North End Ice Cream owner Channing Miller scoops a cone of vegan mango sorbet. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Talk to North End Juice Co. owner Channing Miller about his new business, and it’s not long before the static starts up — a discrepancy between what this local entrepreneur presents and what he has created. Miller is a former pro surfer, with tatted, muscled arms. He can get downright evangelical on the subject of nutrition and fitness.
So what’s the new business? A Museum District ice cream parlor: North End Ice Cream, opened quietly next to his juice bar in July, with all the trimmings, from the candy-striped awning to a trove of Wonka-esque tastes, including sweet corn-blueberry and mint stracciatella.
Those would be gelati, produced, in this instance, in the Cattabriga Various 8, a highly specialized — and expensive — machine from Italy that mimics the “stir and stick” hand motion of 20th-century gelato artisans. It’s capable of pasteurizing and batch freezing 63 liters of frozen heaven per hour. Being able to pasteurize the base in-house, Miller says, is key for gelaterias that want to create unique, fantasy flavors.
Besides traditional gelato, Miller also produces a vegan ice cream — technically a sorbet, since it derives its body from nut “milks” rather than dairy. The coffee cookies and cream, made with coconut milk, has a decadent lushness that spreads over the tongue.
Miller credits his work with Plamen Marinov, a chef at Advanced Gourmet (Equipment and Design), with helping him to “get the consistency right. At first, I was mishandling [the base], resulting in ice crystals.”
Those hands-on lessons have paid off abundantly. One month in, and he was already struggling to keep up with demand. “Once I post the vegan flavors,” he says, “they sell out in 30 minutes.” His vegan scoops, ice cream sandwiches and organic coffee floats are — surprise — every bit as satisfying as traditional versions.
As business soars, Miller is readying to open a second North End Juice Co. in October, in the Shops at Arboretum in Midlothian. This second outlet will offer 15 tables and add a Chipotle-style salad bar to its fast-casual counter. Miller will blast-freeze freshly pressed juice, preserving its nutritional integrity, for kid-tested green ice pops. “It’s super gratifying to give someone something they love, that makes their bodies feel good and is a quality product,” he says.
And, if it all breaks right, Miller will be getting more than just customer support: An owner of Gold’s Gym has said he wants to put a Juice Co. next door to each of his 80 franchises.
With that kind of investment, and his demonstrated knack for snacks, Miller may soon find his juice bars are spinning liquid gold.
