Grapefruit Campari. I still remember discovering this particular flavor of Blue Moon sorbet many years ago and making sure thereafter that there was often a pint of it in my freezer. Alas, no more.
Blue Moon Sorbet quietly ceased production last spring. John Donaldson, along with wife Pamela Frantz, founded the company in 1995 in their then-home in Quechee, VT, later moving to White River Junction. When Whole Foods Market ended a long-standing contract with Blue Moon at around the same time that John was turning 75, he and Pamela decided to shutter the business.
“Just prior to starting Blue Moon we both worked at the Prince and Pauper in Woodstock from 1985 to 1995. She [Pamela] as a Bar Tender/ Bar Manager and me as Pastry Chef. Many of our flavors were perfected [then] . . . including the Grapefruit Campari.” —John Donaldson
Since 2000, it turns out that Blue Moon’s location in White River Junction had been just up the road from Thyme Restaurant. Thyme was a customer for many years, featuring Blue Moon Sorbet on its menu. Thyme owner Eileen McGuckin said that at some point last spring Blue Moon arrived at the restaurant with a final delivery of sorbet and a question: Did she have any interest in owning a sorbet-making machine?
Wouldn’t you? And so it came to be that the behemoth of a machine (photo, below) was carefully loaded and then moved down the road to its new home in Thyme’s kitchen.
Photo courtesy of Eileen McGuckin of Thyme Restaurant
Eileen is now launching a new sorbet (all natural ingredients) under her own label Frozen in Thyme, currently available in two flavors: Mango and Three Berry. It will be featured on the restaurant’s dessert menu. (During a dinner there last month, I had a mocktail made with a scoop of mango.) Customers will also be able to purchase pints to go at the restaurant. And soon, you may be able to find it in the freezers of the Co-op Foodstore’s location in White River Junction, VT. The website is coming soon.
A fond adieu to Blue Moon. And our story ends happily. Frozen in Thyme will continue to be, well . . . frozen in Thyme. Try a scoop after dinner there, or a pint to take home.