An Iconic Ice Cream Parlor Celebrates 5 Years in May
Story and photos by Rodger Nichols
Shannon’s Ice Cream Shop is full of surprises, starting with a vintage penny farthing—an old-fashioned, high-wheel bicycle—on the sidewalk at 318 East 4th Street in The Dalles. The 2-wheeler outside belongs to the folks inside, Jon and Shannon Zilka.
Built in 1901, the small Victorian-style house in the historic commercial district is a perfect fit. On sunny days, tables are available on a patio next to the sidewalk and on the front porch. Inside is an inviting ice cream parlor in an actual parlor.
There are small tables scattered around and a counter displaying 3-gallon tubs of ice cream, with more in the back. A lot more, because Shannon’s offers nearly 40 flavors. 1/3 is under the Tillamook brand. The Zilkas make the remaining 2/3 in-house.
The original intent was to sell all ice cream from a premium brand.
“We didn’t intend to make ice cream,” Jon says. “But then we wanted to showcase local fruits and walnuts and anything we could get locally, and we couldn’t find anything like that. We also wanted to have something for everybody. So, we started experimenting.”
It’s a point of pride with the Zilkas that they source as many ingredients as possible locally—everything from walnuts, plums, and apricots to rhubarb and pawpaws.
In addition to classic vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, Shannon’s surprises ice cream lovers with such nontraditional flavors as cinnamon snickerdoodle, chai, and rhubarb crumble. The tart, astringent vegetable changes character when transformed into ice cream. It has become 1 of the shop’s bestsellers.
From the beginning, the Zilkas’ focus on service has included those with dietary restrictions. Customers can find vegetarian, vegan, sugar-free, and dairy-free choices, as well as gluten-free waffle cones.
“We make everything from scratch,” Jon says. “There’s almost nothing that we buy from premade or mixes.”
Jon and Shannon cite online research and a fair amount of trial and error to develop their recipes, but they say the result was worth it.
The Zilkas are from Portland. Jon’s parents had a summer place in Underwood, and the couple loved visiting the Columbia Gorge. Jon’s brother Tony spent so much time with his boat and RV in the area that he found the house on 4th Street and urged Jon to buy it so he could park his toys in the backyard.
Once Jon laid eyes on it, he immediately thought of it as a perfect place for an ice cream parlor. Though he has a background in architecture, his parents ran a restaurant, and he worked at Rimsky-Korsakoffee House in Portland for several years. He admired the atmosphere there, which often featured live classical music.
Shannon previously worked at a yogurt shop and brought that experience with her.
Almost as important to the Zilkas as the quality of the ice cream is the comfortable vibe the place exudes. On Thursday afternoons, visitors are likely to find a group of musicians in the parlor, playing bluegrass and Americana tunes.
“Anyone is welcome to join,” Shannon says. “You don’t have to be an expert. We accept all levels, and people are very supportive.”
That’s not the only musical surprise Shannon has in store. In the room immediately behind the parlor is a working player piano. A realtor friend had several potential sales of a local house fall through and was concerned it was because of its player piano. Jon told the realtor that Shannon would be happy to take it off their hands. It took 5 husky guys to transport it. Jon had to rebuild the piano completely.
“It’s turned out to be a good fit for this place,” he says. “It just has the right feel, and people don’t oftentimes get to see a working player piano and get to work it themselves. We let anybody (responsible) use it. We have some kids who come in who know how to use it. They’ll just start up a roll, and they’ll be singing around it. They did a lot of Christmas carols in December.”
There is a final surprise for visitors. In addition to the classic paintings on the wall of the parlor that Shannon has subtly altered to add ice cream—Mona Lisa looks particularly pleased with hers—there is a doorway next to the player piano that seems to be covered with the spines of classic novels. A closer look shows all the titles are slightly off, revealing such volumes as “The Crepes of Wrath,” “Lord of the Pies,” and “Pride & Peppermints.”
It’s 1 more way the Zilkas make a visit to their shop unique.