Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream is KUAC’s Featured Sponsor for July
Geoffrey and Dorothée Wool drove to Alaska from Massachusetts in 1980 to work as a teacher and a nurse. In 1986 they started Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream along with Geoff’s brother, Adam. Having come from the East Coast they were accustomed to high quality ice cream and since there was not any in Fairbanks they decided to open a homemade ice cream shop.
For the first 11 years Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream was located in the space currently occupied by College Town Pizza. The name Hot Licks reflects the connection between ice cream and jazz. In the early days the Hot Licks jazz band performed weekly. Hot Licks was a meeting place for university students to enjoy cool ice cream and hot jazz and home of the four basics food groups: soup, bread, ice cream and coffee. In 1997 Hot Licks moved to its current location in order to focus on ice cream only. Hot Licks is open from May to August.
The term “homemade” refers to the production method. Hot Licks ice cream is made by the individual batch, 20 quarts at a time, as opposed to the continuous flow system used by large companies to turn out thousands of gallons of each flavor. The batch freezing method, combined with the use of the very finest ingredients obtainable, imparts an “old fashioned” or “homemade” characteristic to the ice cream. Batch freezing also allows for tremendous flexibility and virtually unlimited flavor possibilities. The local favorites are Alaska Blueberry, Alaska Mixed Berry and Prudhoe, which is a double strength of chocolate. In addition to ice cream, Hot Licks makes their own hot fudge, caramel and Alaska Blueberry toppings.
Hot Licks has become a popular outdoor venue in Fairbanks for socializing while enjoying ice cream. It is a welcome environment for people of all ages.
“We listen to KUAC every day,” said the owners. “What we love about KUAC is the wonderful programming, diverse music, national and international, state and local news and events. It is nice to listen to noncommercial radio and we are happy to contribute our share to keep KUAC on the air.”
