From left to right, Blue Ribbon Dairy owners daughter Kiki Sorick-Ostrowski, Ann and Kenneth Sorick and son Ken Sorick stand outside of their Exeter Avenue business. Voted ‘Best Ice Cream’ Blue Ribbon has been in business for more than 75 years across three generations of family members.
The ice cream parlor and dairy distributer serves and sells freshly made ice cream in half-gallon tubs, among other treats. Blue Ribbon makes more than 60 main flavors of ice-cream, plus seasonal delights.
Menus, specials, sings, glassware and more catch the eye from the counter inside the Blue Ribbon Ice Cream parlor. The store also sells retail items, such as Blue Ribbon tie-dye t-shirts, as seen on the waitstaff above.
Mother Ann Sorick talks to her daughter, Kiki Sorick-Ostrowski talk about what’s on the agenda for the day. The duo run Blue Ribbon’s retro ice-cream parlor, which offers dine-in, to-go and counter service.
Blue Ribbon Farm Dairy on Exeter Avenue perfectly depicts a vintage feel with a modern twist, and is truly an experience that all can enjoy.
The above description could also explain why the community favorite has once again been voted as the Best Ice Cream in the Sunday Dispatch’s Best of Greater Pittston.
The fan-favorite may be best known for its delectable hard and soft ice-creams, milkshakes and treats, but it originally started as a dairy pickup and delivery service back in 1945.
Ernest Lombardo opened the business shortly after returning home from World War II, and soon after enlisted the help of his brothers, Frank and John, followed by his sisters, Louise and Edythe, to create a true family business.
Those family ties continue to this day, except its now Ernest’s daughter, Ann Sorick, along with her husband, Kenneth, and their children, Kiki Sorick-Ostrowski and Ken, tending to the needs of both the dairy distribution service and ice cream parlor that opened in the 1950s.
Over those 75-plus years, Blue Ribbon has transformed into a multi-faceted, multi-generational business that’s still beloved by the community it serves.
“We’ve expanded, our business has expanded,” Kiki said of how the business has changed. “I think they started with four or five flavors of ice cream, and now we make over 60.”
While the family operates Blue Ribbon as a whole, each member is responsible for their own section of the dairy. Kiki acts as the social media manager, and she and her mother both tend to the retail, ice cream parlor and its employees. Kenneth is the chief ice cream maker, and he and Ken run the distribution center in Swoyersville that serves Northeast and Central Pennsylvania and beyond.
Entering the age of technology and social media has added a new twist to the dairy, and Ann gave credit to her children for allowing the business to remain a success.
“The business has evolved tremendously, and I don’t think that my husband and I would be as successful if it weren’t for our children,” she said. “Social media has brought a whole new slant to doing business. If you don’t keep up with it you’re going to lose out. You’re going to lose a whole generation.”
Blue Ribbon has done a tremendous job of not only bringing in new customers, but also retaining long-standing ones of generations past. With the modern-yet-vintage feel of the parlor mixed with classic yet trendy ice-cream flavors and advertising across all media platforms, the dairy has truly perfected the phrase “Something for Everyone.”
Ice cream is made daily, which makes for a decadent, creamy and fresh taste that’s incomparable. Plus, the dairy tries to work with other local businesses and farms in the area as well. On top of its 60-some mainstay flavors, Blue Ribbon offers a multitude of seasonal favorites. Currently, their pumpkin ice-cream flight has been along with an apple-cider donut sundae that incorporates donuts from Brace’s Orchard.
“We try to keep current and follow the national trends,” Kiki explained, adding that Blue Ribbon has started to become a destination spot. “On the weekend, we see a lot of people from Clarks Summit or Scranton or further away come down for a nice drive on a Sunday.”
“The ability to come in, sit down, be waited on, be served in glass – it’s an experience,” Ann added.
The family often hears stories or gets to keep up with customers as well. It’s not unusual for a couple to come in and say that Blue Ribbon was the location of a first date or the place parents first took their children to for ice cream. During the interview, a customer came in and noted that he remembered the grand opening of the parlor in the 1950s. Engagement and wedding photos – and even a movie – have been shot at the establishment over the years.
Both Ann and Kiki believe the longevity of the business is due to its cleanliness, friendly customer service, operating hours and generous portion sizes. The family has also managed to please customers of all ages so that no one feels uncomfortable – whether 8 months old, 18 or 80.
With nearly 80 years in the business – and many more planned to go – Ann said she and her family are thankful not only for the community’s support, but the support of each other.
“It was completely a team effort, and they never would have made it without family,” Ann said of the dairy’s start. “We’re lucky to survive through so many generations.”
