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| Eric holding my Halo Halo ice cream in a waffle cone |
Way
back in the Fall of 2013, driving on Old Highway 1A from Calgary, Alberta
towards the magnificent Canadian Rockies , I stopped by the small town of Cochrane, at a Quiznos
Sandwich restaurant, for a reason I could not remember. Washroom?
Directions? Certainly not to
eat, that I do recall. The store clerk
sensing I was a tourist asked “So you’re here for Mackay’s?”
Mackay’s? What’s Mackay’s? The Quiznos clerk gave me the directions to
the ice cream parlor, “Over at First Street.”
A 1950s frontage that started as
a road-stop General Store , the inside walls were covered with photos of its history that goes back to 1948 when a
couple James and Christina Mackay, started making ice cream to attract
Calgarian day-trippers.
To my
amazement, I noticed on the sign board of ice cream flavors the words “Halo
Halo”. Is that a reference to the Halo
Halo icy slushy dessert, so refreshing and cooling in hot tropical Philippines?
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| Can you see the Halo Halo nameplate? |
YES
James
Mackay’s granddaughter Meghan Tayfel who
with husband Mark, now manages the company said, “The inspiration for Halo Halo
actually came from customer requests.
The Halo Halo is really popular.
We do have a wonderful Filipino community right in Cochrane who come in
for it. Our mixture is a blend of white
bean, red mung bean, jackfruit, palm nut,
and coconut gel. I know there can be
some variations to this, but this combination is the most common one we are
able to purchase the ingredients for.”
Unlike
Filipino-style Halo Halo ice cream where the beans and nuts are tidbits
segregate from the base ice cream, in
Mackay’s version the ingredients are ground and blended in. A superb fusion. Don’t get me wrong – the Filipino style with more
texture is appealing in its own way.
Fast forward
to July 2015. I was in Calgary for the
Stampede and I was craving for Mackay’s
after two years of deprivation.
Since Cochrane is at least an hour drive away from SE Calgary, I went instead
to one of Calgary Co-op’s supermarkets (which carry a limited line of Mackay’s)
and got myself one of the creamiest mango ice creams I have ever licked! During the week, I made a few stops at Fannie
May Fine Chocolates SE to get a double scoop of other flavors.
Driving
back to Vancouver, I made a detour to Cochrane and found myself delighted to be
back at the original Mackay’s. But no
“Halo Halo” on the sign board. I
anxiously asked the server. He said it
was in the back fridge and will retrieve it.
What a relief! He later slotted in the Halo Halo nameplate on the sign board.
The Cochrane store also offers Purple Yam (Ube) and occasionally Buko
(Young Coconut).
Meghan
said, “Some of the original flavors that we still have are the tried and true: maple
walnut (#1 in popularity), vanilla (#2) , chocolate (#3), chocolate chip mint
(#4), chocolate fudge chunk (#5), cookie dough (#6), strawberry (#7), but
also many others my grandfather made
through the years that we still carry:
licorice (not for me), cookies & cream (#9), tiger (orange and black
licorice swirl #10), black cherry, butter brickle, and bubblegum (#8).”
What
really makes Mackay’s ice cream amazing to the taste buds is its dairy fat content. Other supermarket brands of ice cream
contain 10% - 12% butterfat, whereas Mackay’s ice cream has 16% up to 18%
butterfat. No wonder their mango was so
delectable. If you live in British
Columbia, the product is only available over at Salt Spring Island, in Salt
Spring Mercantile General Store, main village of Ganges. The store sells a limited selection in scoops
only ($4.25 single; $6.67 double). Why
just Salt Spring? Why not the city of
Vancouver?
Meghan
explained, “We would love to be able to introduce MacKay’s to different markets
in BC, however, our biggest stumbling block is transport. Most companies will not carry ice cream due
to the requirement to keep it at a constant temperature. Salt Spring Mercantile store has a unique
relationship with a transport company that is willing to do one time drops of
our product just for them along with other frozen dessert products the vans
already carry.”
If you
really crave Mackay’s and would like to bring it home, Meghan recommends,
“Anyone going for really long distances, the best way is to pack the ice cream
in dry ice. The one thing you never want
to do to ice cream is shock it by exposing it to severe temperature
fluctuations.”
While
taking a driving break along the Kicking Horse Mountain Pass near the
Alberta/British Columbia border, I had to finish my Mackay’s baon of a 500 ml
bucket (almost a pint) already soft piña colada ice cream (I had it in a cooler
with ice cubes). I thought it needed
more kick.
For
more information about Mackay’s Ice Cream and where to buy it, see www.mackaysicecream.com
The ice cream tubs come in 500 ml, 1 liter, 5.7 liter and 11.7 liter sizes.
Where
to buy dry ice in Calgary? Call Praxair at 1-800-PRAXAIR.
BTW,
the only other ice cream I have developed an obsession for is Tillamook’s Ice
Cream (which is also extra creamy) in Tillamook, Oregon, but this is another
story (and their cheese!). None of those
overpriced Italian gelatos, so meh meh.
What
ice cream brand do you pine for? Fess up with a comment.
