Food Network to Feature Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl has been a Zanesville tradition for over 60 years and now they’re getting national recognition for their homemade treats.

The locally owned shop has been serving up homemade ice cream since they opened their doors in 1950. But, what really keeps customers coming back is that much like their ice cream, the atmosphere of the restaurant, is frozen in time.

“We never change anything in here, the tables and the chairs are all the same, everything’s the same since they were kids,” said Bill Sullivan, owner of Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl. “The nostalgia of coming back, walking back in time, they had so many memories here and that’s whats really amazing.”

The seats at the counter and tables throughout the cozy restaurant still hold their sentimental feel. Tom’s has been the home of many first jobs, first ice creams and especially first dates.

“Its always been the same its looked like this ever since I’ve come here they never really updated it or anything,” said longtime customer Esther Jellison. ” I know when my husband and I were going together, we were married 60 years and I was always coming here when  I was dating him, so that’s been a longtime.”

The shop serves up house roasted nuts, old fashioned style Ohio made candy, but their ice cream is what’s setting them on the national scale.

“We got contacted by the Food Network last week and they want to do a segment, a national segment on different places across the country on ice cream,” said Sullivan. “It gives people a reason to stop in Zanesville. It gives maybe people that live in Zanesville a little bit more pride in Zanesville because we’re making a national TV thing. It’s kind of great that Zanesville was picked, and that we were picked in particular.”

Tom’s will be one of 14 featured ice cream shops featured in the brand new series “Ice Cream Nation” on the Food Network. The Zanesville episode will air on July 21st showcasing the Y-City’s sweetest spot.

“People care about this, Zanesville people are great people and they care about the local product and they care about what’s happening in their hometown; that’s whats really good,” said Sullivan.