Ben Ernst and Erica Bernardi of Earnest Ice Cream have taken over the old Outpost Cafe space at 3992 Fraser St. (next to the soon to open Graze restaurant). They plan on using the space as a production facility, retail store, ice cream parlour and cafe, and hope to have it open by June. That means ice cream cones, sundaes, shakes, affogatos (yes!) and pints, with really good espressos and pour-over coffees to boot (they’re currently narrowing down their choice of roasters, with Bows & Arrows, Matchstick, and East Van Roasters all in the running).

“It’s been a long time coming,” Ben told me by phone this afternoon. “but this is what we’ve been wanting to do since the beginning. We’re really excited!” If the tiny company is news to you, Earnest Ice Cream been making top drawer, small batch ice cream using local and seasonal ingredients for a little under a year now (we broke the news of their coming back in May of 2012). They started with the simple cycle-freezer above – cruising through farmer’s markets and various food festivals to the joy of discerning ice cream lovers – establishing and cementing brand loyalty with knockout versions of salted caramel, tahitian vanilla, and whisky hazelnut, with a lengthy list of one-offs and seasonal delights.

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