52 Flavors and Counting: Artisanal Ice Cream a Hit in Brookings

by Phil McIlrath, KDLT News
October 05, 2011 9:51 PM


We've all heard of the Good Humor man, but at The Pheasant Restaurant in Brookings you'll need a good sense of humor, and an open mind to try this man's ice cream. And with flavors like Strawberry-Balsamic,  Spiced Red Wine Sorbet, and Guinness you can probably take a good guess as to why.

"I decided to be a little more adventurous with the flavors and that sort of rolled into the 50 plus flavors that there are now,"said Trevor Clements, Ice Cream Artisan.

Trevor's been deemed an Ice Cream artisan by the owners of The Pheasant. He's a former psychology student at SDSU who one day decided to analyze daring dairy creations...even though he doesn't consider himself a chef.

"It's kind of weird that I do the ice cream and I'm sort of proficient at it...(Laughs),"said Clement.

Trevor is proficient and also creative. Trevor uses all-natural, local ingredients and it's 100 percent homemade. Today he's making us S'mores, and to nail a good frozen flavor...you've got to add a little heat.



First he makes homemade marshmallows and toasts them to an ooey, gooey brown with his special tools of the trade. After he gets the color and flavor he desires he melts the flavors all together on the stove. Altogether, from prep to serving, it takes Trevor about two days to make a batch of ice cream.

"I never expected ice cream to be viewed as an art form, but with the balancing of the flavors it's more of an artful than I ever anticipated,"said Clements.

"And Trevor's brain is always full of ideas. Some of the combinations are things you wouldn't think would go into a normal bowl of ice cream, but when he puts them together the results are almost always positive."

"The first time I did candied bacon I had to beg people to try it. Now people are asking me what the funky flavors are and are eager to try them,"said Clement.

Churning out flavors that have us screaming for more and making us wonder if he's gotten any offers from the big wigs.

"Wells Blue Bunny,"asked McIlrath. No, not yet,"said Clements. "We'll see."