The Best Party Ever! Ice Cream Tasting & Sundae Bar with Tillamook
If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a long time, then you know my profile used to say “I calculate the value of things in ice cream.” I love ice cream and I love talking about how much I love ice cream. When Tillamook Ice Cream reached out to me to host an ice cream tasting party featuring their delicious flavors and new packaging, I was elated! I thought, “Have the ice cream gods finally heard me?” I kid, but I have always wanted to host a fun ice cream related party for my friends and family and this was the perfect opportunity! I quickly started thinking of all of all the fun party ideas and my guest list and of course bought all the Tillamook flavors and considered it research.
I knew I wanted to host a party in a beautiful and charming space that evoked a sense of vintage neighborhood block parties. The first place that popped up was One Colorado in Pasadena, which made it a perfect location to extend the party invitation to followers and community members. I live and basically do everything in Pasadena so it was important to have the party somewhere that new and old friends could meet. I also didn’t limit the party invite to just one group of friends. I think ice cream is made to be shared with friends and family of all ages so I was pleased by the party turnout. I wasn’t surprised that everyone from friends with newborns to my great aunt showed up to the party. I had also talked about the Birthday Cake and Oregon Strawberry flavors so much, everyone wanted to experience euphoria as I described it.
In keeping with the vintage theme, I brought my pink bike for the party, filled it with flowers and Tillamook Ice Cream. I created a backdrop of “sprinkles” and encouraged guests to snap pictures with their ice cream.
Ice Cream Party Tips
Since I hosted the event in a public space, I rented an ice cream cart (sticking with the vintage vibe) and hired my cousin to work as the “soda jerk” and serve up the ice cream in a cup or cone. This is a must have since ice cream melts, especially fast in the middle of summer. If you’re hosting at home, I’d recommend investing in a large cooler and some dry ice. It’s also important to stock up on Tillamook Ice Cream a day in advance and place in the freezer so they are the perfect consistency for serving at your party.
I love being a hostess and with that comes keeping in mind all of the guests who are coming to the party. I always love giving options especially when it comes to what they’re going to eat. For the party, we offered guests choice of Tillamook Ice Cream in the following flavors: Birthday Cake (overall favorite), Oregon Strawberry (always my favorite), Mudslide (the kids’ favorite), and Mint Chocolate Chip (my husband’s favorite). Every party I host, I always make sure I have enough food for seconds. In the case of the ice cream party, I had enough for fifths since the theme was “treat yourself”! According to Harlee she had 1 ice cream in a cone and 5 in a cup. I figured it’s summer, she’s having a blast with her friends, and much like her mama, she embraces a party theme!
How to Set up a Sundae Bar
Tillamook Ice Cream is already delicious on its own – it is good beyond words, but I know a lot of children (and yes adults) love to sprinkle some toppings on their sweet treat. I kept the options simple with organic, all natural toppings: semi-sweet chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, chopped almonds, fresh bananas, dye-free sprinkles, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. I put all toppings in cute vintage pink sundae bowls so guests could build their own sundae. I also had whole bananas on hand for those who wanted to create a banana split. Because this was a kid-friendly event, I made sure the sundae bar wasn’t too tall for kiddos to reach and create their own magical cup or cone.
The two most important tips are to remember you’re hosting an ice cream party which means everyone is happy (aka don’t stress) and number two take some snaps of the kids’ ice cream mustaches!
This post is sponsored by Tillamook Ice Cream; all thoughts and opinions are my own.
