Chill Out

There’s a new kind of food fight in town – and this one you do want to be in the middle of. In March, RI Food Fights hosted The Great Cupcake Championship, a dessert extravaganza celebrating local cupcake creators from all across Rhode Island. Held at The Spot Underground, the first Food Fight event featured over 4,500 cupcakes, all available for public consumption with the purchase of event admission. Over thirteen local bakeries participated, including The Duck & Bunny, City Girl Cupcakes, Mi-Mi’s Sweet Shoppe and The Cupcake Contessas.

In addition to the cupcake consumption, a panel of judges awarded participating bakeries with prize titles such as “Best Cupcake in Rhode Island,” which went to The Duck & Bunny for their Bunny Carrot cupcake. Attendants could also vote for which bakery won the “People’s Choice” award, which went to The Cupcake Contessas for their Spice cupcake.

But cupcakes and summer humidity go together like water and cement – not too pleasant on a hot day – which is why RI Food Fights’ next event celebrates a softer, creamier dessert: ice cream.

On July 21, RI Food Fights is hosting its first annual Incredible Ice Cream Throwdown, pitting local ice cream shops against each other in a head-to-head battle for similar titles as those featured in the previous cupcake extravaganza. The event takes place in Wayland Square from 5-8pm, with tickets priced at $10 for adults and $5 for children under the age of five.

Admission to the event entitles you to sample all the ice cream you can stomach. Since all attendants can cast a vote for their favorite participating ice cream flavor, take your time and savor the experience. Go back for a second, third or fourth taste. We won’t tell anyone.

If ice cream is not your thing, the event also features local food and coffee trucks, soda, cookies and other such treats. This may be the most delicious event of the summer.

David Dadekian, noted Rhode Island foodie and writer for our sister magazine The Bay, is expected to join the event’s panel of judges, while our own John Taraborelli will rock the microphone as emcee. Ahlers Designs, located in Pawtucket, is creating the awards that will be handed out to all winning ice cream shops.

Since the RI Food Fights cupcake extravaganza sold out three weeks before the event occurred, it’s best to order your tickets now. The last thing you want is to be left outside in the heat while others enjoy the seductive sensation of ice cream on a hot summer day. Of course, if your sweet tooth is too much to control, you could satiate your hunger for sugar right now at some of the East Side’s local ice cream shops.

Ben & Jerry’s, located on Meeting Street, understands that ice cream is all about having fun, and no one has more fun with their ice cream than them. From Phish Food to Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream, this entertaining ice cream shop has a flavor for every occasion.

But if you’d rather have your ice cream self-served from a spigot, head to Thayer for a cup of delicious frozen yogurt from FroyoWorld. Pick from the ever-changing selection of low calorie flavors and then top it all off with a scoop of fruit or candy. You pay by the weight, so take as much or as little as you please.

Also on Thayer is Juniper Frozen Yogurt, an adorable little shop that offers a mom-and-pop frozen yogurt experience. Servers prepare the frozen yogurt for you, with options for fresh fruit toppings, and the outside seating offers ideal people watching opportunities.

For a hometown ice cream shop experience, head to East Side Creamery on Ives Street. In addition to their 24 flavors of soft serve and hard ice cream, they offer fruit smoothies, pretzels, hot dogs and more. Stop in for lunch or escape the summer heat at the bottom of an ice cream dish.

Want a truly unique ice cream flavor? Three Sisters on Hope Street has the ice cream fix for you, featuring such flavors as green tea, Max’s Mudpie, ginger and Kulfi. Of course, they also serve traditional flavors for the less adventurous ice cream eater, but where’s the fun in that?

So, instead of sweating away the summer like Curt Schilling at a city council meeting, head to Wayland Square and enjoy the refreshing thrill of the Incredible Ice Cream Throwdown, or go right now to a local ice cream shop and get a jump on judging the competition.