Apple Cup Crisp: WSU’s Ferdinand’s wins best state ice cream honor

Lead retail sales clerk Allan Olson scoops up some Apple Cup Crisp for customers at Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe on the WSU campus.

On a hot summer day, what is better than ice cream? Even better if the ice cream is from WSU’s Ferdinand’s.

Food Network Magazine editors recently named Ferdinand’s “Apple Cup Crisp” as the best ice cream treat in Washington state, one of 50 in the entire U.S.

According to the magazine’s web site, Apple Cup Crisp, named after the annual college football battle between Washington State University and University of Washington, “makes the most of the state’s signature crop. It’s vanilla ice cream mixed with apple flavoring, crushed oatmeal cookies and caramel.”

Russ Salvadalena, WSU Creamery Manager, said the ice cream flavor was invented about 12 years ago.

He said the creamery sponsored a contest for customers to recommend suggestions for ice cream flavors.

After getting between 50 to 60 suggestions, creamery staff selected the top six. They looked for an ice cream that had possibilities, such as something with WSU signature colors crimson and gray, or something unique to Washington state. A creamery supervisor made samples of each flavor and creamery staff and families made the final judgment.

“Apple Cup Crisp won,” Salvadalena said.

The formula has changed little since the initial recipe, he said, except they removed the applesauce used in the first recipe and now have apple flavoring. He said the applesauce didn’t hold its texture well over time and they considered using fresh apples, but the limited fall availability of fresh apples stopped them.

In the summer of 2001, Apple Cup Crisp made its debut.

“The public response was very good,” he said. They had planned to have the new flavor as a seasonal variety available in the fall, but it was so popular, they decided to make it year round.

Creamery lead retail sales clerk Allan Olson talked to Food Network Magazine and sent the information about the ice cream to the magazine.

Salvadalena said the creamery was honored a year ago by the Progressive Dairymen. A WSU Extension agent submitted the creamery’s huckleberry ice cream which was first named a regional winner and then won top spot for the entire country.

Salvadalena said several years ago, the Spokesman-Review named the creamery’s milkshakes the best in the region.

He is very proud to accept this year’s honor.

“This is well-deserved,” Salvadalena said. “This is a very unique place. It’s good for the students and for the university.”

Salvadalena said Ferdinand’s top seller is “Tin Lizzie,” made with vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate-covered toffee, followed by chocolate peanut butter and huckleberry ice cream.

His personal favorite is chocolate cookie dough.

Ferdinand’s has 15 flavors available plus seasonal favorites.

Salvadalena said he always ate cookie dough ice cream with chocolate syrup drizzled over it. A nephew asked him why he didn’t just make it with chocolate ice cream and another flavor was born.

Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe went through a major expansion of 300 square feet of indoor retail space. With bar stools that will line up along the big windows, the shop now can sit 20 people along with space in the observation room.

Ferdinand’s opened in Troy Hall in 1948 and moved to its present location in 1992.