“Eat ice cream. Be happy.” Frisbie’s Dairy Barn opens in Blue Back Square
- Roger Desmond
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
Written by Roger Desmond
Photography by Roger Desmond
It’s a hot and humid day in July—what do we want? Ice cream!
Frisbie’s Dairy Barn is open in West Hartford to satisfy that craving. Located at 38 Isham Road in Blue Back Square, the local chain’s 5th store opened in May—with another soon to follow in East Lyme.
Some of the flavors ready for scooping include the standards (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry) but also a trove of exotic seasonal delights, including Andy’s Mint (green mint ice cream with Ande’s mint pieces), Rummel’s Raisin (bourbon-infused raisins), Banana Chip (banana slices with a chip flavor), and many others to make a decision more difficult. It’s a good idea to check the sign in the store as flavors change with seasons and new ones appear regularly.
Frisbie’s is truly a family business. Owners include members of the Parks family: two brothers, one twin sister and their father. Kendra Walker and several others are also partners in the Frisbie’s venture.
Frisbie’s first location is in New Britain, in the former Guida Dairy plant in 2015. Frisbie’s Dairy Barn was acquired in 2019 by Paul Jr. and Michael Parks III.
“I learned the process there and developed the product,” according to Paul 3rd.
He also completed an ice cream internship in college and has attended several ice cream schools. They operate in several states and teach such topics as flavoring, freezing and hardening, frozen yogurt and other topics. The oldest school is at Pennsylvania State University’s Dept. Of Food Science (since1892) and features classes production and quality control. Other schools offer lessons in equipment selection, mix balancing, and sugar-free options (as Paul 3rd points out, “sugar free” is a misnomer since milk contains sugar in some amount). There are also lessons such as advanced flavor profiling, and even store design and marketing. Students take examinations and earn certificates. Paul 3rd credits his time in the schools as a worthwhile part of his training.
A major part of the fun at Frisbie’s is the Ice Cream Making Experience class. Open to adults and children over 12, participants learn the steps of the ice cream process by creating their own flavors and add-ins in a 90-minute class. They learn how to make the base, create a new flavor that they invent and pick up their one-gallon masterpiece the next day. According to Paul 3rd, “we freeze their gallons for pick up the next day and a few people from New York and further locations stay in a hotel, dine at one of the area restaurants and take the treat home. Some customers can’t wait so they take it to finish in their own freezer.”
Each student is also invited to create a sundae at the end of class. Classes are offered in select locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts from September to March.
Another Frisbie’s adventure is the Ice Cream Frisbee—12 scoops of ice cream (your choice) are served in an original frisbee disk. “We make this for a small group but there are people who have finished their platter alone,” Paul 3rd added.
National Ice Cream Day is July 20. Frisbie’s stores will be open 24 hours. WHL
Frisbie’s is at 8 Isham Rd, West Hartford. Go to https://frisbies.
