What’s Right With Our Schools: Howard High Ice Cream Flavor

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – Howard High and Clumpies ice cream come together for a summertime treat with plenty of local flavor.

Ashley Bottoms is a Senior Manager at Clumpies.

She explains how it happened, ” We tasted all the ice cream that the students made. We landed on Arroz Leche. It was fantastic. We recreated it into the ice cream, and we’re tasting it here today. And then we’re going to launch it with our summer menu on Friday. (May 26th)”

Jessica Velasquez is a Junior at Howard.

She adds, ” We really wanted to include our culture in the ice cream we were making. We thought a lot about what flavors we could make, so we really thought, what else could we make? Something that was important to us and what our moms would make.”

Her classmate Angelina Francisco chips in,” When my mom will make this, I will be happy. It’s a delicious flavor. It’s something that represents the Hispanic culture.”

Kelley Coronado adds, ” I get to imagine, like, a flavor that’s something from my childhood and an ice cream store that no one would think of would be would turned into an ice cream flavor, because it’s mostly served hot.”

Greg Whipple is a Culinary Instructor at Howard.

He explains, ” I think it really gives them a boost of confidence to know that something that comes from their minds and onto in a recipe now it comes to fruition, and for chefs, that is the ultimate equivalent to, like, a high.”

Jamie Pearson teaches hospitality and tourism at Howard.

Pearson says, ” I guess it just provides some legitimacy to what we’re learning. It’s helping them to translate the skills they’re learning in the classroom to those real-life business skills, hospitality, employment skills. And we’re just so excited that they’re getting to do it in such a fun way.”

Mr. Whipple concludes, “For 75 of my kids, now they know they can make ice cream. And also with that, now they’re feeding the Chattanooga community, which every time you go to Clumpies, you know what they’re going to be saying? ‘You got to try our roast from Leche, or, hey, we worked on that.’ or ‘Hey, they are our partners. See Rock City.’ So, it’s just a win-win all the way around.”