Local Ice Cream Shop Scoops Up Business of the Year Award

At The Inside Scoop on Ten Rod Road in North Kingstown, you can get rich creamy ice cream in a cone or in a cup.

The Bucci family, who own the store and make all the flavors by hand, recently brought home something special — and it comes on a plaque.

The Inside Scoop has won the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce’s Small to Midsize Business of the Year Award.

“ I would like to thank my wife for all her hard work, my son who is invaluable, and all the great kids we have working at the store. Could not have done it without all of you,” owner John Bucci said in a post on the store’s Facebook page.

The family has owned and operated the store since 2001 and it has steadily earned a reputation as one of the premier ice cream destinations in Rhode Island.

There are plenty of places to get good ice cream, but the Buccis knack for knocking out batches of their 64 flavors has made The Inside Scoop a destination for families across Rhode Island every summer.

Along with chocolate, mint chip, strawberry, Heath Bar and cookie dough, they feature a rotating menu of weekly specials with flavors like amaretto, Purple Penguin, pumpkin and sea salt caramel.

They also offer soft-serve, nonfat yogurt, ice cream cakes and “the ultimate mobile ice cream cart” that offers a few scoops of heaven at weddings, parties and other events.

This most recent award could be considered a cherry on top of a growing sundae of awards. In 2013, they took first at RI Foodfight’s Incredible Ice Cream Throwdown. They were named one of the top 10 ice cream shops in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly Magazine. They’ve also been mentioned by Yankee Travel Magazine, the New England Ice Cream Restaurant Association and others.

The true mark of success can be found in the parking lot every night — if you can find a space.

This year, the Bucci’s have improved their ice cream. They’re now using a 16 percent butterfat mix.

That “makes the ice cream so much creamier, it melts in your mouth,” Bucci said. “No pun intended!”

For more, visit: http://www.theinsidescoopri.com/