Fentons Creamery
Encyclopedia
Fentons Creamery is a historic ice cream parlor
and restaurant
located on Piedmont Avenue
in Oakland, California
, USA.
It opened in 1894 on the corner of 41st and Howe streets before moving to its present location in 1961, a few blocks away. Fentons was then destroyed by an arson
fire in 2001, but over $2 million was spent to rebuild it with a grill, more tables, and an expanded menu.
Fentons was featured in the 2009 animated film Up
. Director Pete Docter, producer Jonas Rivera, and other Pixar
employees are regular customers to Fentons. Docter said that they decided to include it in their movie after the original script had the ice cream parlor named after a different place on the East Coast
.
The ice cream parlor also claims to be the original birthplace of rocky road ice cream
. Fentons candy maker George Farren made a rocky road candy bar and decided to blend it into an ice cream flavor. This inspired his friends William Dreyer and Joseph Edy of Dreyer's
to start making their own version, but substituting almonds for walnuts. However, Dryer's still continues to market its product as "The Original Rocky Road".
A second location opened in 2007 in Vacaville, California
, as well as a shop in the food court of the Oakland International Airport
.
Ice cream parlor
Ice cream parlors are places that sell ice cream and frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is normally sold in two varieties in these stores: soft-serve ice cream , and hard-packed, which has an assortment of flavors, as well as frozen yogurt, which is a low-fat alternative and tastes slightly...
and restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
located on Piedmont Avenue
Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, California
The Piedmont Avenue neighborhood is a district in North Oakland, California. It is named for Piedmont Avenue, the main commercial street of the district...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, USA.
It opened in 1894 on the corner of 41st and Howe streets before moving to its present location in 1961, a few blocks away. Fentons was then destroyed by an arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
fire in 2001, but over $2 million was spent to rebuild it with a grill, more tables, and an expanded menu.
Fentons was featured in the 2009 animated film Up
Up (2009 film)
Up is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film...
. Director Pete Docter, producer Jonas Rivera, and other Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
employees are regular customers to Fentons. Docter said that they decided to include it in their movie after the original script had the ice cream parlor named after a different place on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
.
The ice cream parlor also claims to be the original birthplace of rocky road ice cream
Rocky road ice cream
Rocky road ice cream is a chocolate flavor. Though there are variations on the flavor, it is traditionally composed of chocolate ice cream, nuts, and marshmallows...
. Fentons candy maker George Farren made a rocky road candy bar and decided to blend it into an ice cream flavor. This inspired his friends William Dreyer and Joseph Edy of Dreyer's
Dreyer's
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Nestlé, is a United States-based producer of ice cream and frozen yogurt had originated in 1928 as Edy's Grand Ice Cream, a Northern California business under a partnership of Joseph Edy and William Dreyer. In 1947 the partnership dissolved....
to start making their own version, but substituting almonds for walnuts. However, Dryer's still continues to market its product as "The Original Rocky Road".
A second location opened in 2007 in Vacaville, California
Vacaville, California
Vacaville, California is a city located in the northeastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in Solano County. The city is nearly half way between Sacramento and San Francisco on I-80. It sits approximately from Sacramento, and from San Francisco...
, as well as a shop in the food court of the Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...
.