Saw this in today's (June 7, 2007) Contra Costa Times Get the scoop on making ice cream Contra Costa Times Contra Costa Times Article Launched:06/07/2007 03:03:29 AM PDT Why it's cool: For more than 100 years, families have flocked to Oakland's venerable Fentons Creamery to chow down on Black & Tans, Black & Whites and Fudgeannas. (Mmmm, ice cream.) Elbridge Seth Fenton founded the creamery back in 1894, and it's been a Bay Area icon ever since. It's delighted families and contributed mightily to Cal students' freshman 15. They serve salads and sandwiches, too, of course, but Fentons is best-known for its handmade ice creams and ice cream sundaes, all made on the premises. Now you can see how, thanks to the official Arctic Ice Cream Tour (mmmm, ice cream ... blast freezers ... and you'll get a soda jerk hat, too). What kids like: Fentons' backstage tour shows kids how ice cream is made, how flavors are created and all the nitty-gritty behind such famous sundaes as the Black & White -- chocolate and vanilla ice cream with fudge sauce and marshmallow topping. Your tour guide will tell you a little bit about the creamery's history, too. Be sure to ask about Virginia Fenton's horses, Vanilla and Strawberry. What parents like: There's actually a scientific angle to all this. It's chemistry, not alchemy, that turns flavored cream into scoopable dessert. "Kids are interested to see how liquid turns into solid," says operations director Sam Zarnegar, "and we demonstrate the wow effect of our flavors." When ice cream's first made, the fresh-churned stuff is the consistency of soft-serve, he says. You'll discover that for yourself when you taste it. Then it's on to the arctic zone. That blast freezer is minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, says Zarnegar, "just like Chicago in January." That's where the big tubs sit for 24 hours to allow the flavors to blend. And yes, you'll get to spend a few seconds getting arctically blasted yourself. Tour nitty-gritty: The tour lasts about 20 to 30 minutes and includes tastes (and that cool soda jerk hat) for $3.95 per person. If you'd like a dish of ice cream with that, it's $5.95. Make it a Black & White for $6.95, and so on. Kids must be 6 years or older. And only a fool wears flipflops to visit a blast freezer: Better wear closed-toe shoes. Fentons elsewhere: There's a brand-new Fentons at the recently reopened Nut Tree in Vacaville -- no Arctic Tours, but plenty of ice cream. Parking tips: Street. Afterward: Grab a sandwich to counteract all that sugar, or stroll down to the Piedmont Theatre (4186 Piedmont Ave.) and catch a flick. -- Jackie Burrell, Times staff writer, jburrell@cctimes.com ARCTIC ICE CREAM TOUR The Basics WHERE: Fentons Creamery, 4226 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. HOURS: Arctic Tours available by appointment (no tours Tuesdays or Sundays). Open Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fridays-Saturdays, 9 a.m. to midnight; and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. TICKETS: $3.95 to $12.95 per person for the Arctic Tour (see details below). CONTACT: 510-658-8500 or http://www.fentonscreamery.com. George --------------------------------- Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder tool.