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ALL IN THE FAMILY
Hoch Family Creamery carries on award-winning legacy.
WRITTEN BY BARBARA TWITCHELL
PHOTOS BY JEN BRITTON
If it’s possible to have ice cream coded into your DNA, Greg Hoch probably does. His family has been making the frozen delicacy since well before he was born.
The legacy dates back to 1948, when Hoch’s relatives, John and Bernice Rieg, opened the Shady Glen Dairy Store in Manchester, Conn., laying the foundation for a small family ice-cream business. Six years later, Greg’s dad, William Hoch, joined the staff, and the rest is history. William eventually inherited Shady Glen Restaurant, as it came to be called, and expanded its size and reputation for excellence. In 2012, Shady Glen was given the coveted James Beard Foundation Award, which named it one of America’s Classics.
New roots
To say Greg Hoch learned the business from the best is an understatement. He worked at his dad’s side as far back as he can remember. At 16, he became an official employee of Shady Glen, and he worked there for 21 years before striking out on his own.
Attracted by the proximity to skiing, beautiful Lake Tahoe, and more than 300 ice cream-friendly days of sunshine a year, Hoch and his wife, Cindy, packed up their two daughters and moved to Minden — a town they affectionately call Mayberry USA. They had a simple dream: to start their own ice-cream company that would carry on the family tradition of excellence.
He launched the Hoch Family Creamery in Minden in 2012. Sure, it was a gamble, but Hoch had a few aces in his hand: a virtual lifetime of experience, a foolproof list of top-notch vendors, and more than 100 family recipes for some of the best ice cream in the nation, thanks to his dad.
Keeping tradition alive
Distributing in the northern parts of Nevada and California, Hoch ensures peak freshness by using locally sourced dairy products from Silver State Industries Dairy in Carson City and Crystal Creamery in California. His flavor assortment, he says, often is dictated by seasonal availability of prime, freshly picked produce. Quality is paramount when it comes to ingredients, Hoch says. After all, it’s about family tradition.
So far things are going well. Hoch estimates about 60 percent of the scoop shops in Tahoe carry his ice cream. The product also is proudly served by some of the finest restaurants in Reno, Tahoe, and Carson City, and it is now available for purchase by the pint or half gallon at the Great Basin Community Food Co-op in Reno under the label Hoch Family Creamery.
It just goes to show: Never underestimate the power of good DNA. Well, that and 100 tried-and-true recipes.
“Why mess with something that’s been successful for 60-plus years?” Hoch asks.
Why, indeed!
Writer Barbara Twitchell was surprised when Greg Hoch told her his favorite flavor was Vanilla Bean. Then she tasted his fabulous version of this seemingly ordinary flavor and immediately understood his love for it. Absolutely heavenly!
Resources
Support local scoops
Here’s where to find Hoch Family Creamery ice cream:
Reno: Silver Peak Restaurant and Brewery, The Jungle
Lake Tahoe: Caliente in Kings Beach, Gar Woods Grill & Pier in Carnelian Bay, Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, Riva Grill in South Lake Tahoe, Edgewood Country Club in South Lake Tahoe, Big Water Grill in Incline Village, Gear & Grind Café in Tahoe City, Susie Scoops in Incline Village
Carson City: Adele’s Restaurant and Lounge, Bodines, Glen Eagles Restaurant and Lounge, The Basil
Minden/Gardnerville: Carson Valley Inn, Minden Meat & Deli, Sharkey’s Casino
Genoa: Genoa Country Store
Truckee: Bar of America
For details or to bring Hoch Family Creamery ice cream into your establishment, visit http://www.Hochfamilycreamery.vpweb.com
