OLD TOWN — Old Town is home to the newest Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams outlet.
Jeni's opened its fourth Chicago location Thursday at 1419 N. Wells St., and it celebrated by offering free scoops from 7-11 p.m.
People were already lining up at 5 p.m.
It follows three other Jeni's outlets in the city — in Wicker Park, Lincoln Park and Lakeview.
Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of the rich, high-end brand based in Columbus, Ohio, attended Thursday's grand opening celebration and said it had been "very, very well-received" in Chicago. It has about 30 outlets total.
Bauer is from downstate Peoria, with abundant family in Chicago. "My whole family is Cubs fans," she said. "Chicago was on my bucket list as a key city to be in."
She attributed its popularity — even at $5 a scoop — to the freshness of the ingredients, from the 17 Ohio dairies that provide the base to the fifth-generation Georgia peach farmer who supplies his wares.
"Where ingredients grow best is where we get them from," Bauer said.
Bauer said the key was not local ingredients, but direct sources, with no middlemen to delay processing, thus assuring maximum freshness.
There's also the undeniable whimsy of her creations from some of those ingredients, with an array of flavors such as Riesling poached pear sorbet and Intelligentsia black cat espresso.
"Twenty-two years I've been making ice cream," she said.
The newest outlet joined the one at Foxtrot at 900 W. Armitage Ave., opened at the end of last year, with Bauer saying Old Town and Lincoln Park were natural follow-ups to Wicker Park and Lakeview.
And there are no doubt more to come, as Bauer added, "We listen to people who are requesting stores."
Even with the emphasis on fresh, direct ingredients, Bauer said, "We're nowhere near capacity."
