At a recent event showcasing the terrific local foods now filling the shelves and coolers at Rico Local’s Co-op, ice cream entrepreneur Karen Bayard stood proud and patient. With a cooler of samples of her Inspired Ice Cream on a small table and a captive audience of Slow-Foodies, she was ready to start dishing up her dairy-, glutenand soy-free vegan ice cream.
No one was biting—at least early on.
But as soon as she started talking it up, a line formed and she was on her way to recruiting a gaggle of new converts.
Bayard, who named her product line Inspired Ice Cream, is … well, inspired. A woman on a mission, she started her business in part because she wanted ice cream—or at least a reasonable facsimile—she could eat. And, she knew that a lot of others with dietary restrictions or convictions did, too. The other part was just pure passion—a chance to do something she loves.
So, with a huge smile, she explained her joy in creating 21 intense seasonal flavors, based on finely ground nuts (we tasted cashews) and sweetened with agave nectar or maple syrup. Other ingredients include fruits, essential oils, organic herbs (she started with lavender) and flowers. Names like Abundant Peanut Butter Fudge, Joyful Chocolate with Almonds and Creative Candy Cane are meant to “inspire” with each bite. I know I felt the creativity in the intensely flavored Candy Cane ice cream. Sure, it’s not really “ice cream,” but it’s cool and satisfying and the flavors are pure and true, right down to handmade peppermint candies.
You can find four-ounce tubs of Inspired Ice Cream at Rico Local’s Co-op, Cali’s Natural Foods, Broadway Center Cinemas, Climber’s Café in Sandy and Ginger’s Café in Springville.
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