By Michael d’Oliveira | Editor
Wilton Manors – D.J. Colby’s journey to ice cream purveyor began for want of ventilation.
It was June of 2014 and Colby and his then business partner had just lost a bidding war on a downtown Fort Lauderdale space they had hoped to make their restaurant.
Not long after, Colby’s former partner texted him that he had just purchased space at Island City Lofts, a mixed-use development in Wilton Manors.
“I can’t cook here because I can’t vent,” Colby recalls telling his former partner.
“You have to do something, I bought it this morning,” replied the partner. And so, Wilton Creamery was born and Colby was in the ice cream business.
It was part business venture and part education as Colby had never made ice cream before then.
So, he “started figuring things out” and has made a name for Wilton Creamery.
The ice cream shop has earned praise, recognition, and awards from The Miami Herald, New Times, BuzzFeed and more. In 2016, BuzzFeed named it the most popular ice cream shop in Florida.
This month, the review site Yelp named Wilton Creamery one of its Top Ice Cream Places in Florida.
“To determine which ice cream places in Florida made the list, Yelp identified businesses in the ice cream category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors including the total volume and ratings of reviews between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of June 30, 2022,” stated Yelp in its press release.
But even as Yelp can help bring new customers and positive attention, Colby says it can also be a challenge to maintain an accurate rating.
“It takes 43 5-star reviews to fix one 1-star review,” said Colby, adding that he was at five stars for six years until COVID came and some customers gave one-star reviews simply because they were asked to wear masks while in the store.
As for the ice cream, Colby says the most popular right now is “He’s Not Worth It!” – a combination of vanilla and English toffee ice cream with Oreos, Heath Bar, and chopped soft caramels with a sea salt caramel swirl.
Colby’s personal favorite is “Yuzu” – a citrus blend from Japan that has lemon, lime, grapefruit, citron, and orange. Because each scoop contains a different amount of each flavor, each serving brings something new.
Said Colby, “Every bite is slightly different.”
Wilton Creamery is located at 2301 Wilton Drive, Suite C-4. Visit wiltoncreamery.com for more information.
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