No Prep Sundae Skills Prove Soft (Serve)
Augusta Today writer Bryan ‘Dub’ Axelson tries his No Prep hand at building the perfect hot fudge sundae of Kent’s Restaurant in Thomson.
Bryan ‘Dub’ Axelson demonstrates his one true ice cream talent. His sundae may not have been beautiful, but he said it ate just fine.
James Cawley | Augusta TodayI’ve been to Kent’s Drive-In in Thomson on multiple occasions. I can tell you the food is delicious, and that includes the desserts. More specifically, it includes the hot fudge sundaes. I love eating a hot fudge sundae, but could I make one? I mean anyone can put hot fudge on an ice cream sundae, but could I make that very particular confection look appetizing?
We were about to find out.
Tommy Wells, one of the managers at Kent’s, agreed to be my teacher, showing me the proper way – the art really - of making a great looking hot fudge sundae. Tommy grabbed a cup and the bottle of hot fudge. Lesson one: be careful grabbing the fudge container because, well, it was hot!
Imagine that.
Wells poured the hot fudge into the cup with effortless flair, making the smooth swirls look so easy and appetizing as well. Then he pulled the handle on the ice cream machine and filled the cup – a perfect piece of soft serve architecture that, again, he made look easy.
I was pretty sure I was going to be able to do this no prep and no problem.
I grabbed my cup. I grabbed the hot fudge. I flicked my wrist and started swirling the hot fudge around the cup. I did it, I thought, the same way Wells did. Mine, however, didn’t look quite the same. Wells’s looked great. Mine looked a bit sad. His was a great sundae and mine was a rough Saturday night.
James Cawley | Augusta TodayIt is, in theory, all in the wrist. Bryan 'Dub' Axelson tries his hand - and wrist - as constructing sundaes at Kent's in Thomson.
Wells gave that sundae to a customer and told me to give it another try. No problem, as I felt certain my first run had worked out all the kinks. The second one will be much better.
Spoiler alert, it wasn’t.
I just couldn’t get the hang of making the sundae look great. There was something that Wells was doing with his hands. I knew there was a trick to it, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was.
During the second attempt, Wells showed me where all the sundae dressings were - you know, the cherries, nuts, and other sweet treats. Maybe, I thought, that would make my sundae look better.
Spoiler alert number two - it didn’t.
I was tempted to try again, but I didn’t want to cut into their profit margin any more than I already had.
I did, however, learn something important about myself. I’m much better at eating sundaes than I am at making them.
Thanks to Tommy Wells and the staff at Kent’s in Thomson for helping me out, because as you know, I had No Prep.
