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Exotic treat comes to Marion Ice cream rolls: From Thailand to New York to southern Illinois

Mr. Koolz Frozen Yogurt shop in Marion appears to have hit a home run with its newest concoction - ice cream rolls.

"It's the craziest thing you've ever seen," assistant manager Hannah Gentry said. "My dad (store owner Brent Gentry) took a trip to New York to visit a friend who has an ice cream parlor and he was selling these rolls."

The rolls originated in Thailand, she said. Last Tuesday was the first time Mr. Koolz introduced the new product to the public.

"It took us a lot of time to figure out the cooking process, but boy, is it popular with our customers," Gentry said. "We had people lined up outside the door to get one."

The key to a successful roll is temperature, texture and timing.

"There isn't much time for messing around," she said. "We fix the rolls up on a machine that cools the ice cream at 25 degrees below zero. You then chop it, spread it and roll it. They come out looking like egg rolls.

"The whole cooking process takes about four minutes and we have two machines going the whole time."

Toppings can be inserted into the mix or on top of the roll.

One popular version has a graham cracker base, chocolate syrup, caramel, pecans, whipped cream and a cherry.

Another is the smores roll, with a graham cracker base, marshmallow sauce, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, whipped cream and a cherry.

For strawberry lovers, they mix strawberries into the graham cracker base, then add strawberry syrup, whipped cream and cherry.

"It's one of the coldest tastes you can ever imagine, but it quickly melts into your mouth," Gentry said. Gentry said it means a lot to her to know that Mr. Koolz is the only place in the southern Illinois/tri-state area to offer the rolls.

"There is one in Las Vegas and one in California, but we are definitely one of the very few. The machinery is very expensive and it is time-consuming to make just one."

Social media has lit up with news of the rolls - with 157,500 views on Facebook.

"People say they've seen it on YouTube and the Cooking Channel, but never dreamed it would come to Marion. It's here now and it's all we can do to keep up with it."

Gentry added that the shop, which started out offering frozen yogurt and custard, looks to be a trend setter rather than a copier of other businesses. The added Amish pies a couple of years ago.

"Our goal is to continue to be creative and different," she said. "And it helps to have a good staff. In fact, if we continue to sell these ice cream rolls at the rate we have, we may need to expand our workforce this summer."

KRISTIN MOORE PHOTOHannah Gentry rolls the ice cream before the toppings go on. They key, she says, is to work quickly.
KRISTIN MOORE PHOTOThe finished product.
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