Dining
BY JARRETT WHITENER
The average American consumes around 20 pounds of ice cream each year, according to data from the International Dairy Foods Association. According to an IDFA survey, most ice cream companies are family owned, and help contribute around 29,000 direct jobs across the country. In 2021, Randy Gentry and his family opened a new ice cream shop in Schertz with the hopes of providing the community with unique ice cream Randy G’s o ers custom, hand-crafted ice cream with seasonal avors
avors to enjoy. The background
Prior to the creation of Randy G’s Homemade Ice Cream, the Gentry family was involved with In atable Wonderland in Rolling Oaks Mall. Gentry said the uncertainty of COVID-19 and its impact on indoor playgrounds and activities where it was di cult to utilize social distancing prompted him to explore other opportunities, which led to the creation of the ice cream shop. “I went the homemade route because I wanted to keep the creative process and be able to make di erent avors,” Gentry said. “I could have ordered from a larger company, but we really wanted to make something special.” With that goal in mind, Gentry took o to Flor- ida to learn more about the ice-cream-making craft before returning to Schertz to open the business. What’s special about it? Flavors at Randy G’s rotate each season, bring- ing new and unique avors to customers such as a Little Debbie inspired Christmas Tree avor and one inspired by Abuelita’s hot chocolate. “Each season, we try out new avors to match the time of year,” Gentry said. “In the spring, we do more fruity avors ... . Sometimes they are a one-hit wonder, and sometimes they come back another year.” Alongside seasonal avors, the shop o ers a selection of staples that includes classics, such as chocolate and vanilla, as well as custom avors, such as banana pudding and caramel brownie. Gentry said he makes new avors based on community feedback, and draws inspiration from items found at the grocery store. “We are making homemade ice cream,” Gentry said. “Grocery stores have to put in stabilizers and chemicals to keep it from shifting and melting, and we don’t have to do that. Pretty much what the avor says is all that is in the ice cream.”
Randy G’s Homemade Ice Cream o ers a selection of custom avors that rotate each season.
PHOTOS COURTESY RANDY G’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
Cookies and cream is one of the shop’s popular avors.
Randy Gentry opened the business in 2021.
Going forward The business expanded to Universal City and Bracken, but the Universal City shop was sold. Gentry said his goal is to expand, but not to franchise, which would be di cult to maintain. “The Pat Booker location started as Randy G’s, and the Bracken location is Randy G’s, but eventu- ally we want to get into the training and consulting business where people do not have to go to Florida to learn how to make this type of ice cream.”
1604
2252
3009
35
N
SCHERTZ PKWY.
1420 Schertz Parkway, Ste. 240, Schertz 18817 FM 2252, San Antonio www.facebook.com/randygsicecream78154
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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION
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