Ice cream is going through a revolution in this country—it’s just not happening in the Midwest,” says Tamara Keefe, who gave up a major corporate job to address that issue by opening Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery (1637 S. 18th, 314-858-6100). The “naughtiness” stems from the local booze she adds into several of the flavors. Partake and enjoy.
At what point did you decide to quit the corporate world to churn up something new? When working for Abbott Nutrition I was commuting to St. Louis from Columbus—a six-hour drive twice a week. One day I just decided to follow my passion, which was making ice cream—good ice cream. I’d been making it for friends and family for years.
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You’re from Southern California. Why do the concept here? During those commutes, I discovered I wanted to be in St. Louis. I had friends here. Music, art, culture, the cost of living, the museums are free, great parks and outdoor spaces, it’s a foodie town… You’ve heard all this before… I can live a great life here and still afford to travel.
You call Clementine’s a micro-creamery. Why? To qualify as such, the ice cream must be handcrafted, all-natural, small batch, with more than 16% butterfat and less than 20% overrun (added air). Haagen-Dazs has about 40% overrun, supermarket ice creams are closer to 100. It makes sense that low-overrun products melt very slowly.
What else distinguishes your product? I have a proprietary dairy blend made using milk and cream from local grass-grazed cows. We’re the only ice creamery in the state that’s all natural—no fillers, additives, or stabilizers.
What’s the most popular flavor? Gooey Butter Cake, made with lots of Park Avenue Coffee’s cake. The best selling naughty flavors are anything with Perennial’s [Perennial Artisan Ales] beers… One with sweet heat we call Frozen Fire that’s made with Abraxas ale and chili peppers. We also made 200 pints of 17 Mint Chocolate Stout ice cream and sold out the first night.
Do you make the ice cream on site? No I have a small commercial space for that. Clementine’s is small—550 square feet–and retail only. My plan is to open up several more shops that size around the city.
Besides the creamery, where else can your product be found? At all of Ben Poremba’s restaurants, Dooley’s, Annie Gunn’s, Cleveland-Heath, all the Pi locations, at Parker’s Table, and I’m negotiating with a prestigious major grocer.
Why does St. Louis have so few home made ice cream shops? On both coasts, ice cream is part of the hot foodie scene. But not here…it’s just now emerging even in Chicago. For some reason, the Midwest has been slow to catch on. I feel privileged to be putting us on the map in regards to ice cream. We’re a foodie town. It just makes sense.
What’s one thing the public does not know about ice cream? The biggest ingredient in ice cream is air—and personally, I prefer less air in my ice cream. And there’s another: ice cream-making equipment is expensive. I may not have a kitchen but I do have $200,000 worth of equipment. Part of that is a blast freezer, which to me is a necessary—and expensive—piece of equipment. Ice cream that’s blast frozen to minus 40 degrees contains no ice crystals. The result is a silkier product…and it will stay that way longer.
I did not know that. Ice cream needs to rest, too, for at least 24 hours, so the flavors can marry together. Most creameries don’t take that step, either. Making good ice cream is a three-day process—most places do it an afternoon.
So your ice cream must be more expensive. My nice flavors are $10 a pint; the naughty ones are $15—more than super premium ice cream, but not that much more.
How about on premise? To keep the product fresh, we’ll use smaller, 1.5 gallon tubs, 18 to 24 flavors at a time, dipped into cups or homemade waffle cones.
Clementine’s takes a double-barreled approach. Having flavors that contain beer and hard liquor make it unique. It’s a micro-creamery for kids and adults.
Is there a culinary school for people interested in ice cream? Penn State offers a one-week short course that covers all aspects about ice cream from sanitation to composition to add-in ingredients. I enrolled and I passed—you have to test out at the end.
Describe the physical space. It’s near 18th and Lafayette in an old brick building that’s a little off the beaten path, which to me adds to the charm. There’s sidewalk seating as well as tables and benches on a brick patio.
And there’s a three-wheeled bike? Spokes and Spoon is for special parties or wedding events. It has an onboard freezer so we can dip to order or serve pre-made items. We have a traditional ice cream cart, too.
What does an ice cream shop do to stay busy in the winter? We have something our sleeve. And like the rest of the place, the idea will be different.
Any beverages? Basic stuff: Water, coffee, and an affogato to start.
The name’s very catchy. I thought everyone could relate. I provide bar coasters to my restaurant accounts that say, “Do you like it naughty or nice?” I also work with interactive proprietary software that builds brand loyalty and drives traffic to them using social media. I run a whole social media campaign for every restaurant that I’m in.
What’s the strangest flavor you’ve made? I’ve done a foie gras with cherry that’s delicious. Or one I just made for Chris Bolyard [Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions] that contains my homemade sanguinaccio [an Italian blood pudding]. We call it Bitchin’ Bovine. It may end up being a special flavor this June.
