VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — After retiring from dentistry, Gerald Einhorn turned to a new career path: Gerald's Ice Cream & Pastry.
"It's like, what would I do at my age?" Einhorn laughed.
When you walk into Gerald's, you feel nostalgic, with a diner like-feel and old-school vibes.
"First of all, it's old-school. It's milk, cream, eggs, and sugar," Einhorn said about his ice cream. "If it's chocolate, it's made with chocolate, not chocolate flavoring."
What's more modern is the way they freeze their ice cream.
"We freeze it with liquid nitrogen," Einhorn said, "because that makes the smoothest possible ice cream."
Their ice cream is exceptionally smooth and scientifically perfect. However, most are more emphatic about their flavors.
"We have a flavor that we just made, I made it as an experiment, and it just flew out of the store. It's called sticky malva pudding," he said.
They also serve chocolate fudge browny, blueberry crunchy crunch, strawberry shortcake, peanut brittle, chocolate hazelnut, ube, and the list goes on and on and on. It's also an ever-changing list. Expect something new on the board each time you walk inside.
"About every week, we come up with an oddball flavor," Einhorn said.
What makes their flavors more unique is the way they make sure the ice cream is authentically made; take the Blueberry Crunchy Crunch, for example: "The shell of the pie goes into the ice cream," Einhorn said, "and it's like eating a blueberry pie. Only it's frozen ice cream."
You can have your ice cream in a cone, in a bowl, or grab a flight if you can't choose a flavor. You can have six cones and sample your top flavors with a flight. You can grab a cake for your next party or chocolates, too.
If you want a pastry, they have you covered there as well. They now serve homemade pastries made in-house. They are crafted to perfection by pastry chefs whose training is proven through soft and flaky croissants. Or multiple other treats served fresh, Thursday through Sunday starting at 9 am.
When you grab your pastry, make sure you grab a coffee too. If you still want that touch of ice cream, Einhorn has you covered: "We have our own little version of an affogato which is ice cream, with a special kind of whipped cream topped with a shot of espresso."
When you step into Gerald's, you may see him, but you will see his wonderful staff.
"I get to work around young people. They're full of energy, and just to kind of keep up with them, I have to, like," Einhorn said as he imitated a running motion. "I'm always on it. So, I think it's keeping me going."
This spot won't disappoint in any menu item, interaction, and search for a nostalgic ice cream shop feeling. For Einhorn, he said making ice cream can be tedious at times, but seeing people come in and just take a moment to enjoy a treat, is why he keeps doing this every single day.
"Sometimes I've had an older person come in and sit down, and I see them eating the ice cream, and they get real quiet," he shut his eyes, acting like them, "So, I go over, and I say how are you doing, and they say, 'I haven't had ice cream like this since I was ten years old.' So, ya know, that's the fun of it," he nodded and finished, "it really is."
If you would like to visit Gerald's Ice Cream & Pastry, they are located at 1612 Laskin Rd STE 770, Virginia Beach, VA 23451.