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Published in the Salt Lake Tribune, 2 November 2005

Utah's superpremium ice cream is growing by licks and bounds

By Kathy Stephenson

Barely 3 years old, Spotted Dog Creamery is just a pup in the Utah ice cream market.

Yet in that short time the company's all-natural ice creams and sorbets - made in small 4-gallon batches and with top-quality ingredients - have become the pick of the litter for many local ice cream devotees.

The brain behind the scoop is chef and co-owner John Winters, who has as much spunk and rambunctiousness as his company mascot - a black and white terrier mix named Hopper.

Few others would have the energy to come up with more than 150 unique flavor combinations from apple pie and blackberry chip to spiced apple and tiramisu. And if Winters doesn't have the flavor you're craving, he loves the challenge of making it for you.

"It's the chef approach to making ice cream," says a passionate Winters, a New Jersey native whose family operated a restaurant near Lake Winnipesaukee.

An avid outdoorsman, he moved to Utah after attending the New England Culinary School and was the executive chef at Goldener Hirsch in Park City. Later he worked as a private chef and caterer. He decided to venture into ice cream as a way to keep busy during the slow summer season.

Soon he and business partner Kristin Johnson, a native of San Francisco and an experienced restaurant manager, were scooping their confection at the farmers markets in Park City, and later Salt Lake City.

Hopper, the spotted dog of Spotted Dog Creamery, eyes a cone of Nilla Pudding. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

The response was overwhelming, with the duo often selling out and customers wanting to know where they could purchase more.

Winters and Johnson figured they had found a niche. Utahns, who eat more ice cream per capita than almost any other state in the nation, were ready to jump into the "superpremium" ice cream category, in which ice cream has high milk fat content and low aeration or "overrun."

Overrun is the amount of air whipped into the ice cream during manufacturing; most economy ice creams typically have 100 percent overrun making them light and airy. The ice cream made by Spotted Dog Creamery has only 40 percent overrun. While other ice creams use at least 10 percent milk fat, Winters starts with 15 percent milk fat.

The result, says Winters, is a dense, creamy treat that people "can't wait to get their paws on."

Spotted Dog Creamery does not skimp on the fruits, chocolates and other add-ins, either. From the vanilla beans from Madagascar to the fresh Utah-grown cherries, the ice cream contains all-natural ingredients with no artificial flavors or colors.

Winters' passion for experimentation has made him the favorite ice cream maker for at least a dozen area restaurants.

Diners at Salt Lake City's Takashi restaurant probably have eaten Spotted Dog's coconut or green tea flavored ice cream. And at MacCool's Public House, the chocolate bread pudding with a scoop of Bailey's Chip ice cream has become a signature dessert.

John Winders, foreground, and Kristin Johnson are the brains behind Spotted Dog Creamery. They use all-natural and top-quality ingredients - such as locally purchased cherries, seen here soaking in sugar and water - in their ice cream. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

This fall, Kurtis Baguley, the executive chef at the Grand America Hotel, challenged Winters to come up with two creations for his dessert menu.

Winters created a spiced apple sorbet to complement Baguley's apple tarte Tatin. He followed up with a pumpkin flavor to go with Baguley's dark spicy gingerbread.

"They are both stunning," Baguley said. "I love that he can make ice cream in small batches and do whatever you want."

In 2005, with only word of mouth as advertising, Spotted Dog has tripled its business. The company moved into a new 6,100-square-foot plant at 2980 S. State St. in South Salt Lake earlier this year, where Winters and Johnson do everything from preparing fruit to packing cartons.

The plant is also one of a dozen places in the valley where the ice cream can be purchased. (See full list at below.)

Spotted Dog ice cream is a favorite at The Store and The Store Too, both in Holladay, said buyer Warren Brock.

"It often beats some of the national brands like Ben & Jerry's and Haagen-Dazs," Brock said, noting that the creamy taste and unique flavors bring customers back for more.

"I remember when we were first trying samples and I was tasting the tiramisu. The next thing I knew I was scrubbing the bottom of the empty tub," Brock said. "I think that is a familiar song with anyone who has taken a pint home."

Where to pick up a pint of your favorite flavor:

Spotted Dog ice cream can be purchased at the factory store at 2980 S. State St., South Salt Lake, (behind Action Wireless), online at http://www.spotteddogcreamery.com or at the following locations, cost is about $3.50 a pint:

What do the labels on frozen treats mean?

Frozen desserts come in many forms. To help consumers understand what they are buying, the federal government has created the following standardized terms:

Ice cream is made from a mixture of dairy products that have at least 10 percent milk fat before the addition of bulky ingredients. The finished product must weigh a minimum of 4.5 pounds to the gallon.

• "Reduced fat" contains 25 percent less total fat than the average leading brand.
• "Light" contains at least 50 percent less total fat or has 33 percent few calories than leading brands.
• "Lowfat" contains a maximum 3 grams total fat per 1/2 cup serving.
• "Nonfat" contains less than 0.5 grams total fat per serving.

• Frozen custard contains a minimum of 10 percent milk fat and at least 1.4 percent egg yolk solids.
• Sherbet's milk fat content is between 1 percent and 2 percent. Weighs a minimum of 6 pounds to the gallon and is flavored with fruit or other ingredients.
• Gelato is a frozen dessert, made with more milk than cream and served in a semifrozen state.
• Sorbet is similar to sherbet, but contains no dairy products.
• Frozen yogurt contains milk and nonfat milk that have been cultured. Sweeteners and flavorings added.
• Novelties are single-serving frozen desserts - such as ice cream sandwiches, fudge sticks and juice bars - that may or may not contain dairy ingredients.

- Source: International Dairy Foods Association

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