The Scoop

Ice cream in the middle of January? Why not. If it were up to Jake Godby, he would indulge every day of the year. Then again, he does…well, sort of. Godby is referred to as the experimental ice cream man, as his avant garde shop Humphry Slocombe churns out some of the most inventive and imaginative ice cream made from the finest ingredients. With flavors such as Boccalone Prosciutto and Jesus Juice- red wine and coke- chef and co-owner Godby, along with partner Sean Vahey, dishes out an assortment of flavors daily among an ever changing roster of a hundred plus flavors, providing food-centric San Franciscans a whole lot of sweetness.

The mild-mannered forty-something year old worked his way up through San Francisco’s fine dining ranks with stints at Boulevard, Zuni, and Coi- where he was pastry chef- and in 2008 opened Humphry Slocombe with the intention to create a challenging ice cream store. Named after two characters on the cheeky British sitcom Are You Being Served? the decor is soda-fountain retro, yet Mission district cool all the way. Adult oriented yet playful, Godby’s palate tends to favor salt, liquor and meat, therefore you’ll find flavors like Guiness Gingerbread, Elvis- banana with bacon peanut brittle- and Chocolate Smoked Sea Salt on the menu. Everyone’s favorite pick happens to be Secret Breakfast- ice cream with bourbon and toasted cornflakes. There’s usually so much Jim Beam that the scoops always run soft…definitely not a good choice for your child.

The shop also produces novelty desserts such as Duck-Fat Pecan Pie and Foie-Gras Ginger Snap Ice Cream Sandwiches, and if you fancy a taste of Peanut Butter Curry, Coconut Candy Cap Caramel Sorbet or Harvey Milk & Honey you’ll find them here too, or perhaps on Godby’s arm- where he has 31 ice cream cones tattooed. Godby-aka-Humphry Slocombe is clearly not your parents 31 Flavors, but he may be this generation’s Mr. Softee…epicurean-hipster style, of course. www.humphryslocombe.com