Super Scoopers: A review of the new ice cream shop, “Golden Scoop,” that helps adults with special needs find employment.

When it comes to a normal ice cream treat or coffee pickup, I rely on the basics — Andy’s Frozen Custard and Starbucks. But after one too many mistakes in my orders and long waits in drive thru lines, I decided to try the Golden Scoop, a coffee and ice cream shop that filled my social media feed.

The Golden Scoop is a non-profit business located at 9540 Nall Ave. that employs individuals with disabilities, providing them with not only a job but also a place to socialize. The owners’ mission is to provide guidance to the special needs community and set them up for success in the work world. 

Walking into the store, I was curious as to how the business operated, the hiring process, volunteer information and and of course, how the ice cream tasted.

Four women — Amber Schreiber, Lindsay Krumbholz, Michelle Reeves and Jill Webb — have been working on this project for three years. They’ve officially been running since April 14, open Wednesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., with open arms to anyone who wants to volunteer for the shop, doubling as a volunteering organization.

Since the middle of April, the shop has been swamped with customers, despite opening amidst a pandemic. After a year of negativity, I would guess that craze is because people want to experience something positive, and that’s exactly what The Golden Scoop is about. According to the store owners, some customers have even been driving from as far as three hours away to support the business and the amazing work they are doing for the community. 

Despite the long lines I usually see when driving by the store, I popped in for ice cream right before closing time and had my ice cream in minutes. But if you want to try The Golden Scoop, I’d say the wait is worth it, no matter how long the line is.

I was immediately greeted by a Super Scooper, one of the employees with a disability. The environment inside of the shop was something that stood out to me right away — every Super Scooper and volunteer spoke with an enthusiastic tone and seemed happy to be there while making conversation. 

With the white, grey, black and yellowish-gold theme, the store itself is nice on the eyes, and watching Super Scoopers happily interact and help customers would make anyone’s day. The menu has a vintage-like design and the options are easy to understand.

The Golden Scoop offers seven different coffee choices and six ice cream flavors. When the shop first opened, Super Scoopers were scooping the ice cream themselves, but they recently began pre-scooping cups — an adjustment that made the process easier for me and the employees.

I tried three flavors: “My Father was a Jam Maker”, Mint Chocolate Chip and Jude’s Rum Cake, made with rum and nuts. 

“My Father was a Jam Maker”, the strawberry ice cream flavor, was by far my favorite. As a die-hard strawberry ice cream fan, I always struggle to find a solid flavor. However, The Golden Scoop’s take on strawberry was delicious. The “homemade” feel truly shines through with the comfort of a light, soft strawberry flavor, and the frozen strawberry jam ribbon running through the ice cream itself made for a sweet kick. 

The Mint Chocolate Chip didn’t disappoint either. Peaking over the white cardboard cup, I was expecting the usual mint green color, but it was actually white with chocolate chips, yet tasted refreshing and minty as ever. 

The last flavor I tried was the Judes Rum Cake, made with a rum base and vanilla ice cream, with nuts incorporated in, which I had never heard of before. 

Usually, I stick with simple flavors to ensure I enjoy the ice cream, so I was skeptical to try this unique flavor out, yet I was highly satisfied with the perfect combo of sweet and slight saltiness. 

According to one of the women who started the nonprofit, Michelle Reeves, The Golden Scoop cranks out this flavor because it’s a best-seller, but luckily I was able to try a scoop. 

I was impressed with all three of my choices and desperately want to go back to try the coffee ice cream and the other remaining flavors. As I was checking out, the touch screen coffee machine caught my eye — I’ll definitely order a latte from here next time I’m going for a morning coffee run.

The Golden Scoop combined giving back to the community and delicious homemade ice cream and fresh coffee, which seems like a complete win-win to me.