Anthony and Chad opened Lick Honest Ice Creams in the fall of 2011 because they wanted to offer“honest ice creams” to savvy palates in Austin. Both grew up in small rural communities, enjoying homemade ice cream: Anthony from Hallettsville in South Central Texas and Chad from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The two met in New York City in the winter of 2005 and immediately connected (small town minds in the big city). As the years passed and after many train rides to Lancaster, Anthony began to truly appreciate what Chad grew up with…local, small town ice cream shops that made seasonal flavors with locally sourced ingredients: fresh, unique and delicious! With each lick, Anthony wondered what kind of flavors he could craft from the ingredients he grew up eating in Texas. Chad never ate ice cream at a chain, and from 2005 on, Anthony didn’t either.
In New York, Anthony (who had actually moved to the city with hopes of being a writer for a food magazine) worked as a caterer and event planner, where he deepened his love of working with food. He became inspired by the menus and dishes he helped develop and began mentally storing this inspiration for future use. Eventually, Chad's career took them away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan to the Midwest. There Anthony joined a local bakery and continued to dream of ways to include all of his favorite dishes and desserts into one thing. As several years passed, the dream of honest ice creams began dancing in their heads. All the while, with each trip to visit Anthony’s family and friends, Chad was falling more and more in love with Austin and becoming inspired by its creative spirit and local flavors. Finally, the right time came and the decision was made to sell their home and move to Austin. Thus began the realization of a dream and the building of Lick Honest Ice Creams.
