The Parlour was founded by co-owners Yoni and Vanessa Mazuz (aka Mr. and Mrs. Parlour).
We make the best ice cream around, with the best ingredients. Vanessa started experimenting with ice cream many years ago, after we moved from Philadelphia so Yoni could attend graduate school at Duke. Coming from a city with such a strong ice cream history, we missed the easy access to high-quality handmade ice cream. Since sharing a scoop with friends is one of our favorite things to do, we began making ice cream at home to bring to friends and coworkers. Our hobby grew into a business in 2011, when we bought a used commercial ice cream maker, started making bigger batches at The Cookery, and served it all over the Triangle from our converted school bus. In 2012, we ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for our own kitchen, and in April of 2013 we opened our permanent location downtown, where we now employ 3 kitchen staff and a dozen scoopers.
We love being part of downtown Durham, where we operate right across from CCB Plaza, home of the iconic Major The Bull. We’ve been thrilled at the support we’ve gotten from neighboring businesses, community organizations, media, and of course customers. Tourists and locals alike keep us busy, with lines out the door all summer. In 2014 we announced our first expansion strategy—adding more space right where we are, for more seating, more production space, a bigger menu.
Our flavors are inspired by the seasons, our favorite well-worn cookbooks, and our childhood ice cream memories (though we promise we will never ever make gummy bear ice cream.) We make our ice cream with 18% butterfat and the best quality ingredients we can get our hands on. We also make all our pastries and most of our toppings from scratch. We always offer vegan options, including fruit sorbets, creamy flavors made from coconut milk, and scratch-made vegan baked treats. To learn more about some of our vendors, check out the links below!
