As Greg reported a few months ago, a new Cold Stone Creamery has come to Baltimore. While the store itself isn’t kosher, all the ingredients in the store are kosher (similar to Baskin Robbins). Speaking of Baskin Robbins, since they’re now closed, there’s no time like the present to go to Cold Stone and get yourself a Creation. I put my change in their tip jar, and the girl sang something along the lines of “Here’s our tipping song, it aint very long” (the end). The ice cream itself was amazing. Especially with all the toppings. And if you go to their website, you should be able to find a buy one, get one free coupon. And while you’re at it, sign up to get a free Creation on your birthday. It’s worth it. Here’s what I got (total calorie count: 1300):
November 27, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Looks amazing…how many WW points is that?
November 28, 2006 at 6:37 am
Argh. I don’t need to know about this. I am not such an ice cream person but my yetzer hara doesn’t always know that.
In any event, you are so the opposite of Greg who is so curmudgeonly that he REFUSES to tip there because he doesn’t want to hear the song. He also used to avoid the Gap at all costs because he didn’t want the employees to ask him how he was doing. Go figure.
November 28, 2006 at 11:34 am
My sisters went to one where they live and told me about it, but I never experienced one for myself. Where in Baltiland is this located?
November 28, 2006 at 12:24 pm
We have a similar one back home called Maggie Moos now under the Vaad!! — i think they do the same as cold stone, lotsa wacky flavor ice creams (like “better batter” tastes just like dunkin hines mix) and two + toppings mixed together on the marble slab thing
November 28, 2006 at 12:25 pm
Okay, now I so don’t feel bad about my 290 calorie ben and jerry’s ice cream.
November 28, 2006 at 2:27 pm
I never heard of it until now, enjoy the indulgence:).
November 28, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Sara K: shhhhh, we can’t talk about that
peninah: awww, its so much fun to hear them sing…its all part of the experience!
LN: It’s in Woodholme, next to Barnes & Noble, where TCBY used to be.
stam: Yeah, they had this one flavor called ‘cake batter.’ I didn’t taste it, but it sure looked good.
Lanie: Ha, you could eat like three more of those
Swski: I sure did!
November 29, 2006 at 12:47 pm
I don’t understand what you mean when you write that “While the store itself isn’t kosher, all the ingredients in the store are kosher.” Are you planning on eating the store?
I think what you must mean is that the store itelf is not under hashgacha but that all the ingredients are kosher. While this certainly suffices in my eyes, I am honestly curious whether or not it is considered acceptable in the frum community of Baltimore to eat there? To bring stuff from there home? What does the Star-K say about this?
I’m not criticizing you for eating there, in fact I think it is refreshing that you realize that if the ingredients are kosher the food is kosher whether or not there is a piece of paper from the Va’ad. My question is a.) regarding the terminology you used and b.) sociological.
November 29, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I think what you must mean is that the store itelf is not under hashgacha but that all the ingredients are kosher.
Yes, that is what I mean. And yes, it is acceptable to eat there (for many…some still won’t). The premise is that all ingredients are kosher, and since they have specific recipes and it is a franchise so that they get the exact ingredients no matter the location…it is kosher. I’ve heard rumors that the Star-K was approached because this particular location did want the hashgacha. However, the store owner claims he is Jewish (which apparently is only because his father is Jewish, not his mom) and the store is open on Shabbos. For this reason, the Vaad won’t give them a hashgacha.
But Charles, this is true in a franchise situation such as Cold Stone. If I were to go to a non-Jewish friend and he bakes something that has all kosher ingredients, that doesn’t mean I’d eat it, and in fact, I wouldn’t. That is because the pots/pans/etc. may have been used for non-kosher items. In the franchise situation, from the very beginning, everything is kosher.
Thanks for commenting.
November 29, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Is this true for all Cold Stone stores? From this link on their website, it would seem not:
http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/icecream/ice_cream_faq.html#Kosher
There is a Cold Stone in Canton, near my work. They got an ice cream cake for someone awhile back and I am going to be really annoyed if I could have eaten it. It looked like the best ice cream cake ever.
November 29, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Did some checking of my own, and it seems you can’t rely on the “all the ingredients start off kosher” argument with Cold Stone Creamery.
BTW – the Star-K said “we have no information.”
Some excerpts to the point:
The Va’ad HaRabanim of Greater Seattle (http://www.seattlevaad.org/Eruv%20070204.html) wrote:
Cold Stone Creamery is significantly more complex. Here, the finished ice cream is made in the stores from a mix. To the best of our knowledge, all of the base mix is kosher under Blue Ribbon Kosher and is acceptable. However, we have not verified that this is true for all flavors. More importantly, the actual blending and mixing of the ice cream are done in the store, where various incidental ingredients, including in some cases flavors and other additives, are added. Also, each store makes its own waffle cones, brownies, and other items – all of which are highly kosher sensitive. For this reason, the Va’ad does not recommend Cold Stone Creamery outlets unless they have adequate supervision. At this point, no local outlet is certified.
Also, the Vaad HaRabonim of Queens (http://www.queensvaad.org/ask/view.cfm?ask_ID=194) wrote:
Many people make the same assumption and, unknowingly violate kashrus. Here are the facts: I care too much about kashrus to rely on assumption. While it is true that franchise regs limit the ingredients that individual stores may use you can not trust your neshama to a franchise agreement. Who checks? How often? Do you know that franchisees of large ice cream chains have been caught cheating many times? Did you know that many such agreements allow for certain exceptions, such as permitting for an ingredient to be purchased for other sources if they run out in an “emergency”. Now, specifically regarding Cold Stone, I’ll bet you did not know that before we undertook the hashgacha we removed several non kosher ingredients —- I am certain that these ingredients are used at non-certified Cold Stone locations. For these reasons we urge the public to patronize only those stores that are supervised by a known, reliable agency.
November 30, 2006 at 9:16 am
Yikes, just how sinful was my indulgence?
After reading Eliezer’s post, I called the Star-K myself, and like Eliezer, they said that they have no information. They did tell me that Cold Stone tried contacting the Star-K to arrange for Hashgacha, but were turned down because the owner is Jewish and open on Shabbos. She said that for now, you can buy anything thats prepackaged and has a hechsher, but should not rely on the fact that the ingredients are kosher for the stuff thats made in the store.
November 30, 2006 at 12:41 pm
I would think there is a difference between cold ice cream and packaged cones than baked goods like brownies that they then put in their ice cream…if the brownies are baked in the store, isn’t that like a non-kosher bakery? If they get them premade and it has a hashgacha it’s a different scenario. So what is the situation here? Do brownies come like the M & Ms they put in — in a package that you can check, or is it baked? Who knows what else is baked in that oven? Hot things I would be a lot more wary of than cold…
By my parents, I think there are three ice cream franchises we can eat at.
One is under the Vaad for all ice cream and toppings, but anything baked or thier candies is absolutely not kosher.
One is Friendly’s where you can eat the ice cream, and check the cones, and that’s basically it.
One is CSC — since this came after my time, I don’t know if the store is under the vaad or if it’s like Friendlys’. Maybe I’ll try to ask my father who works for the Vaad.
December 4, 2006 at 10:11 am
So I asked my mother what the story is about CSC, and she said there used to be a branch that was under the Vaad, but it was too hard to supervise, since candies like gummy bears are hard to find kosher, so hashgacha was revoked, and no one eats there anymore.
I would assume it’s the same anywhere else — since so many ingredients have the potential not to be kosher, even though the ice cream base itself is ok, it’s probably not worth it to spend money to go there and just eat the ice cream without any additives. Sounds like it’s not recommended.
(My mother said anyway it wasn’t as good as the local chain which is definitely kosher and cheaper.)
December 4, 2006 at 10:24 am
Interesting. And oops.
Thanks for looking into it, LN.
January 1, 2007 at 7:48 pm
the CSC in woodholme does not use any “add-ins” that are not kosher. all the candy, chocolate, etc. is the kosher ones. that means no gummy bears or the like. the girl told me that the brownies are baked at the main branch and brought over. dont know where that is but if its the one downtown – dont they have a hechsher?
January 8, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I heard there was a new Carvel Ice Cream opening in Pikesville, and that they will be Kosher.
January 8, 2007 at 7:53 pm
YK, that would be awesome! Any further information?
January 9, 2007 at 2:09 pm
That’s what the guy told me at Carvel in Hunt Valley. I think he is the owner.