Going Local: Dr. Bob's Ice Cream

Dr. Bob's Tahitian Vanilla ice cream with nectarines

In the summer, my favorite dessert is simply fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream--preferably consumed outdoors. While nothing will ever beat Herrell's malted vanilla, numerous pints of which I consumed during my college days, Dr. Bob's Tahitian Vanilla comes close.

Dr. Bob, a professor at Cal-Poly Pomona, began selling his ice cream in the late 1990s, and the high butterfat treat, simply but intensely flavored, made with high quality ingredients has been a local sensation ever since. He has a "dipping store" in Upland, CA, east of Los Angeles, near Pomona, but you can find pints of his ice cream at many retail locations around California, including Gelson's, Bristol Farms, and other smaller markets. For those of you outside of Cali, he also offers overnight delivery.

At $4.99 a pint, it's of course pricier than Ben and Jerry's or other high-end brands, but the difference in taste is night and day. Dr. Bob's tastes fresh and thick and custardy, sweet but not achingly so. You taste the milk and the cow and the summer.