The sweetest ending
by Debra Brubaker
The ABCs of the nation's largest and most successful collegiate creamery are Access, Butterfat and Content. Penn State University Berkey Creamery Manager Tom R. Palchak credits the unique flavor and texture to those three major points:
Access - With a 225-cow herd on campus, there is little time for the milk to change temperature. Local access provides for very fresh milk and cream.
Butterfat - A high butterfat content creates a creamier, richer texture than lower-fat ice creams. Berkey ice cream has 14 percent fat while most others have 10-12 percent. The difference is noticed.
Content - Only high-end ingredients are used. "That's what leads to superbly tasting ice cream," said Palchak.
About 225,000 gallons of ice cream are produced annually for Penn State use and sales to the general public. Approximately 750,000 cones and bowls of ice cream are hand-dipped each year, and more than 200 milk shakes are made each day. On a football weekend, the average wait for an ice cream cone is 45 minutes. " 'A never-ending line’ will be written on my tombstone," Palchak laughed. The creamery is home to more than 100 flavors of ice cream, sherbet and yogurt. However, the No. 1 flavor is vanilla. A Penn State graduate and butter pecan lover, Palchak has been the Berkey Creamery manager since 1986. Penn State cheerleader Alyssa Donahue, 20, of State College, believes Death by Chocolate is an indulgence. "The mix of chocolate flakes and fudge makes it the richest-tasting chocolate treat." Christopher Hush, of Washington, D.C., differs from his cheerleading mate. "Bittersweet Mint is just like life " things may be bitter at the start, but, boy, are they sweet in the end." Funds brought in by sales in the creamery contribute to research, education and extension programs in the Penn State Department of Food Science and the College of Agricultural Sciences.
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