LANCASTER, N.Y. (WKBW) — There’s a new ice cream shop in Lancaster where they go BIG, hence the name Big Papa’s Creamery. The more than a dozen flavors will have you coming back for more, and in my case trying each of the more than 20 flavors. That includes their new flavor that will be introduced on Friday, Peach Cornbread. It’s made with peaches from Niagara Produce and crumbles of Fat Bob’s Cornbread.
“Unique, just that small batch ice cream, using real flavors and real colors in our ice cream,” said Kole Kingsland, owner of Big Papa’s Creamery.
He got the name Big Papa when he attended ice cream school just north of Tampa, Florida. In 2022 he launched as a food truck, and gained a following. In June he opened the doors to his first storefront located at 20 W Main Street in Lancaster.
I got to see the ice cream making process, which happens just before 8 a.m. below their store on Main Street in Lancaster. Kingsland and his employee, Amanda Pionessa, use natural flavors. For their new corn flavor ice cream, they used Tumeric extract to get that yellow color.
“Dye free is the biggest factor,” explained Kingsland about his business, which is already ahead of the game.
Recently the International Dairy Foods Association announced a commitment to phase out artificial dyes from ice cream by 2028.
Their ice cream is sweet, but not overpoweringly sugary like others. Big Papa’s prides itself on using actual ingredients in their flavors. For Salted Caramel Crunch, they make their own salted caramel bark to put in.
“You eat ice cream, you make ice cream, you see people enjoy ice cream,” said Pionessa to me as she taught me how to make the cream, laying the peaches, cornbread and ice cream as it flowed out of their machine.
Big Papa’s Creamery also serves ice cream sandwiches using their home-made chocolate chip cookies, ice cream floats, milkshakes, Affogato, pup cups, espresso and more!
