Jake’s Ice Cream schedules a soft opening for Sunday
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| Jake’s Ice Cream is almost ready for the public. |
The ice cream is in production, the staff is trained, and all the equipment is in place – and that means Jake’s Ice Cream is ready to open. The shop, in Barcroft Plaza on Columbia Pike, invites the community to a soft opening Aug. 8, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Jakes’s offers 24 flavors of 14 percent butterfat ice cream handcrafted in small batches.
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| A fresh batch of Reese’s peanut butter cup ice cream. |
Among the flavors: blueberry cheesecake, coffee, vanilla salted caramel ribbon, praline, banana, and Heath Bar crunch. Ice cream is served in various cup sizes, sugar cones, cake cones, and homemade waffle cones.
The shop also offers sundaes, ice cream cakes, cake pops, milkshakes, ice cream floats, and vegan non-dairy vanilla and chocolate ice cream. When the weather cools down, hot cocoa bombs will be added to the menu.
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| An ice cream cake. |
Owner Robin Rinearson, a former optometrist, was looking for something new to do in retirement when her stockbroker, a friend and patient, suggested opening an ice cream parlor. At first, she was skeptical, but embraced the concept as a great way to provide jobs for her nephew, Jake, and some of her patients with special needs.
Jake, age 28, has cerebral palsy, and other employees – ages 19-38 – have a mix of challenges, including Down syndrome and autism. Most of them lost their jobs during the Covid pandemic, and like many people with special needs, have a hard time finding another job.
Related story: Jake’s Ice Cream is going to be a very special place
“Be patient with us, as most of our staff is ‘differently abled’ and may not work as fast as some would prefer,” Rinearson says. “They are absolutely thrilled to have their jobs and delighted to be making and serving ice cream.”
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| Ice cream maker Paul Badey and Jake’s Ice Cream owner Robin Rinearson. |
At Jake’s, everyone does a variety of jobs, rather than being stuck with a single, repetitive task. Several accommodations make the work easier, including color-coded cups so employees don’t get confused about measurements. The young man in charge of business operations has cerebral palsy and can’t use his hands but can use his voice to control a computer.
For the time being, most of the seating at Jakes will be outdoors. Customers can either line up inside or at a pass-through window.
When it comes to the trend for unusual ice cream flavors, Jake’s is concentrating on the basics, at least for now. Rinearson hopes to eventually add some nontraditional flavors, like honeycomb vanilla, but says, “I don’t see us venturing into lobster bisque.”
16 responses to “Jake’s Ice Cream schedules a soft opening for Sunday”
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I've already added this to my calendar to stop by on Sunday!
Yippy, cant wait for this more upscale venue to be in our hood.
We really look forward to this new addition to the neighborhood! Love the concept and cant wait to be a customer!
Follow Jake's on FB! I am looking forward to supporting this business!
Damn, I was hoping for a pop-up DMV.
Looking forward to becoming a customer! What a great addition to our neighborhood.
I think this concept is nice, but I admit that I am worried about food safety. Is there a certified food safety manager on duty all the time? Do the staff actually comprehend and follow all the regulations and practices?
I'm writing this honestly, and I think other people will share this concern. Perhaps someone from the store can respond and reassure people like me that it's really safe to eat food here.
Because I would like to like it.
Why are you concerned? Food establishments are inspected, what makes you so concerned about this place? Are you implying that because individuals with disabilities are working there it cannot be safe? I really hope not.
That's exactly what the reader seemed to be implying. I'm sure that it is going to be inspected just as often as your local fast food, food truck, snack bar, etc is.
Just stay away… You don't deserve the love and care these people put into their jobs with your judgy negativity!!
Signed, a teacher of some of these people who is sick of ignorant idiots like yourself.
Wow, F 8/3/2021, chill… I think it's a valid concern, and Anon 8/2 was just asking a question. I would think the business owner would like to know if there are concerns like this out there, and hopefully they'll have good answers. No need for the name calling. Isn't that what you teach?
They could not even open without a properly trained snd licensed food service manager on the premises at all times. Shows how little you know about actual food service operations and displays an ablist mentality.
There is alway an evil individual posting on this blog. Its time for you to jump in the dump and go away. Jakes yes, you NO.
There are 3 of us certified in safe food handling. We have an aggressive training plan where the staff watches videos first on proper techniques. Then, they are constantly monitored during work for hand washing, use of gloves , proper sanitizing techniques, proper clothing and proper food handling. We will ultimately have job coaches from service source. We have partnered with ARC of Northern Virginia for producing the employ mate app. We are not unaware of potential issues. Thanks for your concern. Robin Rinearson
Very nice, wish them the best of success with this nice addition to our area.
Mister Broyhill approves of this! Lets all be good neighbors and support Jakes!