Warm weather and cold ice cream go hand-in-hand, and a beloved Brighton shop is making custard an option downtown.
Jack's Custard Company has won the loyalty of locals, who line up for the homemade flavors and fabulous cakes made fresh daily at its little shop on Lee Road, open since 2006.
Last Saturday, Jack's celebrated the grand opening of its brand new custard cafe in the heart of downtown Brighton. Located at 415 Mill Pond Lane, behind Great Harvest Bread Company and Kensington Valley Varsity, the shop overlooks the Imagination Station and offers outdoor seating.
The old location will stay open until the end of July, when it will close permanently.
Sheryl Kemmerling, who owns Jack's Custard with her husband Mark, and her parents Jack and Carol Samples, said she has been scouting locations downtown for months.
"Brighton is a booming community right now. There's lots going on and it's become more kid-friendly," Kemmerling said. "It's the perfect spot for us."
At Jack's, custard is made fresh every morning using ingredients from a local dairy. Vanilla and chocolate are always on tap, and special flavors, like strawberry, cinnamon, cake batter and espresso, are mixed fresh daily.
Generous scoops are $2.35 for adults and $1.89 for kids.
Specialty cakes, made with layers of cake and custard and sprinkled with toppings, can be custom decorated for special occasions, and sell for $11.50-$29.50.
Offerings also include coffees, shakes and floats, smoothies, various decadent dessert creations like cream puffs and banana splits, along with soups, chili, hot dogs and coney dogs.
The Kemmerlings, long-time Brighton residents, have a son, Ryan, in graduate school at Wayne State University, and two daughtes, Reily and Lindsay, who attend Brighton High School. They stay involved with the community, providing custard for local ice cream socials, daddy daughter dances and other fund-raising events.
"If you give, you get back, that's what I believe," Sheryl Kemmerling said.
Jack's Custard offers free samples every day. This week's featured flavors are raspberry brownie and chocoholic (chocolate custard with fudge and Oreo cookie crumbles).
Kerry Hincka
7:32 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Yay! We love Jack's and are happy to see them coming to the downtown area! We wish this locally owned business the best of luck and will be in for a cone soon :)
Marie Wohlfield
10:16 am on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Welcome to downtown Brighton!
Jordan Genso
1:41 pm on Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I'm very excited to see this new business in downtown Brighton. It has a great location near the Imagination Station, and adds to the list of wonderful food options in the vicinity. I hope it enjoys a success similar to that of Great Harvest. It will probably cut into the gelato sales at the Cheese Market though, which is a shame, but a natural part of business.
Wensdy Von Buskirk
9:48 am on Thursday, May 12, 2011
My husband and I got a cake here for our birthday on Monday (we're astrological twins) and it was delish. If you get one, definitely let it sit out for a bit so the custard begins to melt and soak into the cake. Yum!