Grand Opening - Beachy Cream Ice Cream Santa Monica

We are excited to announce the Grand Opening of our new Beachy Cream Ice Cream Store featuring L.A.'s only 100% organic ice cream this Saturday, June 2nd at 1209 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica at 11 am. There will be a ribbon cutting with the Mayor, a raffle, prizes for best ice cream sandwich creation, Tacomaniaco and Creativeats food trucks, and Beachy Cream Girls! This is the culmination of a life-long dream for me that started first as a little girl going to Wil Wright's in Westwood Village, and continued when I worked scooping ice cream one summer at Howard Johnson's on Cape Cod when I was 16. There's just something about ice cream that always makes people happy, and I wanted to be the provider of that experience. But I also wanted it to be special and unique...a treat you could feel good about because it's 100% organic and locally-sourced. And we had to have flavors and combos different from any other, so that's why we created the Ginger Wipeout and Strawberry Surfer Girl ice cream sandwiches, and that's why we make Earl Grey Tea and Bisquits and Fresh Mint Brownie Chunk ice creams. And if you’re a lover of dairy-free and gluten-free we have some special treats just for you. You've just gotta try 'em! So come on down this Saturday as we Lick, Bite, Smile (repeat)*!

Beachy Cream's inspiration... Wil Wright's

So, after many months of procrastination, I’m starting to blog. Our fabulous graphic designer and knower of all things technical has insisted that we do this – partly because we might have something to say that might interest our readers...

I’m often asked how I got the idea for Beachy Cream, so I’ll riff on that. My first, and fondest, memories of ice cream from my childhood revolve around a very special ice cream parlor, Wil Wright’s, where my mother would take my sister and me on special occasions (like after a school performance) or sometimes just as a treat. Usually it was to the one in Westwood Village located in a beautiful old building.

Marilyn Lewis, former co-owner with her husband Harry of the fabulous no-longer-what-it-used-to-be Hamburger Hamlet chain, wrote about this in A Romantic History in Westwood Village: “Built in 1933, the handsome round red brick building was called "La Ronda de las Estrellas ("the round court of the stars") which provided Westwood village with its early identity. On the south wall of La Ronda (on the Lindbrook drive side) is a hand painted fresco (now faded) of a maid and a man of old Spain, playing his guitar, painted by artist, Margaret Dobson, who flew in from France to do the work, when the building was erected.” “Of course, Wil Wright's ice cream parlor was probably the most well known tenant, with its famous red and white stripes and little angel with wings motto,"It's Heavenly"... and it was ...Wil Wright served the richest ice cream (32% butterfat but who knew...) and do you remember the macaroon cookies in the little cellophane bags?”

The décor at Wil Wright’s was perfect – marble topped tables, wire backed chairs, black and white checked floor – oh, I miss it so much! There were lot’s of interesting flavors of ice cream--Vanilla Bean, Strawberry Water Ice, Fresh Peach, Butter Pecan, Rasberry Sherbet, Orange Sherbet , Peppermint Stick and my favorites – Chocolate Burnt Almond and Coconut. More on Wil Wright's later....
--ANN