Tucked behind Main Street in Bloomsburg, PA lies a quaint, little, family owned ice cream shop called Brennan's Big Chill, or Big Chill for short. Guarding the entrance to the shop stands Rosie, a life size cow statue. As the customer walks in they are instantly hit with a symphony of different smells. Inside the shop vintage white tables scatter the dining area where families can sit and enjoy their ice cream. It's not every day you get to see a penguin and a polar bear sharing a cone, this mural, hand painted on the wall adds a charming touch to the already pleasant place. Big Chill, was established in 2004 by Debbie and Brian Brennan, "We were done with the corporate world, sitting there and not being appreciated for a job well done. We decided with the hustle and bustle after 9/11 happened and having to travel up to 3 hours for work we chose to take control of our own destiny. We didn't know what we wanted to do, I fell in love with the town of Bloomsburg from going camping at Ricketts Glen. I noticed there was no ice cream shop and decided we were going to learn how to make ice cream and the rest is history," Debbie explained.
Inside the shop
Big Chill is home to over 200 flavors, all homemade in shop by Brian himself. "We half counted it not too long ago, all the labels, he makes over 450, but he doesn't like to brag about it so he just goes with 200," Debbie said with evident pride in her face. Brian and Debbie try to keep an even balance of fruit, cookie, coffee, and mint flavors in the ice cream case. Like a scientist in the lab, Brian is in charge of concocting all the delicious combinations. Batching days vary from three to six days per week, all dictated by the customer how much ice cream needs to be made. Making ice cream requires a lot of prep work, something as simple as strawberry takes four days for preparation. "You have to macerate the strawberries. If you don't macerate them your strawberries will be too icy," Debbie elaborated. Safety is an important part of the Big Chill business. Brian is careful when making peanut butter ice cream not to contaminate other appliances and cause a serious health issue with their customers. Flavors range from the classic strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, to strawberry cheesecake, and coconut cream pie. Brian says "sky is the limit" when it comes to making ice cream. At Big Chill no flavor surpasses another, which Debbie described as a good thing because every flavor is equally as popular.
Big Chill Challenge wall of fame
In 2007 Big Chill won a national award from the ice cream industry for the "Big Chill Challenge". Debbie said she and her husband are honored to have won such award. The "Big Chill Challenge" consists of 8 scoops of ice cream and 4 toppings your choice, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The customer is responsible for eating all of the sundae with no help under the supervision of a member of the Big Chill staff. Winners are awarded a Big Chill t shirt and their name and photo are added to the wall of fame (pictured to the left), names are also listed on the Big Chill website. Currently there are over 1388 Big Chill Challenge champions. The challenge is only offered after the first day of spring through the summer due to ice cream production.
Strawberry and chocolate ice cream cones
Over the years Big Chill has become a pillar of the Bloomsburg community. "I can't pick a favorite memory here. Every single time a child comes in and smiles, and I have watched that child from being a couple years old, to 14 years later being in high school. Putting smiles on people's faces are my favorite memory, every single day," Debbie reminisced. This passion is so hard to find nowadays especially in the corporate world. Bloomsburg is lucky to have such a family oriented place here in town.
"The sweetest thing about my job isn't the ice cream, but doing what I love every day with my best friend." -Debbie Brennan
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