Southington ice cream shop owner works with supplier to launch Patriots-themed flavor



SOUTHINGTON — A year after suggesting ice cream flavors with sports tie-ins, the owner of Pat’s Main Street Ice Cream got his first shipment of Patriots-themed treats.

Pat D’Agostino had teased the new flavor to his customers leading up to Tuesday’s delivery from Gifford’s, an ice cream manufacturer in Maine.

The new ice cream has vanilla, fudge, cookie dough and football-shaped chocolate pieces filled with caramel. The name, Dough Your Job, is a play on the team’s mantra of “do your job.”

“They’ve never done anything like this,” D’Agostino said Tuesday while setting up football memorabilia on the ice cream freezer counter.

He’d suggested to Gifford representatives that the company make baseball- or football-themed flavors. The addition of teams or familiar characters can grab customers, he said.

“I’ve always said they should make a ‘Star Wars’ one,” he said. “They could make the pieces the characters from ‘Star Wars.’ ”

Using the Patriots’ license was surprisingly smooth, D’Agostino heard from Gifford’s representatives.

In addition to cones, D’Agostino is also selling cartons with the name and logo emblazoned on the front.

Taste test

Carol DiLorenzo and Arlene Donahue, sisters who are regulars at the ice cream shop, were the first to taste the new flavor Tuesday. They were convinced to switch from their usual selections, maple walnut and black raspberry, and were glad they did.

Donahue said she was still figuring out exactly what was in Dough Your Job as she ate it on a bench outside the shop.

“All I know is, it’s good,” she said. “It’d be worth it for people to try.”

D’Agostino rotates flavors, bringing seasonal ice creams such as blueberry and pumpkin to round out the 36 he offers. Many of his customers thought he was adding another seasonal flavor that’s been sold before, but D’Agostino was glad to add a brand new flavor to the lineup.

With football season starting, he expects a lot of excitement over Dough Your Job.

D’Agostino started Pat’s Main Street Ice Cream 10 years ago. In addition to regular ice cream, he sells soft-serve, ice cream cookie sandwiches, ice cream cakes and other treats.

The shop is located at 384 Main St.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com
203-317-2230
Twitter: @JBuchananRJ



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