“Two Cows Creamery & Bistro is a place where you can find made-from-scratch foods, using clean label ingredients for meals, ice cream, Italian gelato, and sorbet,” said owner Melissa Holt. “We make over 120 flavors of ice cream, gelato, sorbets, and non-dairy ice cream.
Based in Hot Springs, Holt says each flavor and meal is made using high-quality, farm-fresh ingredients. A few of the ice cream flavors available include Blueberry Lemon Cupcake, Mississippi Mud Pie, and Nutella Biscoff.
The milk and cream used at Two Cows Creamery are sourced from Stensland Family Farms, who’s product Holt says is more easily digestible for most people than other dairy products.
“The restaurant is a gem of the southern Black Hills, offering friendly service, and many taste bud delights,” said Holt.
On the menu, there’s a variety of meal options from Chicken Pot Pie to Yak Chili and Build a Burger.
“October to April, we offer farm-to-fork dinners with an exciting all-inclusive menu from the appetizer to dessert,” Holt added. “We feature local farmers and ranchers for these dinners.”
Learn more about Holt, who is the creative behind the bistro and the abundance of ice cream flavors.
“SERENDIPITY FARMSTEAD IS MY FARM. WE PROVIDE CHICKEN, PORK, YAK, & PRODUCE. MY DAUGHTER’S RANCH SUPPLIES OUR BEEF.
-MELISSA HOLT
Customers come to us looking for…
amazing handcrafted ice cream in both traditional and imaginative flavors, great-tasting food, and some shopping.
I started cooking and entertaining…
at a young age. Professionally, I have been a cook and chef for over 15 years.
We started our partnership with Stensland Dairy…
by searching for a local dairy that would make our proprietary ice cream mix recipe. Not only were they open to the idea, but we learned that their cows have ‘old world’ A2/A2 genetics. This allows most lactose intolerant people to eat our ice cream without problems associated with conventional A1/A2 milk.
What I loved about putting the creamery together was that…
it was fun to find the history of the building and refresh it into a place people can come to year round for their ice cream fix.
We have 28 flavors…
of ice cream from April to October. The slow season, we carry 16. We have a full menu in the high season and change the menu in the fall to include items like Chicken Pot Pie, soups, burgers, fries, and specials.
Something that is influencing me right now is…
customers’ flavor ideas and what [fruits and produce are] in season.
GET THE INSIDE SCOOP
Ice Cream
– Chocolate Jack (Daniels)
– Coffee Cake
– Death BY Chocolate
– Key Lime Pie
– Mocha Toffee
– Peanut Butter Cup
– Rocky Road
– Rum Raisin
– Salted Caramel Crunch
– Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake
Gelato
– Almond Joy
– Caramel Cafe
– Crème Brûlée
– Limone
– Pistachio
– Tiramisu
Sorbet (Non-Dairy)
– Chocolate
– Dragonfruit
– Grapefruit
– Lemon
– Mango
– Raspberry
– Strawberry
– Thai Lime Coconut
Vegan/Non-Dairy
– Cocoa Coconut
– Coconut Cream
– Piña Colada
“Without Ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.” -Melissa Holt
Somewhere I love to go for inspiration is…
into the forest or to hang out with the yaks. I love their personalities and just clearing my mind. A good soak in the hot springs is great, too. The colors in changing seasons and produce gets me thinking about what I can match up and create.
My favorite flavor is…
it varies for ice cream and food based on my mood, the season, or something brand new. My go-to flavors are Black Raspberry Chip, Espresso Chip, and anything peanut butter. I’ll never knock a quality vanilla.
The most important thing about our ice cream…
is the cream. All of our flavors are between 15% and 18% butterfat. Because the butterfat carries so much flavor, we are able to drop the sugar level down by 30% from typical grocery store brands. This results in a product that is not so sugary, yet richin flavor with a great mouth feel.
Fun Farm Fact
In the creamery, there’s a section called Farmer Girl Foods. Here, customers can pick up produce, meat, and more from local farmers.
