Homemade ice cream makers mark 75 years in West Virginia

By FRED PACE, The Herald-Dispatch

CEREDO, W.Va. (AP) -- For 75 years, Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream in Ceredo has been serving up tasty treats to loyal customers from near and far.

On April 2, the legendary ice cream makers hosted an anniversary celebration at the Ceredo location, as well as at its other location at The Market in downtown Huntington. Lines began forming in Ceredo around 10 a.m., which was an hour before the event kicked off.

“My parents, who are 91 and 86 years old, told me many stories about this iconic ice cream shop,” said Marsha Adams, of Lavalette. “They came here before I was born, and I am 54 years old now. They talked about the unique flavors and the quality of their ice cream. They love this place. It has become a family favorite. We are planning on taking them back some of the grape pineapple ice cream, which is their favorite. My husband and I were not going to miss this celebration, so we came a little early.”

Adams and her husband, Jack, were the first in line, which garnered them the first giveaway of two free Austin’s T-shirts.

Kasie Erlewine, of Huntington, brought her son, 9-year-old Cooper Moore, and her daughter, 2-year-old Claire Moore.

“We won free ice cream for a year,” Erlewine said. “That’s good for us, because we come to Austin’s at least once a week when they are open.”

“I wanted to win the ‘make your own flavor,’ but we got this one instead,” Cooper Moore said. “But Mom wanted this one, and I am happy she won.”

The daylong celebration included music, giveaways, merchandise and discounts. There were also ice cream sundaes served in a 75th anniversary commemorative mug.

“It’s amazing to see everyone here today, and our family has truly appreciated the support we get from the Tri-State community,” said one of the current owners, Taylor Strickland.

Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream started in 1947 but became an iconic ice cream shop after it was purchased by Joyce Snyder in 1983.

Snyder started with just 13 flavors of ice cream but began making her own, and now the business has hundreds, although only about 40 are on the menu at one time.

“She made ice cream until she was 80,” Strickland said. “She finally passed the torch on to her daughter, son and two of her grandchildren.”

The current owners are Kim Adkins, Kevin Snyder, Tim Ruff and Strickland. In 2018, Strickland and Ruff opened a second location, known as Austin’s at The Market, in downtown Huntington.

The ice cream makers have won national awards and now have over 40 flavors to choose from that Ruff, a master ice cream chef, makes daily using Snyder’s techniques and recipes, along with many new creations of his own.

Ruff says the secret to Austin’s success is variegating its ice cream by hand. Variegating is an ice cream-making technique that Ruff largely credits for the ice cream’s unique quality. This is something the family is committed to.

“We variegate our ice cream, and there is an art to it,” he said. “You aren’t getting that ribbon effect if you fold it.”

The business’s No. 1 seller is its grape pineapple flavor.

“You can’t get it anywhere else,” Ruff said.

In 2021, Austin’s took home several national awards for its handmade chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice creams.

“We also won for best new flavor for the Southeast region, called ‘S’more Than A Feeling,’ which is a toasted marshmallow base with a graham cracker variegate, chocolate chip pieces and s’mores candy,” Ruff said. “It was selected third nationally.”

He said the success of Austin’s can also be attributed to its commitment to quality in their ingredients. The ice cream is made with mostly all-natural flavors.

“I will never change anything my grandmother did,” Ruff said. “I have added a couple flavors over the past two years, but as far as my grandmother’s recipes, those flavors, I’ll never change those. ‘Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken.'”

Ruff and Strickland said hard work and passion for the business from not only the family but also its employees has played a key role over the years.

“It helps when you have a loyal and passionate staff,” Strickland said. “They treat the business like it’s their own, and we love them all.”

Bill Rakes, of Huntington, was also waiting in line at the Ceredo location, but said he didn’t mind the wait.

“My grandparents brought me here, and now I am bringing my grandchildren,” he said. “It has become a family tradition.”