If you’ve lived in Fresno for awhile, there’s a good chance you’ve spotted Jay’s Specialty Ice Cream’s trailer or cart at Gazebo Gardens, a school carnival, a wedding, or Downtown at the Courthouse on a warm day. (You may have even read about them before here on the blog.) What I somehow missed – until this week – is that Jay’s has had a permanent home for almost a year now. They celebrated their grand opening on W. Shaw late last September and I finally got to visit their brick-and-mortar shop this week.
The space itself is simple: clean, unfussy and full of that neighborhood-hangout feeling. You could tell other customers in the shop were regulars, and I met my parents there, and turned out they’d gone the previous night, too. Ha! The staff matched the vibe, friendly and easygoing, and they brought our ice cream out to our table once we sat down and offered help with anything else we might need, which seemed like a high level of hospitality for an ice cream shop – very nice.
Jay’s has built its reputation on gourmet, hand-crafted ice cream with a rotating lineup of flavors far beyond the ordinary – think Birthday Cake, Cinnamon Bun, Mocha Brownie, Lavender Cheesecake, even a “Saucy Scoops” line with a touch of alcohol for grown-ups. I went with cherry chocolate chip and could not have been happier with the decision – it was loaded with cherries and lots of full-sized chocolate chips, not the shaved bits you sometimes get other places. My dad added hot fudge to his ice cream, which sounded great, so I followed his lead, and that turned out to be a top tier choice with the cherry chip.
The ice cream itself is full of flavor. On occasion, I’ve gotten ice cream out, and it has tasted too milky and the flavors didn’t pack enough punch. That’s not a problem at Jay’s though, the described flavors definitely come through. Additionally, the colors you see in Jay’s ice creams are mostly natural, as they use very minimal food coloring.
One of my favorite details was the variety of portion sizes available. Jay’s offers a junior and even a mini cup, which sounds unimportant until you realize how useful that is in real life. Sometimes you’ve just eaten and don’t want a full-sized bowl – but a little ice cream with good company still sounds like a perfect summer activity. Having that option, instead of committing to a full scoop or skipping dessert altogether, is such a simple thing that I think more shops should copy. (And of course, they have big cups too, for when you want lots of their awesome ice cream!)
Prices were very reasonable, especially once you factor in how much actually goes into each flavor and the generous scoops – this isn’t simple soft serve, it’s handcrafted and mix-in heavy ice cream, and it’s priced like a shop that wants you to come back often rather than treat it as a once-a-summer splurge.
Jay’s started as a business class project at Fresno State back in 2012 – and now, more than a decade later, it’s a busy storefront serving lots of Central Unified neighborhood regulars (and beyond), with nearly a full year on West Shaw under its belt. The truck, trailer and push cart are all still out there for parties and events, so definitely keep an eye out for them when you’re out and about, too, but if you want the full experience – a table, a friendly face bringing your order over, and enough flavors to make the decision genuinely hard – head to 5985 W Shaw #103 on Shaw and Hayes, West of 99 in Fresno. We’ll be heading back soon and often!
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