The sweet and cold mixture of Italian ice can be as refreshing as taking a dip in Lake Michigan under the sweltering summer sun.
Three years ago, Brian and Jodi Tillman brought their version of this frosty culinary delight to Northwest Indiana when they opened Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory, 7322 Calumet Ave., Hammond.
The factory in Hammond, on the bustling strip of Calumet Avenue, brings a different profile of Italian ice than most people from Northwest Indiana are used to, Brian Tillman said.
Brian Tillman, a Philadelphia native, wanted to bring a delicacy that he saw in his hometown to the suburbs of Chicago, he said.
“I’m from Philly, and Italian ice is real common in Philly, so we wanted to kind of create the feeling that I had growing up,” he said.
But what started as Brian Tillman’s idea was brought to life by his wife’s ability to create this distinctive frozen treat.
“I’m a pretty good cook, but I think of making the Italian ice like chemistry,” Jodi Tillman said.
At the front of Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory in Hammond, they serve Italian ice, and in the back is Jodi Tillman’s laboratory, where she produces the Italian ice virtually from scratch.
Much of the Italian ice in the region is a cup full of ice chips with flavored syrup poured over the ice. Jodi Tillman’s Italian ice is blended with the flavor. It has a smooth texture, free of icy shards, but it still has an icy crispness that’s desired out of this summer treat. It’s more of a sorbet than a snow cone.
Neither Brian nor Jodi Tillman will reveal the details about precisely what goes into the machine that whips the mixture of fruit, ice and sweetener until it comes out creamy and ready to package and serve. There are five machines that look like washing machines that the Italian ice is whipped and whirled in.
“Our recipes and flavors are unique,” Brian Tillman said. “People come from all over. We even have people that travel from Chicago to come here. We have people that always come back, and some who come to try it out after hearing good things about us from other people they know.”
The Tillmans have come a long way. They made $18 the first day they opened, Jodi Tillman said.
“I was worried at first, but our business really grew through word of mouth,” she said.
After enjoying three successful years serving their Italian ice out of the front of their factory in Hammond, the Tillmans decided to open another Italian ice shop in Munster, at 8313 Calumet Ave., less than 2 miles from the factory in Hammond.
The factory and the other store also sell soft-serve ice cream and gelato that can be eaten alone or layered with the Italian ice. Jodi’s offers all the traditional fruit flavors, but the biggest Italian ice sellers are strawberry and “Swedish Fish,” similar in color and flavor to Swedish Fish candy.
“We make over 150 flavors, but we usually only have up to 20 flavors available in our stores,” Jodi Tillman said.
The scarcity of Italian ice in Northwest Indiana might explain why people flock to Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory’s two locations to get a taste. On this hot summer day in July, there’s a line almost stretched to the street of people waiting to place an order.
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“We sell more Italian ice than anyone in the state,” Brian Tillman said.
It easy to believe Brian Tillman when there are kids on bicycles riding to the shop, a line extended to the curb and people piled under the sun umbrellas stationed outside of the Munster location.
They serve more Italian ice in Munster than they do out of the front of the factory, but the Hammond location serves food in addition to Italian ice. If you want something salty to balance the sweet, you can purchase a hoagie, a cheesesteak, pierogi or some nachos at the location in Hammond.
The Tillmans said they’re proud of the growth of the business. In the future, Brian Tillman said, they are considering franchising the Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory shops.
“We’ve brought something new and worthwhile to this area,” Brian Tillman said.
Twitter @JavonteA
Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory
Locations: 7322 Calumet Ave., Hammond; 8313 Calumet Ave., Munster
Opened: 2014
Number of employees on-site: 20-25
Website: www.jodisitalianice.com