By Kathy Kurtz Ferrari
Staff Writer
3/17/11
David Mabel and his wife Robyn didn’t invent ice cream. The frozen treat can be traced back to the Roman Empire and beyond.

But for the past 35 years, the Mabels have earned the reputation of masters in the art of cold confection. They’re the owners of The Ice Creamsmith, the iconic ice cream parlor in Dorchester Lower Mills.

The Ice Creamsmith is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, and when the Mabels opened the door for the new season on March 1, it was a time for reflection for the couple.

“The ice cream has changed a little but the scooping is the same,” said David Mabel, as he looked at the old ice cream maker that adorns the window of the shop. For the first three years of business, ice cream was made in the contraption using the old ice-and-salt method. As the store grew in popularity, they switched to a modern batch freezer that increased productivity.

The Ice Creamsmith offers 13 flavors on the menu, with monthly special flavors adding to the palate of selections. Candy mix-ins can be added, to custom-make treats to please any customer’s whimsy.

Looking around the shop, visitors get a history lesson, as the walls are adorned with memorabilia and newspaper clippings from The Ice Creamsmith’s past 35 years in business.

“We try to keep things the same in here,” Robyn said as she scanned the walls of the shop. “We have people who came here as kids, and now they bring their kids in here, and they say, ‘Nothing has changed.’”

Looking back to the day they opened, in June 1976, Robyn remembered the price, including tax, of a small ice cream was 37 cents. Today, a small costs $3.74.

“But that was when minimum wage was around $2. Things have changed since then,” she said.

The Ice Creamsmith will celebrate the special anniversary with a daily drawing of a free sundae throughout the month of March. Other promotions will follow throughout the season.

“We’ve been lucky,” Robyn added. “We have good health and faithful customers.”

Several of those customers were happy to be among the first through the doors on opening day, when the Mabels greeted familiar faces to begin another year in business.

Topping off a treat for one of them, David smiled and said, “We just keep scooping.”