The Ice Cream Olympics are Sunday, August 24, at 7:00 p.m.
The Scoop
Last year, Rochester College held the Ice Cream Olympics in conjunction with welcoming in their new president, Dr. Tyson. John Tyson replaced Dr. Rubel Shelly, who had served as the institution’s president from 2008 until 2013. Seven local ice cream companies provided the cool treats as alumni, students and guests sampled and voted for the best.
It was a beautiful evening of lights, music and ice cream. Kilwin’s won the gold, Cook’s Farm Dairy the silver, and Hudsonville the bronze. “The event is a celebration of everything sweet about Rochester College: sweet memories, sweet relationships, sweet sounds, and sweet tastes.” This year promises to be even better.

Scott Moloney, owner of Treat Dreams, and representatives of Rochester College discuss how to blend ingredients to make a flavorful ice cream concoction – photo by Michael Dwyer
Decades of Work
This year, alumni representatives were invited to create ice cream concoctions to characterize their decade for the event. In a secret ice cream laboratory (better known as Treat Dream’s in Ferndale), past graduates of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s met. Each decade fused together ingredients to represent their generation. Each decade came up with two creations. Alumni had to vote via an online ballot to narrow it down. Here are their choices with the winning blend in bold:
Flavor Choices for Alumni from the 1960s:
- “Twist & Shout” – white chocolate ice cream with peppermint, chocolate fudge swirl, and brownie pieces
- “Wild Thing” – dark chocolate ice cream with fudge swirl, almonds, and cayenne
Flavor Choices for Alumni from the 1970s:
- “Norcentra Snapping Turtle” – vanilla ice cream with caramel swirl, chocolate shavings, pecans, and sea salt
- “Rochester Cooler” – Vernors-flavored ice cream with ginger snaps, macadamia nuts, and toasted marshmallows
Flavor Choices for Alumni from the 1980s:
- “Jello Pudding Pop Swirl” – special recipe ice cream with a chocolate and vanilla pudding swirl
- “Phone Home” – peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter swirl and Reese’s Pieces
Flavor Choices for Alumni from the 1990s:
- “Grunge” – chocolate ice cream with fudge swirl, Oreos, and sea salt
- “No Ice Cream for You” – Orange Julius flavored sorbet
Flavor Choices for Alumni from the 2000s:
- “Future Hipster” – coffee and sweet cream ice cream with espresso-infused caramel swirl, and Vanilla Wafers
- “Pure Michigan” – sweet cream ice cream with Mackinac Island fudge chunks and tart cherry swirl
Treat Dreams
The online voting narrowed it down to one blend per decade. Now, everyone that attends the event on Sunday will get to cast his or her final vote for this year’s favorite. Treat Dreams of Ferndale is mixing up all the blends for event. The winning flavor will be available at the Ferndale location for about two weeks after the event. Currently, they are offering two flavors of the contenders; both Phone Home and Grunge are available now at their store.
Scott Moloney, owner of Treat Dreams, is proud to offer 12-14 hard ice creams and 1-2 sorbets (dairy free) to his customers every day. Since August of 2010, Treat Dreams has created 850 different blends. Scott left the banking industry and started serving ice cream four years ago. He is passionate about the craft of handmade ice cream.
Some of their unique flavors so far are Honey Lavender, Coconut Chai-Tea, Brown Sugar Ham, and Pistachio Wasabi.
The Event
Sampling and voting on the ice cream is the highlight. However, a large canopy of lights will fill the campus mall for an atmospheric setting under the stars on the grounds of Rochester College. Memory Maker DJs will provide the music with feel-good party tunes; and a special Kid Zone will be available to entertain young children with activities.
Rochester College
800 West Avon Road Rochester Hills, MI 48307 248-218-2000 www.RC.eduTreat Dreams 22965 Woodward Avenue Ferndale, MI 48220 248-544-3440 www.treatdreams.com
Hours Monday – Thursday: 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Friday – Saturday: 1:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Read about last year’s event Here!