Clouds of liquid nitrogen filled the air while employees churned out individual scoops for first-time customers.
More than 100 people went to Phenomenom Nitrogen Ice Cream and Bake Shop for their grand opening Saturday night, owner Chuck Woodard said. The store is located in Butler Plaza between Starbucks and BurgerFi.
The chain has four other locations throughout southern Florida. This is the first location Phenomenom has opened in northern Florida, Woodard said.
“We were one of the first people ever doing nitrogen ice cream in Miami, so we believe we have a superior product and customer experience,” Woodard said.
The concept is to make the ice cream as customers order it, Woodard said. There are no large vats of ice cream like those found in traditional ice cream shops.
Workers place the customer’s choice of ice cream base and mix-ins into a stand mixer. The mixer spins as liquid nitrogen pours into the bowl, freezing the ice cream and creating the final product, Woodard said.
“We are basically recreating how people eat the ice cream in the Ben & Jerry's factory,” Woodard said.
The store also serves fresh cookies that customers can order with their ice cream. Prices start at $5 for a cup of ice cream and cookies are $4 each.
The grand opening’s 50 percent discount attracted Joseph Goodnight, a 30-year-old Santa Fe College cardiovascular technology program third-year student.
Liquid nitrogen gives the ice cream a different texture than what sits in the freezer aisle, Goodnight said. He has been to other nitrogen ice cream places in Gainesville like FogBoxx and sees the city as a good place to open an ice cream store.
“I feel like it’s a really good opportunity, especially with how hot it’s been lately, for students to come by and get a really great treat,” Goodnight said.
Contact Gillian Sweeney at gsweeney@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @gilliangsweeney
Customers stand in line for the grand opening of Phenomenom Nitrogen Ice Cream and Bake Shop
