Peculiar twist on flavors has area angle

Ben Van Leeuwen scoops Kraft Mac & Cheese flavored ice cream Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Kraft Heinz approached New York-based artisanal ice cream maker Van Leeuwen a few years ago about macaroni and cheese-flavored ice cream. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Fredonia’s foolish ice cream was something the community and Western New York region savored for almost a quarter century starting in the 1980s. The unique experience for the April 1 custom drew worldwide attention thanks to the crazy and sometimes bizarre flavors that the late businessman and entrepreneur Scott Aldrich would concoct.

Its genesis, previous OBSERVER articles note, began with a dare from a beef gravy salesman in creating a different type of frozen dairy product. “I really think the whole idea flopped at first,” Aldrich said in an interview in 1993. “People said ‘Are you crazy?’ and ‘What did you do that for?’ when we had the first flavor, Beef Gravy.”

Through those 24 years, Aldrich delighted in the annual buzz while running the Aldrich’s Beef and Ice Cream Parlor on Route 20 in Fredonia. Some of his memorable April Fools’ favorites included: Full of Bologna in 1989; Pickles and Cream in 1991; Pigs in a Blanket, in 2002, which was suggested by dentist Michael Kozlowski who previously had a practice in Fredonia; Chocolate Spaghetti, from 1990, his daughter Juila’s idea at 7 years old; Bacon and Eggs in 1992, which was served in the morning; Olive New York, 1993, and The Beet Goes On, 2005, both of which were musically inspired.

But one of the most popular of the treats came about involving a twist of political debate. In 1999, following the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, “Peachmint” was the appointed choice.

Pizza was the funky finale and distributed in 2007. That year, Aldrich’s made 50 gallons of the ice cream to keep up with the demand, the most ever made for an April Fools’ Day.

OBSERVER File Photo
Scott Aldrich with his daughter, Julia, in a 2007 photo.

“They always go away laughing … If you don’t have a sense of humor in life, it would be pretty hard just to make it through the day,” said Aldrich, who died in December 2022.

His obituary highlighted the “special tradition” that included lines of customers out the door waiting all day to sample that year’s flavor. “He, along with his daughter Julia, were interviewed by radio, TV, and newspaper outlets from all over the country and world, even the Johnny Carson show with Jay Leno,” the obituary noted.

Though the yearly selection garnered a lot of publicity and chuckles during that era, it appears Aldrich was a trailblazer of sorts. His ideas from more than four decades ago have become more prominent — and mainstream — for today’s consumer.

Last week, an Associated Press article highlighted Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, which dabbles in what the company considers “shock flavor” delicacies. A few years ago, Kraft Heinz reached out to the operation about macaroni and cheese-flavored ice cream.

Ben Van Leeuwen, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told the AP he was doubtful at first but found that Kraft’s powder blended well with the Brooklyn-based company’s ice cream. Van Leeuwen’s Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ice cream received rave reviews in 2021 and was re-released for a short time last fall. “We will only do a shock flavor if we can make it good and distinct. We will not do a shock flavor where it’s just shock in name but taste like vanilla,” Van Leeuwen said in the Associated Press article.

Additionally, getting risky with products is not just limited to ice cream. Hershey introduced pink lemonade-flavored Kit Kats. IHOP and Lay’s have Rooty Tooty Fresh n’ Fruity potato chips, designed to taste like strawberry-topped pancakes with a hint of bacon. In the United Kingdom, Little Moons made fish-and-chips mochi ice cream in 2021, while potato chip brand Walkers is known to celebrate Christmas with a Brussels sprout-flavored edition, the AP noted.

To Aldrich’s wife of 42 years, Larisa, there’s a sense of pride and reward in seeing how major brands and companies build on her husband’s ideas from the past. “It’s nice to see his legacy and ideas keep moving forward,” she said this week in a phone interview, while noting how proud he was to have a mention on Wikipedia. “He was a funny guy and he enjoyed doing it.”

There is a lot of fanfare when it comes to some new bold tastes. But all these attempts might have never happened if Aldrich had not set the tone years ago.

In that sense — and with his unforgettable ice creams, he scooped the big brands.

John D’Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.