Nobody calls him Mr. Rocky Point Park, apparently, but Jamie Cuthbert has been around the iconic Port Moody waterfront park a long time.
He went to day care there, and worked at Pajos as a teen. Now, the father of two is busy with his two businesses, Rocky Point Kayak and Rocky Point Ice Cream, that have thrived since they were established in the late 1990s,
"Do people call me Mr. Rocky Point Park? No, maybe Mr. Port Moody," Cuthbert jokes as he offers a tour of his ice cream kitchen in the brand new building next to the parking lot where the icy confections are made by hand daily.
On one of the last days of summer break, the Tri-City News caught up with Cuthbert as he waited for his daughter to finish swimming lessons at Rocky Point outdoor pool while he conducted business.
Sales have been good, Cuthbert says, not just because the weather has been unusually great but because the new ice cream parlor has greater capacity and many more products since it opened Father's Day weekend.
Previously, the ice cream shop was in a small building next to the pool, but Cuthbert and his wife, Yvette, had it knocked down and, with a 30-year-lease with the city of PoMo, built a brand new building, four times the size of the old one, while also adding storage and bathrooms for the pool.
ICE CREAM UNIVERSITY
The larger space made it possible for Rocky Point Ice Cream to make its own ice cream, chop its own fruit for sorbets and make other treats, such as hand-dipped waffle cones with sprinkles, sodas and even ice cream for dogs.
But before Rocky Point Ice Cream could expand, the young couple had to learn how to make the "super premium" quality ice cream, which they did by taking an ice cream technology course at the University of Guelph last year and then touring parlors in the southern U.S.
Their ice cream is the real deal, and not for dieters: it's dense with flavor and creamy with higher (12%) milk fat and lower air content than most super market ice creams. Flavourings are sourced locally, such as the Driediger strawberries that were hulled and frozen during an intense week of production this summer and the soda syrups that are made in Whistler.
ORGANIC, DAIRY-FREE
The milk comes from Meadowfresh Dairy corporation in Port Coquitlam.
"Our idea is to bring in as many local products as we can," Cuthbert said
Even organic ingredients are sourced and used for the small-batch ice cream, which, Cuthbert says, has been drawing customers from near and far.
Rocky Point Ice Cream summer hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. September hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and winter hours have yet to be be determined. The company also offers parties and has a truck for corporate or community events. For more information, visit www.portmoodyicecream.com
