Harper’s: Homemade ice cream at Rybrew in Brewerytown
The managers have another skill: making premium ice cream. So it's on the menu at Rybrew.
Ryan and Stephanie Pollock, who own the sandwich shop Rybread in Fairmount and the beer cafe Rybrew in Brewerytown, took on two general managers a year and a half ago.
Chris and Kate Perotti, who relocated from the Tampa Bay area, turned into dream employees: They live in the neighborhood, and they have a good handle on the businesses. They also have a third quality: skills at making premium ice cream. The couple founded Urban Creamery in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Pollocks and the Perottis are now in the ice cream business here, making and selling Harper's ice cream out of Rybrew, 2816 W. Girard Ave. "We're investing in each other," Ryan Pollock says.
They make the ice cream from local milk and cream, as well as their own. house-made flavorings, such as peanut brittle, caramel, and bananas Foster (for the banana pudding flavor).
At any given time, they offer six flavors of ice cream, plus a dairy-free variety and vegan variety.
The regular ice cream clocks in at a rich 16-percent butterfat.
For now, they're selling scoops, cones, and pints; because Rybrew is a bottle shop, you can get beer floats and ice cream sodas.
The Harper's name — not to be confused with Harper's Garden restaurant at 18th Street near Market — comes from the nearby Harper Street.