Students are invited to stop by the brickyard at noon today to sample the newest “Chancellor’s Choice” ice cream flavor, which newly installed Chancellor Woodson will be revealing.
As a Wolfpack tradition, a new flavor of ice cream designed by the Chancellor himself is created, patented, and sold at the Creamery upon the installation of a new Chancellor. As part of the festivities surrounding Chancellor Woodson’s installation, a giant sundae made of Woodson’s own personal ice cream flavor will be displayed in the brickyard and then distributed for free to students.
According to Carl Hollifield, business manager for the university’s food, bioprocessing, and nutrition sciences, the sundae is so large that it couldn’t be made the day of the event. Instead, Hollifield said the actual ice cream was made on Tuesday by a team of six people, including Executive Chef Bill Bizzolara.
“The sundae is going to be about 75 gallons of ice cream and should serve about 2,500 people. The ice cream itself was made on Tuesday, and it still needed to be shaped and formed,” said Hollifield. “This is something that took a lot of coordination.”
According to Chandler Thompson, a junior in economics and chair of the N.C. State’s Traditions Commission, the sundae, which will even include a giant cherry created by Bizzolara, has gone through rigorous testing to ensure that the event runs smoothly—but the ice cream doesn’t.
“We are really excited that it is going to be a warm day so people will want ice cream,” said Thompson. “But we had to test the ice cream first to be sure it wouldn’t melt all over the brickyard.”
Thompson said the ice cream should be fine for approximately an hour and half, so melting shouldn’t be a problem given the fact the program should last for about an hour.
Hollifield, whose passion for chocolate peanut butter ice cream resulted in the installation of the “peanut butter spin” Howling Cow flavor, said the tradition began with former Chancellor Marye Anne Fox in 1998 when Fox chose vanilla ice cream with raspberry swirl and chocolate chips.
“Marye Anne Fox chose that flavor because it depicted the colors of the university. Former Chancellor Oberlinger didn’t like chocolate chips, but when he was installed he picked a very similar flavor,” said Hollifield. “Chancellor Woodson, however, wanted to do something unique and all his own.”
According to Thompson, Chancellor Woodson is putting a new spin on the traditional unveiling by focusing on more than just ice cream.
“The Chancellor really wants his message of being ‘locally responsive and globally engaged’ to be heard,” said Thompson. “We are doing a lot in this event that supports that message, including holding the event on a day coinciding with the campus famer’s market.”
The event will begin at noon with a walkthrough of the campus farmer’s market with Chancellor Woodson. Following the walkthrough, the Chancellor will speak to students about his flavor choice and his message prior to the distribution of the ice cream.
Other ways the organizers of the event will support the Chancellor’s call to be involved both locally and internationally include the use of ingredients such as whipped topping and chopped peanuts from vendors in North Carolina as well as the use of compostable bowls and napkins.
“N.C. State has had such an emphasis on staying local when it comes to business,” said Hollifield. “I think it was necessary for the Chancellor to embrace this initiative.”
With an air of secrecy surrounding the exact nature of the new flavor of ice cream, students like Bobbie Bodie are left wondering what the flavor will be.
Bodie, a senior in nutrition and food sciences and exchange student from California State University at Northridge, said the idea of patenting an original flavor of ice cream for the Chancellor is an idea that is both foreign and exciting.
“I’m an exchange student, and from where I’m from we don’t have anything like this. I think it is an awesome tradition. You’ve got your own ice cream parlor on campus, so why not have a new flavor for a new Chancellor?” said Bodie. “I’ll become Chancellor just to get my own patented ice cream.”
While the exact flavor of the ice cream is known by only a select number of individuals, Thompson said it is sure to be a hit among students and faculty alike.
“You’ll have to go to the event to find out what the flavor is,” said Thompson. “But I can tell you it is great. It is completely new and different from any other Howling Cow flavor.”