FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2003
Local Ice Cream Parlor Gains National Recognition

Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab of Arroyo Grande earned Blue Ribbon Honors from the national Ice Cream Retailers Association at their annual convention held last month in New Orleans, LA. Word has been quickly spreading about Doc Burnstein’s nostalgic parlor and super-premium ice cream since they opened their doors three months ago. Proprietor Greg Steinberger is pleased to achieve such high honor from a national organization with such a young business. However, he is not completely surprised considering his ice cream is being created under the guidance of Chuck Burns, who founded the original Burnardo’z Candy Kitchen & Ice Cream Parlor which he owned and operated through 1992.

"Making quality ice cream requires using only the finest ingredients", reports Burns. The cream mix is the richest available on this side of the country, shipped from a Sacramento dairy that uses a superior vat pasteurization process. Additionally, the ice cream made at Doc Burnstein’s uses only pure bourbon vanilla from R.R. Lockhead in Paso Robles. Insisting on only the best ingredients is only half the secret. The manufacturing process is also critical. Steinberger, a graduate of "Ice Cream University", and Burns are meticulous about how the ice cream is produced.

“ We’ve established the quality levels we wanted, and the blue ribbon validates that. Now we’re having fun experimenting with new flavor ideas while keeping old favorites on hand,” reports Greg. The lab features 44 different flavors every day, and is creating at least one new flavor every week. Patrons can watch the ice cream being made at the “Lab” daily through a manufacturing room viewing window.

The National Ice Cream Retailers Association represents independent ice cream manufacturers and retailers nationwide. Each year its members are invited to submit vanilla samples for expert lab analysis and testing. Submitted samples were judged for flavor, body & texture, melting quality, and bacteria count by the Department of Dairy at the Louisiana State University. Doc Burnstein’s was awarded blue ribbon, and earned the second highest score awarded at this year’s convention. Vanilla is used as a basis for comparison among ice cream manufacturers due to its universality and popularity, accounting for 29% of ice cream consumed in the U.S.

Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab is located in the Village of Arroyo Grande, serving delicious ice cream creations in traditional glassware and metal malt cups. Enjoy the model trains running around the parlor and over bridges, even through mountains. North county residents can also taste the award-winning vanilla ice cream at Hermann’s Chocolate Lab in Templeton.

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