• LSA senior Kseniya Dzhala adds another scoop of ice cream into a waffle cone Monday afternoon. Julianne Yoon/Daily. Buy this photo.
  • Julianne Yoon/Daily. Buy this photo.
  • Blank Slate Creamery owner Nate Nuttle makes fresh waffle bowls Monday afternoon. Julianne Yoon/Daily. Buy this photo.
  • Julianne Yoon/Daily. Buy this photo.

Blank Slate Creamery came out with a cherry on top for the fifth consecutive year. A family owned business first established in Ann Arbor in 2014, Blank Slate makes all its ice cream in-house at its West Liberty Street location. 

Nathan Nuttle, operations manager at Blank Slate Creamery, said the family went from producing small batch ice cream with a single pasteurizer to having over 90 employees in two locations. 

“My mother Janice had worked at the University for quite some time and wanted to venture off and do her own thing … She went and learned how to make ice cream,” Nuttle said. “We try to keep it a family affair. So I’ve got my cousins and my grandmother and my uncles and whoever are all involved in the business somehow, whether they helped build the place or whether they’re helping now make ice cream or sell ice cream or manage employees.”

The creamery sources many of its ingredients locally, including milk and cream from Guernsey Farms Dairy, a Northville-based dairy processor. 

Nuttle said the loyalty of the customers and of the neighborhood plays a large role in the success of Blank Slate and allows them to be profitable even as a seasonal business. 

“The loyalty of the customers around us, especially through this pandemic, has been unprecedented for us,” Nuttle said. “We’re just really thankful and we’re doing everything that we can to make sure we’re keeping things fresh, but also bringing back the favorites and keeping people interested. The students are a big reason that we’re able to stay open as late in the year as we do. They keep our late night doors open.”

The store also showcases an extensive order list, with flavors ranging from Balsamic Strawberry to Sesame Shoyu Caramel, including a variety of non-dairy, vegan and gluten free options. Outside of Ann Arbor, true enthusiasts can also visit their Brighton location, which opened in 2020 and offers many of their well-known ice cream flavors. 

Daily News Editor Anna Fifelski can be reached at afifelsk@umich.edu.