Whit's: Cold weather, colder custard
ZANESVILLE — Terry and Samantha Wells, the married couple who own Whit's Frozen Custard on Maple Avenue, know that balance is essential in a marriage and in business.
"I'm the one who handles the bills and the food," Samantha said.
"And me, I'm the custard master," Terry said.
Terry's role as self-appointed custard master involves rushing from one station to another, whipping up Whit's namesake dessert and mixing in all the ingredients that give each batch its own unique flavor.
The most popular option on the menu, he said, is by far the Buckeye Madness Whitser.
Starting with freshly-made vanilla custard, Terry adds chocolate syrup, liquid peanut butter and two ladles of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. After a few revolutions in the blender, the mixture is ready to be served: creamy enough to be easily scooped with a plastic spoon, but also thick enough to turn your cup upside down and not spill a drop.
While repeat customers are a major segment of the Whit's customer base, Terry said one of the most challenging aspects of owning a custard shop is changing people's preconceived notions about custard.
"So many times we'll see four people or so in a car, stopping to get some custard, and one person in the car will refuse to get anything," Terry said. "They think custard is that jelly-like substance that goes inside donuts, not knowing that what we sell is basically ice cream only way better."
What separates Whit's custard from regular ice cream is the pasteurized egg yolks that are added to the concoction as it's being made. This makes custard smoother and more creamy than regular ice cream.
"We tell people, once you try custard, you'll quit eating ice cream," Samantha said.
And each custard has a unique flavor, mostly due to Terry's insistence on using high-quality ingredients.
The chocolate German cake flavor, for instance, uses real hand-made German chocolate cake as its mixture component, while the cookie custard uses real cookies — no artificial flavoring or extracts required.
And although Whit's will close up shop for winter on Dec. 12, they are still making tubs of custard to help their regulars last through the cold months.
"Stock up now while you still can," Samantha said. "It's always good to be prepared."
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About Whit's Frozen Custard
Location: 3405 Maple Ave
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Information: 740-455-6007