The first time Stef told me she was going into the ice cream business, I thought she was a bit nuts. Stef is a beer expert, and I could clearly see her bright future in craft beer lined up. No, she wanted to get into ice cream. The first time I tasted her ice cream, I understood. Ice cream is where she has chosen to make her mark, and I am grateful she did. Before I get ahead of myself, let me back up and tell you how I know Stef.
I vividly remember the first time I met Stef. In early 2009, a very young yet confident Stef Ferrari arrives promptly for her interview at my brewery. She was likely a bit surprised to find herself in a rundown industrial complex in Orange County, California. At the time, the Bruery’s Tasting Room consisted of homemade/Ikea furniture and an amateurish kegerator made by yours truly, surrounded by antique brewing equipment. The part that brought Stef to us was our unusual yet delicious, flavor-driven beers. Such examples of the beers of that time were an autumn beer with yams, a spring beer with Thai basil, sour beer aged with fruit in wine barrels.
A recent transplant from Connecticut, she conquered an interview for the Tasting Room manager position. This is a role my wife Rachel and I were particularly excited to fill. We had spent the last few months running the Tasting Room ourselves while doing everything else that running a brewery required, so we were tired by the time Stef showed up. It was truly a start-up, with about four co-workers at that time, one of which was my yellow lab Barley. I was so impressed by Stef’s strong motor and an entrepreneurial spirit. She was filled with ideas on how to offer an amazing experience to our customers and on flavors we could incorporate into our beers. Being in a rundown industrial complex wasn’t an issue for her. If anything, it made the experience more authentic, as innovation rarely comes from places in polished shopping centers. It was about the excitement of the beers made in this place.
Stef has an essential trait of a successful culinary entrepreneur: a strong sense of innovation when it comes to flavor. This skill is the ability to imagine all of the world’s possible ingredients, textures, and temperatures and being able to translate that into a harmonious, delicious experience that is often unexpected and thought provoking. The most innovative in the culinary world use their medium as a way of expressing flavor rather than being bound by the rules of their culinary tradition. The less innovative have a steep hill to climb. There are many stories of a chef following tried-and-true recipes to find mediocrity; where a brewer goes after the traditional approach and makes an unremarkable portfolio of beers similar to 99 percent of everything else on the shelf. Perhaps the most atrocious would be an ice cream maker trying to break into the market with plain vanilla ice cream. Stef is a master of flavor, inspired by the many delicious ingredients and culinary traditions of the world and bringing that to ice cream. A great example of this is her recipe for Cacio e Pepe Ice Cream—when’s the last time you had savory ice cream on pasta? You’ll wonder how you’ve gone your whole life without it.
While innovation is necessary to creating something new, quality must also play a key role. After all, originality is only successful if it’s delicious! While at the Bruery, it was clear that quality was important for Stef in everything she did. Her commitment to quality of the ingredients in the ice cream and the processes was particularly impressive. She purchased milk directly from the farm, pasteurizing it herself. She made cookie dough, toffee, popcorn, sauces, and countless other toppings herself. Great expense went into finding the best fennel pollen, the most aromatic lavender to use in her creations. Everything that went into the ice cream was made or chosen with painstaking effort and love. It had to be the best...and it is. A great example of this is her Barnburner ice cream sandwich. (OMG, you gotta try it, but skip breakfast that day!)
To me, this book is all about how a flavor approach can make anything we eat more delicious and exciting. It’s about what happens when the stars align—a motor, a sense of flavor, a commitment to quality, and of course, a very strong sense of adventure. Perhaps it’ll light a fire in you to create something uniquely delicious!
PATRICK RUE
CEO & Founder
The Bruery