Falls Church’s Lil City Creamery: A Connoisseur’s Delight

Just a few doors down from Mr. Brown’s Park, squeezed between Floris Beauty Salon and Dominion Camera, Falls Church’s 500 square-foot mom-and-pop gem – Lil City Creamery (LCC) at 114 W. Broad Street – serves up an ice cream connoisseur’s delight of the freshest, creamiest, and most flavorful no-frills scoops found possibly anywhere in northern Virginia. 

But buying a scoop at LCC is not simply a joyous experience because the 18th-century farm sourcing the shop's rich creamy ice cream uses Jersey (brown) cows who’ve been openly grazing on the freshest assortment of natural buttercups, clover, orchard and rye grasses springing up in their pastures. It's also a delight because owners Jeff Goldberg and his wife Lisa Manson – who’ve been operating the quirky shop since 2015 – ensure that every trip there is as pleasant as their enticing flavors. 

The Falls Church Independent popped in to LCC for a scoop and spoke to Jeff Goldberg – working the cash register that day – about the shop’s founding, its distinctive atmosphere, and why the sweet little spot is such a hit with the locals. 

A humorous raconteur, Goldberg recalled serving a scoop to Joe Biden, ice cream fanatic – back when “he was just Senator Biden” – from the first ice cream stand he and his wife Linda Manson had set up a few decades ago on Fenwick Island, Delaware, near Rehoboth Beach where the Biden's have a summer place. 

Origin Story

The impetus for setting up their original Hawaiian-themed Fenwick Island stand came “probably 20 years ago,” Goldberg recalled, when he and Linda – “the real ice cream connoisseur” of the two – were on summer vacation along Delaware’s Jersey Shore. One day, as Jeff went off to find a slice of pizza, Linda bought a cone of possibly the best Butter Pecan ice cream she'd ever tasted. When Jeff returned, Linda said, “You’ve got to sell this ice cream!” The two of them just laughed.

Then, five years later, on a return vacation to the same spot, they saw an ice cream shop for rent. Linda said, “Remember that ice cream shop in Rehoboth? You could sell that ice cream here!” Traveling back and forth seasonally from Falls Church might even be workable. “Well, that sounds like a plan,” Jeff said. “So, I went and signed the lease. Got the store and everything.” And even though it was during the Great Recession, he recalled, “people were coming back night after night – they had never had ice cream like this before.”

Woodside Farm Creamery

To launch the stand, Goldberg had hunted down the original source of Linda’s magical Butter Pecan, Woodside Farm Creamery in Hockessin, Delaware. In continuous operation since 1796 – and one of “the oldest working farms in the United States” – the Mitchell family has run the farm for seven generations. Their thirty-or-so head of Jersey cows “make this creamy, luxurious milk that [the Mitchell’s] churn into ice cream right there.” 

But, Goldberg and Mason weren’t the only ones to discover Woodside’s amazingly rich, creamy and intriguing ice cream. Jeff laughed as he described his interactions with the current farm patriarch, Jim Mitchell. “He’s got the driest sense of humor in the world,” Goldberg said. Mitchell would always play the innocent as he mentioned that Oprah Winfrey had named his ice cream a “Yum,” or Gourmet magazine was spotlighting his farm’s creamy products, or USA Today had declared his ice cream "Number 4 Best in the Nation." 

“I go up there usually once a week and pick it up fresh,” Goldberg said. “There’s a joke that 'It’s so fresh that the ice cream was grass last week.' But, there’s a certain amount of truth to that. Because when I get the ice cream, the cows are right there. The milk house is right there. And they’re sending the raw milk out, having it processed and it comes right back in and they’re making the ice cream right there.”

NPR's Splendid Table

Near the cash register at LCC, Goldberg points to a poster with an excerpt from NPR’s Splendid Table. In a 45-minute show all about vanilla ice cream, Woodside Farm received gushing accolades. “A herd of thirty Jerseys is moved to a fresh field every day after their morning milking, giving them plush green grass to eat… [their] milk’s luxurious character makes superior ice cream. Produced in the creamery adjacent to the milking parlor, Woodside Farm Ice Cream is more cream-sweet than sugar-sweet…” With 15 percent butter fat (heavy cream is 36 percent butterfat), [it] gives it a wholesome dairy-farm richness seldom found in supermarket brand ice creams.” 

“And make no mistake: these cows are happy,” the excerpt continues. “In fact, the goodness of their milk has a lot to do with their perpetual good mood, which is a result not only of the breed’s naturally pleasant disposition, but also of the pasture system where they’re raised. It’s not the most efficient way to keep cattle, but Jim Mitchell makes his bovines’ contentment his top priority. ‘Cow comfort is important,’ he explains. ‘Happy cows mean good milk.’

Among their 20 or so flavors today, Goldberg and Manson also serve “3 or 4 flavors” of ice cream from the “oldest ice cream company in the United States,” founded in 1861 – Bassett’s. “They’re from Philadelphia… not quite as good or creamy as Woodside’s ice cream, but they make unusual flavors and they’re still very yummy with very tasty flavors,” he said. “We’ve got some fun flavors. You don’t see Pink Peppermint every day. This Steam Oil [ice cream] has Greek caramel in it, and that’s kind of different.”

The Campaign Against Sprinkles

When asked if he considers LCC’s ice cream “artisanal,” Goldberg laughs, but admits, “I think a little bit – but not overly.” Then he points to a funny poster on the wall of an admonishing woman and the proclamation, “No Sprinkles.” 

Why be opposed to innocent sprinkles? Don’t get Goldberg started. 

“I mean, what’s in sprinkles? Sugar. Coloring. And wax. Wax! Why would you put wax on this beautiful ice cream? I mean, look at this beautiful cow!” Goldberg says, pointing to a picture of an alluring Jersey cow. “But, also, my personal problem with sprinkles is … Well, it’s much like [how] Prohibition created cocktails. Why is that? Because they were making bathtub gin or whatever… and they’d be like, ‘This tastes terrible! What can we do to get rid of that taste?’” So, they would add sugar, or fruit juice or cherries – anything to mask the nastiness. For Goldberg, most ice cream toppings serve a similar function today. “I believe toppings were created to cover up inferior ice cream.”

The only real topping Goldberg feels comfortable offering is high-quality Ghirardelli’s chocolate syrup on their brownie sundae.

The Quirky Vibe

Of course, it’s not simply the heavenly ice cream that lures locals, it’s the super-quirky vibe. Stepping into the shop’s tiny, 200 square-foot service area – there's loads of seating just outside – ice cream shoppers are immediately captivated by Goldberg’s prodigious personal collection of hundreds of colorful nostalgic toy figurines and “chatchkies,” in addition to various “Hawaiian elements” – a homage to Jeff and Linda’s first Fenwick Island stand.

But there’s a method to the figurine madness. With a degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Management, Goldberg understands that his sundry collection provides a fun, experiential visual journey for his customers – both young and old. While he’s in the back mixing a shake, customers can do a visual scavenger hunt or pour over their favorite figures with their eyes and wonder where they came from.

Quoting from his favorite film Gladiator, Goldberg said, “I’m going to show people something they’ve never seen before.” While he’s preparing ice cream or cafe drinks, he enjoys giving customers a little challenge. “I try to find some unusual pieces if I can. If I have a customer, it sometimes takes a couple of minutes. So, I’ll say, ‘Oh, see if you can find Shrek.’ Or, ‘See if you can find Waldo.’ And, I’ve had people stare right at Shrek and not notice it's Shrek.” 

No spoilers: there are reasons some of the figurines are harder to find – but not because they're hidden.

Surprisingly, Goldberg insisted the nostalgic figurines are of much more interest to adult customers than kids. “I have a couple that are for kids – like Olaf, or from The Incredibles – But, these are all [from TV shows] adults watched.” Inspector Clouseau, the Simpsons, a Bat Girl from nearby Doodlehopper toy store ["where I went to introduce myself in 2015"], Elvis Presley, pro wrestler Lou Albano [who “appeared as Cyndi Lauper’s father in her ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ video.”].... Even a little Bernie Sanders toy doll. 

For Linda, however, the whole collection “is just out of control.” “Well, be glad they're not all at home!” Goldberg jibes.

Employing Twelve Local Servers

As we talk about his collection, a neighbor “from the sushi restaurant nearby” gives Goldberg a wave and a smile as he passes by on the sidewalk. 

All this talk about figurines reminds Goldberg to turn the display TV on – it’s supposed to be running old clips of the Ed Sullivan Show. As The Monkey’s “Daydream Believer” plays scratchily over the speakers, a bear-tamer is performing tricks to the TV host's delight. 

“When my kids are here they’re supposed to have this on,” Goldberg says. You mean your own kids? No. He calls his 12 young part-time employees his “kids” because he and Linda mentor and look out for them as best as they can. 

Asked if he takes good care of them, Goldberg said, “ Well, I try, yeah. My wife was in Human Resources for 30 years. She’s had a tax service for the last 20 years. I did work for her for 10 years. I did her training and everything. So, I learned a little bit about dealing with employees. But – wow – working with kids. Is that a different story!”  

The most challenging part of working with his “kids”? “They’re never available!” he jokes. But, he goes out of his way to accommodate the hours they request each week, even if it’s just a few on a Sunday afternoon. And, he admits that, despite the challenges, he “loves working with kids.” For many of his youthful workers, this is their very first job and, while most don’t need to work to save for college, some really need to – and he really respects their drive and dedication. 

When the young folks are working the cash register, a “College Fund” tip jar is often prominently displayed nearby to help employees out. Goldberg also has them scrupulously read Yelp reviews to pick up on what pleases and displeases customers – offering life lessons in good communication skills.

A Surprise Visitor

Before our interview is complete, I order a scoop of Butter Pecan and am soon transported by its deliciousness. As I'm saying goodbye, a customer with a big happy smile enters. He tells me he comes in “four or five times a year, but wishes it were more.” 

Turns out, he’s Falls Church’s City Manager Wyatt Shields…

By Christopher Jones