Voted best ice cream stand in Upstate New York by NYup.com, Spotted Duck provides a unique way to make delicious frozen custard.
Daniel Hoover is no stranger to making ice cream, and neither is his family. Learning the trade from his father, Daniel developed a passion for making homemade ice cream and later was able to share this skill with his wife, Elizabeth.
The husband and wife duo first opened a grocery store about eight years ago. When that didn’t work out, they sold the storefront and bought a farm with intention to open a frozen custard shop. Elizabeth and Daniel had a vision to bring the farm-to-table experience to the customers, and that’s exactly what they did. Daniel and Elizabeth used their own custard recipe to make unique flavors all with duck eggs. Duck eggs are believed to give the frozen custard a great texture and even better taste. The very first day Spotted Duck opened, the frozen custard shop sold out.
“We wanted to created flavors that reflect the region, so you won’t see anything like mango banana, but we do have a strawberry rhubarb flavor that is made from locally-sourced ingredients that is very popular in the summer,” said Elizabeth Hoover, Co-Owner of Spotted Duck.
Over 95 percent of their ingredients are either certified organic or grown following the same guidelines. All flavors are made from scratch with no artificial flavors or dyes. The flavors the make with alcohol even have beer or wine from local breweries/wineries in the surround Finger Lakes area. They also make their own locally-sourced toppings, including their own caramel and whipped cream.
Raising their own flocks of Ancona ducks, Elizabeth and Daniel make it easy for customers to interact with them. Daniel and Elizabeth bought the farm to bring people closer to the ducks and the ice cream making process as a whole.
Opened for three seasons now, two of those seasons full time, the farm includes plenty of open space and places to sit. The owners of the Spotted Duck are big on portraying a welcoming atmosphere, so from the farm to the frozen custard, everything is presented in a clean and elegant manner.
Sustainability is also an important part of Spotted Duck. To make the famous “Custard Flights,” wooden boards from a local furniture maker are used along with reusable glass containers. Spotted Duck also only uses real spoons instead of plastic ones. All boxes and containers to take ice cream home are recycled and ecofriendly. Next time you’re in the Penn Yan area, be sure to stop by and try one of their custard flights and, of course, see the ducks!
Other ‘Cool’ Places to Get Farm-to-Table Treats
Ice Cream Works! (Owego) / Dippity Do Dah’s Homemade Ice Cream (Corning) / Dennis’s Homemade Ice Cream (Newfield) / Seneca Farms (Penn Yan)
