Half Pint Ice Cream

One person’s trash….

Cle — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:49:24 +0000

…is another person’s treasure! I serendipitously happened to be covering a shift at my old workplace on the same day a storage space there was being cleaned out. A co-worker came to me and said, “Cle, you might want to check out these things down in the storage space. They’re sort of like ice cream carts.” Wonder of wonders, they actually WERE ice cream carts! And pretty darn good ones to boot. But, they were in need of a little TLC. One had a busted wheel, and the outsides of both of them were pretty scratched and beaten-up in places.

So, I enlisted the help of my handy and artistic friends! My buddy Pat, who’s in construction, fixed up the broken wheel. And my friend Paul worked his painting magic, using a projector to paint the basic logo onto the cart and then skillfully shading and shaping to get it just right. His wife Lindsay helped with the stripes! I put in my time by painting the chalkboard squares on the front. It was truly a team effort and I have to say, they look beautiful!

They were debuted at the Wedgwood Art Festival last weekend and then made an appearance at FareStart’s Guest Chef On The Waterfront event last night. Everyone loved them! They will be used for other upcoming special events and festivals, so keep your eyes out for our new Half Pint Ice Cream Carts!

Here are some before, during and after photos:

Primed and ready for their first coat of paint.

After the first coat of mint green.

Getting striped.

Painting the logo.

All finished and ready to be filled with tasty frozen treats.

Out on the job and working hard!

Punk Rock Flea Market

Cle — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:49:46 +0000

On Saturday, June 4th from 10 am – 8 pm, Half Pint will be selling ice cream at the 2011 Punk Rock Flea Market! This twice yearly event boasts more than 50 booths selling all sorts of items from crafts to vintage goods to jewelry to bike parts. There will also be live music, food and drinks of the grown-up variety! Admission is super-cheap ($1) and all of the entrance fee money goes directly to benefit the hosts of the event, the Low Income Housing Institute. The LIHI is an amazing organization which “owns and operates housing for the benefit of low-income, homeless and formerly homeless people in Washington State; advocates for just housing policies at the local and national levels; and administers a range of supportive service programs to assist those we serve in maintaining stable housing and increasing their self-sufficiency.” Pretty awesome.

So, come on down to Belltown to the Underground Events Center on Saturday, June 4th for some fun, punk rock style!

Half Pint 2011!

Cle — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:16:11 +0000

Hi everyone!

So, the Half Pint blog has been on a bit of a hiatus (try a year!–oops). But, for the 2011 season I am vowing to become a better blogger and to use this space to keep my customers up-to-date on what’s happening in the world of Half Pint–starting now!

I am about to head out to Guatemala for two weeks with Habitat for Humanity on a Global Village trip. I’m extremely excited about this opportunity to check out a part of the world I’ve never seen while at the same time building homes for those in need. It will also be a good way to get away and have a break before the onset of the madness (GOOD madness!) of ice cream season. I’ll post some photos from my trip here when I return.

As far as Half Pint goes, last weekend we were very excited to receive our letter from the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance with our market assignments for this coming spring and summer. You will be able to find us weekly at the following farmers markets:

Wednesdays, starting April 27th: Columbia City
Thursdays, starting June 2nd: Lake City
Fridays, starting June 3rd: Phinney Ridge
Saturdays, starting June 18th: Magnolia (a new market for us!)
Sundays, starting May 8th (Mother’s Day!): Broadway

Be sure to check out the webpages for each farmers market as a couple of them are changing location this year. We’re really looking forward to seeing all of our market friends, customers and vendors alike and getting back into the Half Pint swing!

We’re also gearing up for some festivals, fairs and other big events and will be sure to keep you posted. Make sure to follow us on Twitter to find out up-to-date information about flavor offerings, upcoming events, and other important info.

I’m off to Guatemala!

Where To Find Us This Summer!

Cle — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:38:15 +0000

Half Pint Ice Cream will be back in action for the 2010 Farmers Market season! We are really looking forward to hanging out at our usual haunts: The Broadway Sunday Farmers Market, The Phinney Farmers Market on Fridays and the Lake City Farmers Market on Thursdays. We will also be starting up at the Edmonds Farmers Market on Saturdays. It’s going to be a busy summer.

And…we’ve got lots of new exciting flavors and other surprises in the works for all of you, our loyal customers. Help us decide which four flavors we should feature first! Tell us your standby favorite, or suggest something new.

Early Season Discount for Events!

Cle — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:20:43 +0000

We’re offering a 15% off discount for booking an event with Half Pint for the month of April! The Half Pint Ice Cream cart adds a unique element to all kinds of events from kids’ parties and office events to weddings and bar mitzvahs.

Contact halfpinticecream@gmail.com to book your April event and receive 15% off your total!

Farmers Market in Paradise!

Cle — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:35:57 +0000

Aloha from Kauai!

So Half Pint is on a winter break. But, never fear, we will be back up and slinging ice cream again come April! For the time being, however, I am living on Kauai, Hawaii, and soaking in the sun. I’ve also been getting lots of ideas for tasty new ice cream flavors. I’m thinking macadamia nuts will feature prominently on the the Half Pint menu this coming season

Kauai has a great farmers market scene! Here on the island, they are aptly named “Sunshine Markets”. I am living in the town of Kapa’a, which has one of the largest and most well-attended sunshine markets on the island. On my third day here, I went to check it out. It was abundant with beautiful fruits and veggies, some of which I’d never seen before like rambutans and pouteria, also known as “egg fruit”. The avocados were almost as big as my head and the bananas were teeny tiny and sweet as can be. And the market is very well supported! It felt like the entire town of Kapa’a was there shopping, and in such a small town, the sunshine market is definitely a social event, a place for people to meet and to catch up with each other as they shop for delicious produce.

Here are some photos from the Kapa’a Sunshine Market:

Big, buttery avocados. Thinking Half Pint should try an avocado ice cream.

The Kapa'a Sunshine Market, packed with shoppers.

Rambutans. One of my new favorites! So sweet--and fun to eat too.

Local bananas. The best.

It has been so much fun to walk around and see how different the offerings are here versus at the farmers markets in Washington. And it’s wonderful that the markets here are so well supported and attended. One has to get to the market early to ensure that the items you’re looking for aren’t sold out! I will certainly miss the fresh liliko’i (passion fruit) and, my favorite tropical fruit, pineapple. But, it’s nice to know that when I get back to Seattle, it will once again be farmers market season and I can look forward to all of the tasty seasonal Washington produce!

Check out THIS Half Pint!

Cle — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:43:54 +0000

Check out adorable Baby Johanna in her Half Pint onsie!

You can purchase your own Half Pint merch at our Cafe Press site.

Busy Busy August

Cle — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:30:23 +0000

August has been a BUSY month for Half Pint! Lots of farmers markets, special events…we’ve been elbow deep in ice cream for weeks.

Last week we participated in a really cool event at Tom Douglas’s Palace Ballroom. It was an ice cream social! Several artisan ice cream companies participated including Half Pint, Parfait, Empire Ice Cream, Poco Caretto, Full Tilt, Molly Moon and The Dahlia Bakery. Adults and children alike flocked to the Ballroom for this ice cream extravaganza and enjoyed samples from all of the ice cream companies, as well as games, delicious ancho chili corn on the cob, pinball (courtesy of Full Tilt!) and a photo booth. It was a great time!

Half Pint's Table at the Palace Ballroom Ice Cream Social

Half Pint scooped up mini cones of Chocolate Mint, Vanilla Chai and Mojito Sorbet.

A little half pint enjoying a Half Pint chocolate mint mini cone.

This past Sunday Half Pint was lucky to be a part of the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance‘s An Incredible Feast. This fundraiser for the NFMA paired farms up with local chefs, who created delicious dishes using fresh produce from that particular farm. Half Pint scooped up little cones and cups of Fresh Watermelon-Mint Sorbet, which was made using watermelons from Tonnemaker Family Orchards. It was a lovely evening filled with food, fun and farmers!

We’ve also been busy scooping ice cream at lots of parties and other events. If you’re interested in having Half Pint scoop ice cream at your next event, drop us a line and let us know what you’re looking for!

It’s shaping up to be a gorgeous weekend. Check out the forecast. So, come on out to your local farmers market, have some ice cream and say hello. We’d love to see you!

Half Pint on KOMO 4!

Cle — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:38:22 +0000

Tom Watson, the ecoconsumer columnist for the Seattle Times had a great TV spot on KOMO 4 yesterday where he talked about unusual items one can find at a farmers market. Among these items was Half Pint’s Earl Gray Chocolate ice cream! Click on the link below and click the play button on the video to see the clip:

KOMO 4 \"You Got That At The Farmers Market?\"

Thanks to Tom for promoting the farmers markets and for supporting Half Pint!

Ice Cream Social at the Palace Ballroom!

Cle — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:25:59 +0000

This coming Tuesday, August 11th, Half Pint will be participating in an ice cream social put on by Tom Douglas Events, taking place at the Palace Ballroom, next to the Palace Kitchen in downtown Seattle. There will be 6 local artisan ice cream vendors sampling their goods, as well as games and snacks! This is a great opportunity to try all of the fabulous homemade ice cream that is cropping up in Seattle.

For more details and to purchase tickets check out: http://tomdouglas.com/events/view/id/39

Hope to see you there!