Humphry Slocombe: Scooping It Green, Simply

When I'm lucky enough make a trip back home to San Francisco, I try to indulge in childhood nostalgia as much as possible. Quite often that involves some sort of food. If I get my way, the family takes a trip up Russian Hill so we can get a scoop or sundae from Swensen's, which has been a Feuchter family favorite since before I was even around. This past holiday season, I committed a sin and forwent a trip to our tried and true ice cream shop (never fear, Swensen's, your mocha chip will always hold a dear place in my heart) in order to try out a new sensation, neighborhoods away, in the form of Humphry Slocombe.

This ice creamery takes it name from characters from the off-beat 1970's British comedy show "Are You Being Served?" (as anybody growing up with KQED can surely attest to having seen at least once), while its service takes another unusual bend, in that it is eco-friendly. That's right: no cutesy neon mini spoons or funny flat wooden paddles used for tasting, or even regular old paper cups for serving. Of course, ice cream has a leg up in "green" serving on the basis of cones alone - I admire any food whose container is as consumable as the product inside of it. But in this case, if you order a cup instead of cone, you get one and its accompanying spoon made out of corn and sugar, respectively. And where to put that cup when you are finished, or any used napkins in the off chance this deliciousness melted before getting to your mouth? No trash can to be found here; instead there is a lone bin, simply marked "Compost." And as for those tasting spoons I mentioned, would you believe sampling sized spoons are plain old silverware? Revolutionary.

As for the actual ice cream and baked goods, the shop tries to use organic ingredients as often as they can get their hands on it. Of course, I couldn't write this up and not talk about the ice cream itself, whose flavors rotate over time, but a comprehensive list, that I personally find truly inspiring in its combinations and diversity, denotes the abundance of creativity and cheekiness that goes into the main product. Perhaps in keeping with Mrs. Slocombe's revolving hair color and Mr. Humphries' outlandish outfits, the flavors are just as unexpected yet entirely palatable. A few notable flavors from the day I visited included "Secret Breakfast" (cornflakes and bourbon), Jesus Juice (red wine and Coke), and a Vietnamese Coffee that gave my beloved mocha chip's base a run for its money, using flavors from a collaboration with the equally responsible local roasters of Blue Bottle Coffee. And with the demarcation of making a year successfully after opening during the middle of a recession this past New Year's, Humphry Slocombe seems to have proven its viability.

In a city where plastic bags are now banned in grocery stores and a mandatory recycling and composting ordinance is in place to get the city en route to zero waste by the year 2020, there is plenty of encouragement and support to match the environmentally-friendly initiatives in this haven for forward thinking. And Humphry Slocombe does just that: by acting on that eco-friendly thought through a level of embraceable simplicity, and tying it to old fashioned gastronomic pleasure, makes a trip to this ice cream parlor just a little bit sweeter.

Right hand photo courtesy of Humphry Slocombe