Transported to another place and time, when you indulge in that first scoop of sumptuous buttery- goodness giving you flavor notes that unfold and linger for days, you won’t know what to do with yourself—well, you’ll reach for more.
This experience is by no accident, it’s all by the design of Jeff, founding owner of Hidden Oak Gourmet Creamery—aka “Jeff the Ice Cream Guy.”
Inspired by his love for local cuisine Living in Utah, and Kauai as well as traveling with his family to France and elsewhere—Jeff wanted to bring these rich culinary experiences home using local ingredients.
“After experiencing all these great flavor combos in France, I went to the grocery store, and there just wasn't anything that exciting,” he says.
That’s when the real magic happened. In 2013 He bought a Cuisineart ice cream maker and started experimenting like a feverish scientist with real ingredients and pairings of all kinds. Then, in the midst of the pandemic, he decided it was time to start a business, and began making a literal creamery out of his dining room.
Eventually, he’d be ready to take the next step: selling ice cream from a small freezer in Smith’s parking lot. Recalling humble beginnings, he says, “I had a handwritten poster board that said, ‘Ice Cream For Sale.’”
At first, his “exotic” flavors were a hard sell, but it wouldn’t be long before they became his most sought after.
“People would walk up and be like, ‘Strawberry Basil, that's a no!’” he says. To which he’d reply, “That's right, just give it a try,” offering to happily exchange it for another flavor if they weren’t a fan.
A far cry from where he is today—with his self-built commercial kitchen, he now gives unlimited samples at various locations in his decked-out camper and vends his high-demand, masterful flavors to local grocery stores, such as The Store and The Market; coffee shops around the valley; and even hotels.
What sets his ice cream apart isn’t only that it’s crafted in an eight-hour process of heart and soul, but its Butter fat content—coming in at 19%, uniquely categorized as French-style, super-premium ice cream.
The perfect ready-to-eat consistency right out of the freezer, Jeff attributes this to using pure ingredients and no artificial colors or sweeteners.
This is on top of locally sourcing as much as possible, and using fresh ingredients so you can taste those extra flavor notes. “When you put real basil and steep it, you get a lemon, a pepper, and a basil—all these things come together to give you more nuance,” he passionately explains.
His major local farm sources include lavender from Heber and peaches from Payson—from which he’s preparing his much anticipated Peach Cobbler ice cream.
Along with seven other flavors this autumn, you can expect Rosemary Pistachio, Lavender Blueberry, and Cinnamon Sugar Cookies and Cream. With such decadent seasonal rotations, there’s something for everyone.
At the end of the day, Jeff wants you to have a real experience, just like the memories he’s made watching his kids grow up. Invoking that nostalgia, the moniker Hidden Oak is the street of his family’s beginnings and is emblematic of his kids playing in the backyard. This reminiscence also ties back to his own childhood, hiding in the river bottoms at his grandparents’ dairy farm.
As Jeff says, eating his ice cream is just like visiting the river bottoms of a hidden oak, “If you need an escape, you can grab a pint of our ice cream and it'll be worth it.”
Visit Instagram to find out where you get your pint: @gourmetcreamery
What started with a wild Strawberry Basil experiment in 2013 is now a beloved Utah brand. With 25 years of hospitality expertise at award-winning hotels and a knack for turning dessert into a full-time obsession, Jeff Olpin founded Hidden Oak Gourmet Creamery. Life’s too short to skip dessert.