I like ice cream, and I eat at a lot of it – probably way too much. That should make me somewhat of a connoisseur, but I’d describe it more as being a glutton. However, over time, I have come to greatly appreciate quality ice cream. Interpret this as paying a lot of money for what is labeled “premium.” This appreciation probably comes from being denied quality ice cream as a child.
Yep, I lived a poor, deprived childhood. In our household, we were offered only three kinds of ice cream: white, plain or vanilla. And it wasn’t even real ice cream at that. We were given generic, store-brand ice milk. That’s ice cream made from anorexic cows. No toppings, no hot fudge, not even a bowl to put it in. Just grab a spoon and eat it straight from the carton. Sometimes we didn’t even use the spoons.
Now, I knew that other types of ice cream existed. I saw the cartons in the grocery stores. There was coffee, black raspberry, chocolate fudge and the crème-de-la-crème, Coronet French vanilla: THE only premium ice cream available commercially at the time, and reserved for “those rich folks up on the hill.” Translated, that means, “Eat your ice milk and be thankful you have that.”
As I grew older, I was able to branch out and experience other flavors of ice cream in various and sundae forms. Ice cream sodas at the corner pharmacy – well, what was left after my brother drank some to make sure I wasn’t being poisoned. I still question his fraternal concern to this day. Frappes at Weeks Dairy Bar on North State Street; banana splits at McKenzie’s Ice Cream Parlor on School and Main, as well as Awful-Awfuls (which weren’t).
I should have been content with what was offered and stopped looking for better ice cream. I had no intention of becoming an ice cream connoisseur; I just needed a quick fix once in a while. That is, until I moved back to New Hampshire and serendipitously stopped at Arnie’s Ice Cream on Loudon Road. To say that I became an ice cream addict would be the understatement of understatements. I was instantly hooked! THIS WAS ICE CREAM. HAND-MADE. QUALITY INGREDIENTS. REAL CREAM. NO ICE MILK. RICH, CREAMY, NO ICE PARTICLES. REAL COWS GAVE THEIR MILK WILLINGLY TO MAKE THIS NECTAR OF THE GODS!
Arnie’s is owned by Tom Arnold, and unlike his celebrity namesake, this Tom Arnold is a class act. Located in what was once the Dairy Queen on Loudon Road, Arnie’s has been a Concord institution since 1990. Tom took over the place after working out of the old 30 Scoops at 30 Pines in Penacook, moving there from the Red Blazer. Arnie’s essentially started out as a “let’s try it and see” family operation, offering little more than a small variety of ice cream.
A lot can be said about a business by the longevity of its employees. And Arnie’s employees, despite being very young, average seven to eight years of dedicated service.
Tom explained that he does not have an indentured servant contract with his high school and college-age staff, and that they are working there on their own volition. I figure that anyone who puts up with my weird requests for ice cream (mocha malt – Paris Hilton thin, please) must be a special breed of people.
Tom Arnold has dedicated his life to making Arnie’s a success, actually attending Ice Cream College in New York City. I’m sure that there’s a B.S. degree hanging somewhere on his wall. But in all actuality, Tom learned the fine points and nuances of ice cream making and marketing during these seminars. With 48-plus kinds of hard ice cream and five soft-serve varieties, he surely must be doing something right. Add to that a very busy grill, complete with Kansas City barbecue, and you have the recipe for success. FYI: – Tom learned how to barbecue from Jeff Paige, former head chef at the Shaker Table, and now owner and chef at Cotton Restaurant in Manchester.
And there’s more than just ice cream and barbecue there. As you drive by Arnie’s on a Tuesday night when the weather warms up, you will see up to 75 vintage, restored automobiles showcased in the parking lot. Cruise Night started out as an occasional evening where inpiduals with a love of classic cars could showcase their vehicles.
Over the years, Cruise Night became an entity with a life of its own, and it remains to generate interest to classic car owners and spectators alike. Ol’ ’55 comes to mind, along with street rods, ’64 Mustangs and other muscle cars that once cruised Loudon Road.
In essence, Arnie’s is the Taj Mahal of ice parlors, sans the exterior opulence but offering Concordians the opportunity to understand what goes into making both great ice cream and a great place.
Kevin Trottier
