Lick Honest Ice Creams location on North Burnet Road (Credit: Lick)
Amy’s Ice Creams may have ruled small town Austin. But since its opening in 2011, Lick Honest Ice Creams has won the hearts–and bellies–of many. This local icon-in-the-making has two Austin locations and one San Antonio location, with a third Austin location opening in the Mueller division next year. And there’s no sign of Lick slowing down.
A faithful fan myself, I took a moment to chat with co-owner Anthony Sobotik about his company’s recent growth and the inspiration behind Lick Honest Ice Creams.
Small Town Traditions
Sobotik grew up in small town Texas making ice cream with his parents and grandparents and using seasonal ingredients from their farm. In college, he even had a counter-top ice cream maker to counter his cravings. But as his career in the culinary arts expanded, his desire to experiment with ice cream and flavors grew.
Lick’s Strawberry Basil ice cream (Credit: Annie Ray)
On the other hand, co-owner Chad Palmatier’s love for this frozen treat didn’t come from growing up churning his own. Rather his love for good ice cream formed while he was growing up in small town Pennsylvania, surrounded by phenomenal mom and pop ice cream shops.
I think we can all relate to Sobotik and Palmatier’s passion for ice cream in some way, shape or form. I like to equate it to my own love of baking. The difference, however, is that everyone can bake cookies, but not everyone can make quality ice cream like Lick!
Honest Ingredients
Lick was established to use only local, fresh and honest ingredients (Credit: Lick)
When Sobotik and Palmatier decided to move back to Texas in 2010, they had already been working on flavors and designs for Lick. The Cilantro Lime flavor, for example, was inspired by Sobotik’s longing for the familiar foods and flavors of Texas.
The duo also knew they wanted to use only local, fresh and honest ingredients. Coming from a farm family, Sobotik saw Lick as an opportunity to celebrate the produce, farms, farmers and local businesses of Austin.
Two scoops of seasonal flavors in a homemade waffle cone at Lick
After touring several farms and dairies in Central Texas, they teamed up with Mill-King Creamery, as well as Johnson’s Backyard Garden, Springdale Farm and Markley Family Farm–just to name a few of their local partners.
This dedication to find the freshest and best local ingredients creates an honest ice cream with a unique texture that is rich and creamy. Since it doesn’t have a heavy taste, it’s the perfect treat for hot Austin summers.
What I also find amazing about Lick is they make all of their ice creams in small batches by hand. Then they deliver the ice creams to their scoop shops where the complementary cones are made fresh daily. Their unique recipe allows the natural and subtle flavors of each ingredient to come through in each bite–or should I say lick?
What’s on the Menu?
When you visit a Lick scoop shop, you’ll find eight everyday flavors such as Dark Chocolate with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, and Goat Cheese, Thyme & Honey, and eight seasonal flavors such as Toffee Dunked Donut, Carrot Cake, and Lady Bird Lavender Crisp. The seasonal flavors rotate every two months according to what’s in season.
Coming this summer are flavors such as Dewberry Corn Cobbler, Lemonade Pound Cake made with Bee Sweet Lemonade, Garden Lemon and Loquat Margarita made with tequila.
They also typically have 3-4 dairy-free options on hand, so you need not worry, my lactose intolerant friends!
Where to Find Lick Honest Ice Creams
Pints of Lick Honest Ice Creams (Credit: Lick)
You can find pint-size containers of Lick in several local grocers, or you can visit either of Lick’s scoop shops on North Burnet Road and in the South Lamar Union. You can also hire “Barb” the ice cream truck for your private event.
The secret is already out, so you might as well join in the fun. Grab a friend and go scream for ice cream!
@jpino9 wants to know:
What’s your favorite seasonal ice cream flavor at Lick?
