Fairfield Ludlowe Teachers Launch Summer Ice Cream Venture

By Jason Bagley

Oppressive heat is no great friend of the Ice Cream Man, or, in the case of Pat Cole and Stefanie Weise, the Ice Cream Couple.

“It can actually get too hot for ice cream,” says Cole. “This part of the year is challenging,” adds Weise.

Cole and Weise -- both teachers at Fairfield Ludlowe High School -- are the couple behind the Milford Soft Serve Ice Cream Truck, which first hit the streets in April.

They say when the mercury breaches 90 like it did last week, folks are sometimes more inclined to stay inside with the AC than rush after an ice cream truck when it drives by -- the song for Weise and Cole's truck, by the way, is "Do Your Ears Hang Low?"

But the couple is working on a formula, a plan of attack, for when a heat wave hits.

Weise, who has taught business at Ludlowe for four years (Cole teaches English and has been for 11 years), says she’s learned that nighttime, at about 6:30 p.m., is the prime time to bring the truck out after a extremely hot, humid day.

That’s when it starts to pick up, she says. On a busy night, Cole and Weise will visit 20 to 30 streets.

“It’s a lot of work but so far it’s been a fun way to start the summer,” Cole says. “I’ve been getting to know the town very well. Before this venture I’d get lost going around the living room.”

Cole says he is originally from Staten Island, “where soft serve ice cream trucks are part of the culture.” A friend who runs 15 of them there has been a sage of sorts for the couple.

“We saw a need,” Cole says of the initial thought to start the business in Milford. He says he knows of only one other ice cream truck in town.

The couple wants to bring the ice cream to Fairfield, too. The Milford Soft Serve Ice Cream Truck is available for parties and events here -- just contact Weise and Cole through their website. 

Weise says the truck is more accommodating to her and Cole’s schedule than a brick and mortar outfit. It’s less stressful, they can set their own hours and there’s the freedom to move and not be tied to a location, she says. That’s important when you’re engaged and need time to plan a wedding.

“It’s rare you find a business like this,” says Weise.

“We’ve seen grown men run out in towels waving at us," she adds. "Everyone turns into a kid with an ice cream truck.”

For more on the couple's truck, visit their website.