In the early 1900s, my great-grandfather, John "Demetriou" Demas, in his famous York, South Carolina Ice Cream parlor, "The Yorkville Candy Kitchen," taught his sons that the key to making fine old-fashioned ice cream was all in the smooth, velvety texture of fresh-farm cream. Great-grandfather John insisted that to fully appreciate fine ice cream, flavor was secondary to the ice cream's creamy texture. One's taste buds have to first sample a smooth cream texture, followed immediately by flavor brought upon by fine quality ingredients.
With those  high standards, by 1919, the family-owned ice cream parlor grew to producing hundreds of gallons of home-made ice cream per week. My great-grandfather even produced custom flavors for local farmers who would bring in their own cream from their farm. Although his famous dessert parlor no longer exists, his great expertise, integrity and commitment for quality have been passed on by family tradition to Caffe Demetre, the cafe dedicated in his honour. |
