey

Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery, one of Bloomfield's notable sweet-tooth destinations, received another honor this week for its ice cream.

The store, located at 1063 Broad St., Bloomfield, has been named a finalist for best ice cream in Northern New Jersey, according Inside Jersey magazine.

A group of critics rated several ice cream businesses throughout the state and praised Holsten's Ice Cream Parlor for its "fantastic" coffee chip ice cream and providing "generous" scopes.

Ron Stark, who co-owns Holsten's with Christopher Carley, said it would have been nice to be the best ice cream winner. But he noted taste can be subjective and it varies depending on personal preferences.

"Basically we pride ourselves on quality," Stark said about their ice cream. " All of it is homemade."

Holsten's opened in 1939 and Stark said the business has been in his family since 1964. The ice cream parlor tries to maintain its old-fashioned charm, Stark said, and they tend to stick with fairly traditional flavors.

The most popular flavor request is vanilla by a 4-1 margin, Stark said, followed by chocolate. Right now, the parlor is also offering the summer flavors of peach, banana, coconut chip and vanilla peanut butter.

"We're just happy to take care of the customers, give them a good product at a good price," Stark said. "That's what we do."

The winner for best ice cream in Northern New Jersey was Denville Dairy, according to the magazine. Other finalists were Applegate Farms in Upper Montclair, Bischoff's Ice Cream in Teaneck and Cliff's Dairy Maid in Ledgewood.