Meet Audrey Simons | Ice Cream Shop Owner & Food Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Audrey Simons and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Audrey, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After Nathan graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in 2010, we knew we’d eventually start our own food business, without knowing at the time what that would look like. We brainstormed all the time with the motto being “what sort of place would we like to eat at and what sort of food gets us excited?” Nathan was fine-dining focused, so our silly little idea of dipped cones in any flavor you could think of wasn’t taken seriously at the time. In 2016, we’d been recipe testing for one of his new kitchen toys, a chocolate melanger. We created Simons Says Spread This in 2017, a European style nut butter company (think Nutella without the chocolate). When shooting the photography for the website, I melted one of the nut butters and poured it over ice cream and it set, like a softer version of magic shell. We then realized our dipped cone shop idea from years ago might be something we could actually make a reality. In 2018, we began researching opening an ice cream shop and I wrote the business plan in 2019, by 2020 we had funding, a location, and were getting ready to open our first brick and mortar business. 2020 came with many setbacks, but we were able to open by May 2021, which turned out to be the perfect time since the pandemic was mostly over and the precautionary mandates were finally removed and people were very ready to get out and enjoy normal life again.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
After graduating UNC-Chapel Hill, I entered the world of financial planning. It wasn’t my passion, but seemed like a responsible path to a secure existence and my food photography hobby kept me in touch with my creative side. When we married and Nathan became a professional chef, we quickly realized my 9-5 schedule and his noon-midnight schedule were not compatible long term, and since I wasn’t enamored of the financial world, it was easy for me to make the switch to the Restaurant & Hospitality industry. It’s a very small and tight-knit world, one that I sincerely enjoy and has led to some of the most significant friendships in my life. The industry comes with many challenges, long hours, competing egos, but overall, quite rewarding. Patience, diligence and perseverance are key to surviving in any competitive environment, and this one is no different. It’s incredibly gratifying to serve people a product that you are passionate about and to see them truly enjoy what you’ve created. Food brings people together and creates a beautiful community of kinship and it’s such an honor to be a part of that.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to M Sushi for the Nigiri Omakase and to Little Bull for a delicious array of Hispanic tapas. We’d definitely have to hit Pizzeria Toro for delicious pizza and fried pigs ears, as well as Krill for amazing asian inspired dishes. For drinks, Alley 26 and The Durham Hotel’s rooftop bar. Outside of Durham, I love the croissants at Boulted Bread in Raleigh and the amazing Szechuan menu at Taipei 101 in Cary. And for funsies, we’d have to check out the Food Truck Rally in Raleigh and go to a Hurricanes game, catch a show at DPAC, and see the Durham Bulls play ball.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Several people are significant and influential in the journey we took to open our business. Safa Sajadi for being our best cheerleader and helping me write the business plan. Paula de Pano for urging me to have the courage to take risks. Michael Lee for encouraging us to invest in ourselves and our ideas. Matthew Konar for holding our hand through the design process and buildout of our shop. Ashley and Cathy Joyner for believing in us and supporting us every step of the way.

Website: www.SImonsSaysDipThis.com

Instagram: @simonssaysdipthis

Twitter: @simonssaysdip

Facebook: facebook.com/simonssaysdipthis

Image Credits
all photography by Audrey Simons