What's the Scoop? Ample Hills to Open Wednesday 'No Matter What'

For those of us still dreaming of , good news: Ample Hills Creamery will open Wednesday at noon “no matter what.”

That’s about a month later than the original opening date, and , but owner Brian Smith says this time it’s a sure thing.

“We will be open,” he said.

The store is the first in the area to be made completely from scratch, instead of from a “dairy mix” of pre-pasteurized milk, cream, sugar and eggs. But that involves getting the hang of the new vat pasteurizer, which has been harder than Smith anticipated and is the reason for the delay, he said.

“It’s just me learning the equipment ­– there’s a reason most other people don’t pasteurize their own ice cream,” he said. “There’s a steep learning curve.”

However Smith now has enough ice cream made to open the doors for sure on Wednesday, he said, as well as the salted caramel and hot fudge toppings, milk shakes, homemade waffle cones and functioning coffee bar.

All that will be missing is the ice cream cakes and the frozen ice cream drinks.

And while Smith had hoped to have those things in place before the shop was opened, pressure from eager fans has forced his hand: every day at least four or five people walk into the shop not realizing it is still closed, he said.

“We just need to get the doors open and start letting people in,” he said.

Ample Hills Creamery is located at 623 Vanderbilt Avenue at St. Marks.