Clumpies has a new flavor on its spring menu, a creamy buttercrunch toffee inspired entirely by high school students at The Howard School in Chattanooga.
Dulce De Leche Buttercrunch is the latest ice cream creation from Howard’s culinary kitchen, a work-based learning program in partnership with Clumpies Ice Cream Co. and See Rock City Inc. Clumpies paid a visit to Howard on March 26 to give the students a taste of what they helped create.
“I really love the flavor,” said Greg Whipple, culinary instructor at The Howard School, praising his students for adding their own cultural flair. Whipple encouraged his aspiring culinary artists to delve into their distinctive upbringings for inspiration.
“We really were trying to explain to them, ‘Hey, what was your favorite flavor when you were younger? Or what's a flavor that is prominent within your culture?’ because we do have such a diverse culture here at Howard,” Whipple said.
Whipple’s four classes at Howard were divided into 25 teams of four to five students, each tasked with whipping up a delicious ice cream flavor. Each class voted on their favorite creations, which were then voted on by the other classes. The same was carried out with Chef Patrick Kirby’s classes.
The final two flavors from Whipple’s and Kirby’s teams were ultimately married together: a homemade toffee with vanilla ice cream with the brown sugar-base custard Dulce De Leche. The result, Dulce De Leche Buttercrunch.
All of the flavors were churned out this semester at Howard’s commercial-grade kitchen, which is a direct result of the See Rock City Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management, the first program of its kind in this area that provides opportunities for students to explore careers in food service, hospitality and tourism.
“I can't wait until next year,” Whipple said, excited to see what his third-year students will create. “The juniors who have been with us from the very beginning as freshmen will come in with Chef Kirby and they're going to kill it.”
Swing by Clumpies for a scoop of Dulce De Leche Buttercrunch throughout the spring!