What’s next after Boise clothing shop closes? Ice cream ‘tacos,’ Donut Humps, vegan flavors

When it comes to trends, Stella’s Ice Cream mostly keeps its cool.

“Ours is pure, old-fashioned American ice cream,” says co-owner Chad Hartley, who founded Stella’s in Nampa in 2018 before opening a second store in Eagle last year.

There aren’t any alcohol-infused flavors or beer pairings. You won’t see orders chopped on a frozen granite stone.

But Stella’s, which is planning a third shop this spring at 8th and Main streets in Boise, does get a little nutty.

Instead of a traditional bowl of frozen goodness, you can order ice cream crammed into a waffle taco shell. Or devour a Donut Hump, a sort of ice cream “hamburger.” On a special occasion, you might even encounter a Flufferito, an ice cream burrito with a cotton candy wrapping.

Replacing American Clothing Gallery — which lost its lease at 100 S. 8th St. after more than two decades — the new ice cream shop will appeal to Idaho diners with dietary restrictions, too. The Boise store will serve 32 flavors — twice as many as other Stella’s locations — with half dedicated to dairy-free, vegan options.

“I think that’s going to be something big for the downtown Boise area,” Hartley says.

Pricing is straightforward. A single scoop of ice cream in a container is $3.50, a double is $5 and a triple is $6.50. Want it in a cone instead? Sugar and cake cones are included in the price. A waffle cone costs an extra buck.

All of Stella’s treats are made in-house, Hartley adds, except for the Bismarck doughnuts used to create Donut Humps. Originally named Humps because they were sold on Wednesdays, aka “hump day,” Humps now also are served on Saturdays. The burger-like concoction, which costs $5, includes a halved doughnut for a bun and a massive blob of ice cream for a patty.

Waffle tacos are available daily. (And, no, those weren’t invented by Stella’s). The shells are formed using the same kind of equipment that a restaurant would use to make a hard corn shell, Hartley says.

Stella’s has concocted other Mexican-inspired ice cream oddities in the past. “We were putting ice cream on top of broken waffle cones,” he says, “and we called those ice cream nachos.”

Would you like your ice cream mashed between two chocolate-chip cookie monstrosities? Stella’s also bakes cookies daily.

Hartley plans to open the Boise store by April 1. At 1,000 square feet, it will have only about 10 seats, he says. Many customers will grab something sweet and head elsewhere to enjoy it. And most, Hartley says, will opt for proven, well-tested menu items.

“As much as we want to make crazy flavors, our number-one sellers are always going to be your standard strawberry, cookies and cream, salted caramel, mint chip ... ” he says.

Not that this stops the Stella’s staff from trying. One of Stella’s most popular and requested inventions is the All Nighter, which has a chocolate base with coffee and cookie dough bites.

“We do a lot of one-off flavors,” Hartley adds, before chuckling. “Almost experimenting, and see how they go if people like them. Whatever ingredients we have in the kitchen sometimes!”

Online: stellasicecream.com.

This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 1:00 PM.