Jayde’s tasting flights are a popular way to try a range of ice creams. Photo: Tenele Conway.
Gold Creek’s ice creamery, Stripey Sundae, has moved into new premises in the central courtyard area, and owner Jayde McKendrick is excited to embark on a new phase of the business in her newly fitted-out shop.
Having owned the business for just over two years, it wasn’t long ago that this former mental health nurse had never made ice cream. It’s a fact that didn’t stop her from pursuing what she calls a crazy idea: to buy a struggling ice creamery.
Jayde’s career pivot came shortly after COVID; the stresses of her role during the pandemic had taken their toll, and she was desperately in need of some respite. It’s a direction she always thought she might take someday, but that day came far sooner than she had originally thought.
“I always felt in my retirement years I would have a cafe at the coast or some sort of food business,” Jayde tells Region.
The bold move seems even more daring when you consider Stripey Sundae’s history.
Originally located in the old Ginninderra Village area of Gold Creek, the then-owner, Glen Takkenberg, spoke publicly about the decreased patronage of the now-fenced-off precinct and the financial struggles the business was having, which meant he was lucky to take home minimum wage most weeks.
Stripey Sundae is right at home in its new shop. Photo: Tenele Conway.
It was a state of play that Jayde and her husband, Andy, were well aware of, but despite the risks, they could see the potential of the business, which Jayde felt needed some love.
“It was a team effort between my husband and me; we turned it around within a year.”
When I first came across Jayde and Stripey Sundae, it was on social media. Jayde, holding a massive blue and orange umbrella and wearing her Stripey Sundae apron, was bounding through puddles at Gold Creek Village on a rainy day in bright blue gumboots.
Jayde credits the fun videos set to catchy beats to her husband, Andy. It’s a core part of how they are attracting a following to their new location.
The other attraction to the business, of course, is the ice cream, and on my visit I sat down with a tasting paddle to try a range of flavours.
The tasting paddles, known as flights, much like a beer or wine flight, are an ingenious way to enjoy a bunch of ice creams, and with 18 flavours always on the go and a new flavour every week, there’s always plenty to test out.
The in-store theme at the moment is Halloween, so you can experience Death by Chocolate, a rich ice cream Jayde makes with the highest-quality Callebaut couverture chocolate.
There is also a spiced pumpkin ice cream, a spin on the popular American fall flavour, which Jayde creates by cooking down real pumpkins.
There is also slime lime for lovers of sorbet; Jayde shares that she always has several vegan flavours on the menu.
Jayde has 18 flavours on the go with a new flavour every week. Photo: Tenele Conway.
I was most taken with the Biscoff Coconut. You can’t go far in the food world at the moment without stumbling across something themed around the Belgian biscuit, Biscoff, a brand from 1932 that has seen somewhat of a viral resurgence in recent years.
Where many fall short on imparting the flavour of Biscoff, Jayde’s ice cream is a marvel. The smooth and creamy ice cream somehow tastes exactly like Biscoff, and Jayde tells me that’s because it is mainly made from ground-down Biscoff.
True to their name, Jayde also has sundaes on the menu, with a choice of toppings, and her ice cream scoops are all served in waffle cones made on the premises.
The new shop is also a coffee shop, serving tea and coffee, or you can grab an affogato with coffee, chai, or hot chocolate poured over vanilla ice cream.
Jayde looks very at home behind her new ice cream counter, surrounded by a rainbow of ice creams in every colour, and while she couldn’t be more pleased that her gamble paid off, Canberrans and the loyal following Jayde has built are very pleased too.
Stripey Sundae is located at Shop 4/18 O’Hanlon Place, Nicholls, and is open from 12 pm to 5 pm, seven days a week.
