Nightingale ice cream sandwiches12/17/2023 In the beginning of 2019, they became an anchor member of Hatch Kitchen, where they have a designated space and a large walk-in freezer constructed specifically for them. Today, their products, which include four signature flavors and a number of seasonal sandwiches, can be found in 12 states.įor the last few years, they have worked to grow their business, collaborating on exclusive flavors with local breweries and restaurants. They graduated to a commercial kitchen space at Westbury Pharmacy and began selling an average of 1,200 sandwiches a week to PFG. Four months after Pollack left the restaurant world, Nightingale partnered with PFG for distribution - first in Virginia, then to the entire Mid-Atlantic region. Meers, a longstanding customer of PFG as a chef, had shared Nightingale’s sandwiches with a sales rep. Serendipitously, Performance Food Group, a Richmond-based food distributor, was looking to add local products to its lineup. “It was hard at first, but we wouldn’t be where we are if we were living both worlds.” “Once you take that step, it scares you enough to where you think, ‘I have to make this work, there’s nothing to fall back on, no salary,’ ” Pollack says. They named their business Nightingale as an homage to its beginnings at Greenleaf’s: The pool hall is named for Ralph Greenleaf, a 20-time World Billiards Champion, and his wife, vaudeville actress Amelia Ruth Parker, was known as “The Oriental Nightingale.”īy November 2016, Pollack found herself physically unable to balance production and her full-time job, and after a nudge from the optimistic Meers, she quit Greenleaf’s to commit to Nightingale. Between lunch and dinner shifts as executive chef at Brux’l Cafe, Meers would deliver them. Pollack would return to her home kitchen after dinner service at Greenleaf’s and make as many ice cream sandwiches as she could, selling them to friends at other restaurants and markets. “I knew from the moment I tried it,” he recalls. Upon trying it, Meers immediately realized that that the sandwich, vanilla ice cream between two brownie cookies - now Nightingale’s “Classic” - had the potential to be more than a novelty treat and become a successful food product. While working as executive chef at Greenleaf’s Pool Room, Pollack made an ice cream sandwich for dessert. The couple met while working together in the kitchen at the bygone Belle Vie restaurant in Midlothian, which Meers, 42, co-owned. Pollack, 33, is the younger, slightly more serious half of Nightingale, a company she officially founded in 2016 with her husband, Brussels native Xavier Meers. “When we started, we would only make 100 a week, and that was so much,” says Hannah Pollack, laughing. If you’ve been hearing about Nightingale or are just an ice cream fanatic looking for the next big thing, you might want to get to ordering.Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches’ eight-person female staff methodically moves through the process of making their daily inventory of 3,000 handmade ice cream sandwiches in the production space at Hatch Kitchen. If there’s one you want that’s gone, keep an eye on the site to monitor when they restock.įor those who are in northern Virginia, your best bet at finding the sandwiches is to join and follow local foodie groups that often post smaller locations like convenience stores and restaurants. You can also order online at Goldbelly and get nationwide shipping, but you’ll want to order quickly. But the finder will let you know whether it’s individual ice cream sandwiches or Chomp sold at your local store. They’re mini versions of the sandwich, and while not as Instagram-friendly, they’ll taste just as good. Currently, the brand is carried in retailers like Walmart and Fresh Market, but keep in mind that some of the retailers only carry the brand’s Chomp line. You can search your zip code and find stores closest to you. The company has a handy finder on its website. Since the brand is growing nationwide, there’s a way to find them. That’s good because those thick, rich sandwiches are selling out, but there is a bit of hope. The particular care placed into every sandwich has continued as the brand has expanded, and according to an interview with Pollack and Beers, Nightingale can now produce a whopping 12,000 ice cream sandwiches per day. The sandwiches also feature markedly more ice cream than your average option, and the brand releases a unique, limited-edition flavor nearly every month. Only the top-tier ingredients are allowed. But they’re ice cream sandwiches, right? What makes them so special? Well, the company, founded by chef Hannah Pollack and co-run by her husband (and fellow chef) Xavier Meers, takes a unique approach using 14% butterfat ice cream and hand-mixed and made cookies.
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