BROOKSVILLE — Of all the maladies one can succumb to, frigophilia may be the most bittersweet.
Most often used to describe someone in love with or obsessed by ice cream, even on cold winter days, it is at once a joy (for the taste buds) and a curse (for the waistline).
For the afflicted in Hernando County, there’s a new ice cream shop beckoning with decadent delights, fun flavors and 21 (or more) sweet selections.
Lorelei Infusions Old Fashioned Creamery opened in September in Brooksville at 813 South Broad St., and buzz about the place began rising from the start.
Lorelei has quite the backstory. The shop is the brainchild of former Weeki Wachee mermaid and sheriff’s deputy Wendy McGinnis and Paula Thompson, wife of Steve Thompson, the grandson of Emery Thompson, the inventor of the first electric ice cream machine in the early 1900s. Like the marriage of the many interesting ingredients in their ice cream flavors, the union between the partners appears to have been arranged in heaven.
McGinnis became obsessed with ice cream after neighbor Thompson invited her to an ice cream-making demonstration earlier this year at the Emory Thompson Co. in the Hernando Airport industrial park, where the machines are built and sold around the world.
“I just fell in love with the process,” McGinnis said. She and Thompson spent many hours talking about opening an ice cream shop that would be a “blend of elegance and fun” and a “tribute to storytelling and flavor.”
McGinnis acquired a small ice cream machine to experiment with flavors at home. By September, the pair had their shop up and running, with Dalton Tolbert, McGinnis’ son, managing it. Fittingly, the shop sports a fun, underwater/mermaid theme and relaxing environment. Historic photos of the Thompson family and its ice cream heritage adorn the walls. A large plate-glass window exposes the kitchen, where visitors can see the ice cream being made. In addition to the ice cream bar, there’s an espresso bar. Along with tables and chairs, there’s a cozy corner with easy chairs and a couch.
All offerings at Lorelei are handcrafted, and with just a couple of exceptions, feature all-natural ingredients. McGinnis and her son aim to adapt all flavors, toppings and syrups to use only natural ingredients, which they say they’re close to achieving.
“We want to be 100% natural,” McGinnis said.
The shop is expanding its offerings, experimenting with cakes like pumpkin cheesecake and espresso coffee cake made with ice cream. There are nearly two dozen ice cream flavors, with more in the works. The menu is divided between “family” and “adult” selections.
Tolbert, a former bartender while serving in the Army, is behind the adult offerings, creating flavors like Bourbon Barrel with golden poundcake, caramelized pralines and bacon; Amber Tides orange cream with a splash of moonshine; and Mermaid’s Sangria sorbet. A specialty at the shop is adult “flights,” — a wood serving paddle holding four flavors selected from the family or adult flavors.
“We treat the adult flavors more like cocktails,” said Tolbert. “The flights are the kind of experience adults see with beer flights at breweries.”
For those under 21, popular flavors include First Mate Fudge, with chunks of brownie and chocolate fudge; Midnight in Dubai, pistachio-laden and full of Dubai dark chocolate; Seaside Strawberry Swirl with berry pieces and a ripple of strawberry jam; Captain’s Crunch with caramel and cinnamon; and Cloud Port Candy, a nod to nostalgic cotton candy.
Special monthly and weekly flavors are coming to ensure customers always see something new on the menu.
Also coming soon are private ice cream-making experiences for up to eight guests — guided interactive sessions where groups can create their own signature family or adult ice cream flavors to enjoy and take home. Workshops in which participants can create a custom ice cream cake to celebrate a birthday, graduation, anniversary or wedding are being booked now.
The sessions are in keeping with the shop’s mission to do more than just serve customers but to share the joy, passion and experience of ice cream with the community, McGinnis said.