Father’s Day traditions from the pros who make our favorite frozen treats

A wise soul and a whole bunch of Instagram captions have said, “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream, and that’s pretty much the same thing.” If ice cream and its low-key cousin, frozen custard, are happiness in a cone (or dish), then we should all add these sweet treats to our Father’s Day menu.

Step away from mass-produced cardboard boxes and step up to Milwaukee’s favorite ice cream and frozen custard shops. Local ice cream and custard makers shared some secrets to sweet success along with their favorite ingredients for this Sundae’s (see what we did there?) celebration of Dad.

Girl dad energy at Scratch

Scratch Ice Cream has been a family affair from day one.

“In about 2015 I started playing around with recipes in the kitchen of my aunt’s yogurt shop, Yo Mama! frozen yogurt, then I sold the pints out of the shop,” owner/founder Ryan Povlick recalled. It’s been an ice cream whirlwind ever since.

With three Scratch locations, a busy catering truck and a West Allis site set to open at the end of the month, Povlick is building an ice cream empire for his eight-year-old daughter, Gianna. No career pressure from Dad, but Gianna already loves the ice cream business.

“Her favorite thing to do is work in the shops,” Povlick says. “Gianna will go out to the retail area, chat with the employees and get a scoop of ice cream. Whether it’s on a delivery or at the shop, she's a great helper.”

Father’s Day at the Povlicks is a multi-generational celebration.

“I take Gianna to my parents' house, and we all celebrate together with a barbecue. Dessert is some kind of cake or pie and of course, we have ice cream,” Povlick said. “I like to pair our vanilla bean ice cream with a pie, a cake or a brownie. But if I had to choose a flavor on its own, it would be the chocolate brownie or the dirt cake. Really anything that’s chocolate-based is my favorite."

Father's Day is for the boys

Steve Schultz, co-owner/founder of Purple Door Ice Cream, 205 S. 2nd St., with his wife, Lauren, recently issued a confession: he doesn’t eat ice cream on Father’s Day.

“It’s nice to have that autonomy where you separate yourself from the business, so ice cream is not a staple for the day” Schultz admitted.

A better Father’s Day staple is spending time with his sons, 11-year-old Arthur and 12-year-old Simon.

“When Lauren and I started the business, Simon was born, and then Arthur was born a year-and-a-half later. Back then, Father's Day was walking to Anodyne (coffee) and being on my own for one hour. ... That was my utopia,” Schultz said. “As the kids got older it’s become about connecting with them. Sometimes I’ll take them to the record store because I love records. Or we play soccer. ... I just like to be in their space during Father's Day.”

But Purple Door did create a flavor based on Dad's favorite things.

“For several years at Purple Door, we made the most stereotypical kind of conventional thing for Father’s Day — we featured whiskey, bacon ice cream and it was a big hit,” Schultz said.

Building frozen custard dynasties

When Leon Schneider sold his first frozen custard in 1942, he had no idea it was the start of a family business that would be thriving 81 years later. Thanks to Leon’s son Ron and grandson Steven, Leon’s Frozen Custard has become a Milwaukee institution.

Ron recalled his first job offer: “My dad (Leon) said, ‘You're going to high school in the fall, it's time to get a job…you can work for me if you'd like.’ And I thought, ‘Why don’t I try it?’ ”

Fast forward a few decades and Ron gave Steven a similar speech.

“When I turned 14 my father told me he knew a place where I could get a job,” Steven said, laughing. “I gave it a shot; it worked out OK. … I just celebrated my 25th year.”

But don’t count Ron out anytime soon.

“I regularly go see my employees and they appear happy to see me,” he said.

Focusing on a signature product is one secret to Leon’s success.

“Ninety percent of what goes out the window is frozen custard; we have a limited sandwich menu. We don't fry anything — we never have and if I continue to have a say, we never will,” Ron said.

But the next generation has entered the chat: Steven’s 2-year-old daughter Margaret James, aka MJ, aka menu consultant.

“After 30 years we added a new flavor; MJ was our taste-tester. She picked Blue Moon,” Steven said. “So we added it to the menu.”

A fun surprise on a busy Father's Day at Gilles

Tom Linscott tried to steer his son Willy away from joining Gilles, the family frozen custard business at 7515 W. Bluemound Road.

“I tried telling Willy he bumped his head somewhere and that he shouldn't do it. … I pretty much told him, ‘Run,’ ” he said.

But Willy couldn’t stay away.

“I got a little distance for a while, but I realized my heart was in this. ... I didn't want to see somebody outside of family making decisions or have it go away,” Willy said. “Everybody thinks this is a gold mine and we must be so wealthy. We are successful and stable."

“We move lots and lots of dirt to get one nugget. So yeah, I guess it is a gold mine,” Tom interjected.

Father’s Day is always a work day.

“Sundays we get so busy and the lines are out the door,” Willy said.

Time will tell if Remy and his sister, 2-year-old Avi, will take over the family business, but there are signs, like last Father's Day when Willy was working all day and the family stopped by for a visit toward the end of the night.

“My son Remy was actually eager to hang out with me. He had just turned 5, so he stayed at work and ‘helped,’ ” Willy said. “Remy got to be a part of what Dad does. It was awesome. ... There were lots of smiles."

Sweetness on the north side

Drive down Teutonia Avenue on a summer afternoon and you’ll probably see lines of customers waiting outside Tastee Twist. A centerpiece of the north side, this seasonal concession stand is known for delicious chili dogs and ice cream creations (banana splits, we see you). It's also become a valuable community asset.

Rodney Anderson purchased Tastee Twist at the age of 23.

“My father is one of eight children and wanted a business that could support his family and provide employment opportunities,” Anderson’s daughter, Phoebe Lewis, said via email. “To this day, Tastee Twist has been a first job for almost everyone in our family and many in the community."

Anderson is the father of four grown children; two live in Texas and two in Milwaukee (a son died in 2021). The Anderson family lets their faith dictate their path.

“We will let God order our steps, regarding the future of Tastee Twist, as he has so graciously done for the past 44 years,” Lewis said.

Father’s Day is family time for the Anderson family.

“Family members drop by the stand for sweet treats, but during family gatherings we usually have traditional ‘holiday staples’ including our famous corn pudding,” she said.

And when life gives you lemons, make lemon ice cream — the Sunday feature at Tastee Twist.

“It was created by my grandmother Barbara Jean Anderson, who was the mother, inspiration, and cherished matriarch of the Anderson family,” Lewis said.

More: Here are 10 Milwaukee area ice cream, frozen custard and gelato shops to check out this summer

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Father’s Day traditions from the pros who make our favorite frozen treats