Cold Stone Creamery Gives You an Ulitmate Experience

By: Erica Johnson
Posted In: News

You may have just wandered into the audition room for American Idol. The room glows in warm browns, golds, reds, and laughter. A bubbly blonde girl sings a charming rendition of “I Will Survive.” Then you hear the distinct clinks and elaborate orders for Peanut Butter Perfection or Birthday Cake Remix. So the audition may not have been for Simon and Paula but for these employees it’s all part of the procedure to create an Ultimate Ice Cream Experience.

It begins when you walk in the door. The counters are lined with rows of glass jars piled with candy, nuts, and toppings. The sight is enough to make your mouth water and your mind whirl with the possibilities. It’s hard not to grin like, well a kid in a candy store. The faces behind the jars smile back and welcome you to Cold Stone Creamery.

This newest addition to the Bellevue Plaza in Newport was a treat too sweet to pass up for owner Laurie McGowan. She came across the franchise last August in Beverly Hills when visiting her son’s college. “The ice cream was delicious and there was a line out the door,” she said between bites of her sinful chocolate creation. “I can’t remember when I last saw a line that long to get ice cream. I thought, ‘we need that out here.'”

The ice cream is ordered like purchasing a car. You start with your basic features, the flavor and cone or bowl, and from there you add your special options, the Mix-Ins. And much like that perfect automobile, the price for this handpicked, homemade dessert does not come cheap. That however, does not daunt the pixie-like McGowan or her fervent customers.

“Newport is a resort town with tourists that don’t mind spending the money for premium ice cream during vacation,” she said. Also knowing that other ice cream shops in town are only open seasonally provided her with a greater conviction for the store’s opening and its current location. The plaza provides a consistent stream of locals unlike the seasonal traffic of Thames Street. Likening those after-summer effects to tumbleweeds along Thames, McGowan knew this Bellevue site was what her store needed to survive. “We understand that it will be slower for the winter season but we’ll always be open,” she said. “We want people to know that right from the start.”

The line may be shorter but the customers are ever present. “I will be here all winter, whenever my roommate asks me to go,” said Cathy Rousseau, a frequent visitor since the store opened in June. Young and old, new and experienced, they whisk in and out. “Have you ever been? Its fabulous!” said one woman on her way out, to the pair just coming in the door and obviously new to the process.

And this isn’t your grandma’s ice cream parlor. The suggested perfect space for a Cold Stone is somewhere with an active nightlife such as a college campus or movie rental store. Something McGowan was able to find in Newport, the only city with a Cold Stone in Rhode Island. She also thinks her store will bring some much needed updating to the community.

That’s because each order is custom made to be as unique as the customer. You first select your flavor preference for the ice cream, made fresh daily. Then pick any number of fruits, nuts, candies and other toppings to have mixed into your ice cream. “I love that you can mix and match your own toppings, my favorite is cherries and graham crackers,” said Roussau, “That is the best part about Cold Stone.”

On the frozen granite stone in front of your eyes, you’ll witness the folding technique used by each employee to create your personalized ice cream. “It looks a lot harder than it is,” said employee Krystal McCloskey about the Cold Stone method. Then she checked out her biceps and flashed a smile with dimples. Her co-worker, Amanda Doughesty agreed. “At first it’s hard, the mixings tend to fall out when I’m folding. It gets easier though,” she said.

The staff is young and being ice cream connoisseurs is not the main concern. “It’s all meant to be entertaining,” said McGowan. That’s why interviews for Cold Stone are called and run like theatrical auditions. McGowan even enlisted the help of Newport music and drama teachers in getting the word out about this new occupation. During the first group audition each applicant was given three seconds to “bust a move,” sing an individual song, and then create a rendition of a popular tune with a group of strangers.

Working at Cold Stone allows McCloskey to tap into her love of acting while making people happy. She doesn’t mind giving impromptu performances, citing the Cold Stone rendition of The Addams Family as her favorite request. “I love coming to tip them, just to hear them sing,” said Jess Verna with a smile. In fact it seems quite easy to keep smiling while at work or as a customer. “We’re always joking and laughing, in the blink of an eye it’s closing time,” said Doughesty.

McGowan’s blue eyes light up when asked about her passions. “ICE CREAM!” she laughs. “You have to be passionate about it. They are like cheerleaders at the corporate level.” For McGowan, personally, it’s about a passion to serve people. Before opening her Cold Stone, she spent eleven years as a Registered Nurse (RN) working with medical/surgical, with chemotherapy patients, and with patients as part of a visiting nurse program. Now she eases people’s problems with comfort food. “To profit by making people happy, it’s a great feeling,” she said, “I just love the reactions!”

As if on cue, a delighted couple walks through the front door and onto the creamery’s center stage. A grin slowly spreads across McGowan’s face and her eyes gleam at another opportunity to lift someone’s spirits with a scoop of Paradise Found.