By Don Steen
Staff Writer n reporter@psci.net
Patriot Parlor is officially up and running, based out of Heritage Hills’ Career and Technical Education building. Students of Paul Steinmetz’s class were hard at work Thursday, preparing their last couple batches of ice cream for the school year. The student-run business serves as a wholesaler for local organizations.
Some customers include the Fulda 4-H Club and Heritage Hills Band Boosters. Proceeds from these ice cream sales benefit community efforts, as well as keep the school’s operation humming.
Steinmetz hopes to secure grants over the summer to add more equipment, including a bar coder and more freezer space to assist with inventory management.
While still in its early phases, Patriot Parlor has all the necessary permits to sell its product. Reviews have been favorable thus far, and Steinmetz hopes to keep some students involved in the business over the summer to keep up production during vacation season. He also hopes to implement a system of redistributing profits to participating students based on the time they put in.
Initial flavor offerings were limited to vanilla, but students have been mastering many other mixes over the past year. Available flavors now include vanilla, chocolate, chocolate velvet, strawberry, Oreo, apple crisp, coffee and cream.
Those interested in purchasing Patriot Parlor’s products can contact Steinmetz at psteinmetz@nspencer.k12.in.us.
A ribbon cutting is planned in the near future to officially celebrate the opening of Patriot Parlor.
“We’re completely ready to go,” said Steinmetz. “We’ve been doing pretty well.”
Featured Image: From left: Carsten King, Maddie Gudorf and Jordan Scherzer prepare a mix for one of the final batches of ice cream, at least for the school year. Ice cream production is expected to continue over the summer and into the following school year as the student business takes off.
Pictured on left: Students begin packaging their final batch for the school year. Ice cream produced at HHHS is sold to local businesses and organizations for retail sales. Pictured on right: Landen M. carefully fills a cup with strawberry ice cream.
