Was Rocky Road Ice Cream Really Invented in California?

Foods California Is Famous For: The Rocky Road Ice Cream Edition

Ice Cream is a perfect treat to enjoy year-round. Rocky Road has the perfect amount of marshmallows (not too many), crunchy almond bits, and it is loaded with a burst of deep chocolate flavor. No wonder Rocky Road ice cream is an American flavor favorite! Did you know that Rocky Road ice cream was said to have been invented in OAKLAND, California? Yes, it's quite the scandal!

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I sat down to write an article about some of the flavorful foods California is known for and discovered a rabbit hole of scandal about Rocky Road ice cream. Who knew! (Maybe you already knew this, but I didn’t get the memo!) Read about the ice cream scandal, then stick around for 4 flavorful (and in some cases, historic) places to get some Rocky Road ice cream in Oakland.

DRAMA IN THE ICE CREAM STORY: WHAT IS THE REAL SCOOP?

There is a local shop in Oakland, California, that boasts being the birthplace of the “original” Rocky Road ice cream (said to be created by Melvin Fenton). Another place in California, Visalia, also claims to be the home of the first Rocky Road ice cream (by way of William Dreyer and Joseph Eddy). Still others in yet another American city, this time two men in Kansas, claim that they are the true inventors of Rocky Road Ice Cream (W.O. and Fred Rigby).

This makes the question of where Rocky Road ice cream originated from a very contested story.

You can still pick up a scoop of the home of Rocky Road ice cream at Fenton’s Creamery in Oakland. The restaurant is open 7 days a week on Sundays thru Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and they open at 10 a.m. on Saturdays.

Fenton’s Creamery

4226 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA

HERE ARE 3 OTHER PLACES YOU CAN GET SOME YUMMY ROCKY ROAD ICE CREAM IN OAKLAND

1. Curbside Creamery

482 49th St

2. Loard’s Ice Cream and Candy Shop

5942 MacArthur Blvd

SEE ALSO: The Cheapest Place to Live in California

3. Ben & Jerry’s

505 Embarcadero West

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