Yesterday was a beautiful cool, crisp, fall day and we headed out for a best-of-summer treat, ice cream. I know its October but this is legacy worthy and is it ever really not time for ice cream? My friend Tonine and I had a conversation about Conrad’s Confections in Westwood, NJ that I had completely forgotten about, I’m so grateful she reminded me and treated me to my first (of many to come) Conrad’s ice cream.
There is so much history in this tiny little shop that I can’t begin to convey it here, but you can read the history of Conrad’s on their website. What I can convey here is the nostalgia, the nuance, the feeling and hopefully the sentiment.
Conrad’s is located in one of the few bustling downtowns left in Bergen County. I can’t figure out if they are the lucky ones to be located in Westwood or if Westwood is the luckier to have them located there. Either way you’ve got that hometown feeling before you even walk in the door; when that door does open and you’re inside modern life simply drops away.
We sat at the counter that was reminiscent of every soda fountain of the fifties and sixties, I believe at one time there were once nine soda fountains in Westwood alone, but what made the difference to Conrad’s survival and success was the inclusion of confections. Cases and cases of the most delectable morsels you can imagine line one side of the store. Every nose under three feet tall has pressed up against those cases at one time or another but that will be another time for this girl. This visit was for ice cream.
The choices are limited to the usual favorites with a nod toward some of the more modern flavors like my choice of sea salted caramel with nut mix. Tonine is a die-hard chocolate chip mint devotee but felt compelled to start with a tiny scoop of the salted caramel on top.
What’s interesting about the people who came and went in Conrad’s as we were sitting there is that they were brought there by someone who called this place one of their greatest traditions. Like Tonine brought me, so did someone from a group just next to us. A young mother brought her two little ones, a toddler and a newborn, to get them started on the path. Mothers and daughters, groups of teens, and older couples gathered for a bit of ice cream and nostalgia. This is what builds endurance, this is what builds tradition, and this is an ordinary legacy in the making. Their website seems especially proud that “customers, who have grown up on Conrad’s chocolate and ice cream, now bring their children and grandchildren to take part in the delicious tradition”.
The staff is young and personable and knowledgeable and I’m sure that after they put your order down in front of you they wait just a split second to see your reaction to your first taste, especially if you are a newbie. Mmmmmm and your eyes close. The richness is overwhelming, coating every part of your mouth and throat. The flavors are at once distinct but blend beautifully. I am completely ruined for any other ice cream. While micro-batching has become the catch phrase of the artisan movement, Conrad’s has never strayed from this process, never strayed from quality ingredients or time tested methods that prove themselves over and over.
You can pay by credit card but you will notice that there is no tip line, tips are gladly accepted in cash.
The experience is perpetuated by Conrad’s current owner, JJ Krachtus who is a product of salt-of-the-earth parents, John and Corinne Krachtus, who believed in hard work and being part of the community. We had a lovely conversation with JJ, who enjoyed hearing Tonine’s funny and enduring Conrad experiences. JJ was reluctant to be photographed but I inadvertently caught him talking with some of his customers in the mirror’s reflection this, and in production behind the scenes, is where he seems most comfortable.
I’m so glad I was able to experience Conrad’s’ before they stop making ice cream (after Halloween) for the season. I’ll look forward to visiting them for some holiday chocolates and eagerly await the start of the ice cream season shortly after Mother’s Day, you can follow their schedule on Facebook. My plan is to come back in the summer and walk right up to the serving door and get my fix, I hope you will too…and bring someone.
